Cocktails and Conversation: Food Allergies, Mental Health, and the “Village Effect”

About the Event

FARE and hosts Katie and David Geenberg and Hanna and Jon Lamb warmly invite you to an intimate, salon-style evening centered on the often unseen emotional and mental health realities of living with food allergy .

This evening is designed to create space for an honest, compassionate conversation about that lived reality, with a focus on practical, real-world strategies informed by experience and clinical insight. Together, we will explore how anxiety affecting children with food allergies reaches into their communities, to touch parents, other caregivers, siblings, and friends. We’ll ask how, in a world where it “takes a village,” we can remain resilient, address grief, and feel prepared for the stages we all traverse on the journey to care for ourselves and our loved ones.

The evening will open with perspectives from Dr. Katherine Dahlsgaard, PhD, ABPP, and Ursula Stahl, MEd, CCLS, RWWP, followed by a guided discussion led by Kelly Cleary, MD, FAAP, Medical Director at FARE. The discussion will be shaped by questions and reflections submitted by guests in advance.

We hope this gathering feels thoughtful, supportive, and resonant, offering both validation and practical guidance for families as they continue moving forward together.

About the Speakers

Dr. Katherine Dahlsgaard, PhD, ABPP

Dr. Katherine Dahlsgaard, PhD, ABPP, is a board certified clinical psychologist and the Founder and Director of Brave Is Better – Consulting and Therapy. She is a nationally recognized expert in evidence based treatment for anxiety in children, adolescents, and young adults, with deep expertise in food allergy–related anxiety. Dr. Dahlsgaard previously founded and directed the Anxiety Behaviors Clinic, Picky Eaters Clinic, and co founded the Food Allergy Bravery Clinic at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She is the developer of the Scale of Food Allergy Anxiety and has published widely on anxiety treatment, child mental health, and cognitive behavioral therapy.

katherinedahlsgaard.com

Ursula Stahl, MEd, CCLS, RWWP

Ursula Stahl, MEd, CCLS, RWWP, is a certified child life specialist and educator with deep expertise in supporting children and families navigating medical anxiety and life altering diagnoses. She currently serves at Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital, where she established the child life specialist role within the Pediatric Allergy & Immunology clinics and developed a program focused on preparing children for oral food challenges. Ursula’s work centers on helping families manage fear, build coping strategies, and foster resilience through developmentally informed, compassionate care. She also maintains a private practice supporting families beyond the clinical setting and has published on the role of child life specialists in pediatric food allergy care.

thecopingcollaborative.com/meetursula 

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