Taylor Penwell, M.A.
Clinical Psychology PhD Student
I am a third year Clinical Psychology PhD student at the University of Montana working with Dr. Caitlin Martin-Wagar in the Laboratory for Eating Disorders and Equity. I am interested in understanding why eating disorder treatment is effective for some but not all and how to improve eating disorder treatment outcomes. I am passionate about addressing weight stigma in eating disorder treatment and dismantling barriers to treatment access for individuals with eating disorders. Additionally, one of my favorite parts of academia is mentoring undergraduate and post-bacc scholars looking to apply for research jobs or graduate school. Outside of academia, I enjoy cooking, reading, crocheting, and spending time with my partner, dog, and cat.
To learn more about my research, please visit my research page or review my CV. If you are interested in collaborating, mentorship, or need access to one of my publications, feel free to contact me!
Current Projects
Check out some of the projects I am currently working on!
01
Coaching Experiences
For my Master's Thesis, I conducted a mixed-methods study exploring people's experiences with using a coach (like a eating disorder recovery coach, mental health coach, or health and wellness coach) for their eating disorder recovery. The results are currently being written up for publication.
02
Anonymous Group Experiences
We know very little about people's experiences using eating disorder anonymous groups (like Overeaters Anonymous or Eating Disorders Anonymous) for eating disorder recovery. This funded study will use mixed methods to understand who uses these groups and how they impact people's eating disorder recovery.
03
Insurance Barriers
Using data collected at the Eating Anxiety Treatment Lab in collaboration with Project HEAL, we are exploring how insurance may create unnecessary financial barriers for individuals trying to access eating disorder treatment. The results are currently being written up for publication.
04
Treatment Presentations
With my graduate school mentor, we are exploring whether using eating disorder anonymous groups and/or structured dieting program before treatment impact people's eating disorder and other psychiatric symptoms at admission to eating disorder treatment. Results will be presented at the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies in November 2025.
