She completed her doctorate in psychology with an emphasis in marriage and family therapy. Dr. Costa's dissertation looked directly at the impact on Marriage and Family Therapists’ working with eating disorders, specifically in relation to body image. She has more than twelve years of experience treating eating disorders and has worked at various levels of care including residential, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, and outpatient. Dr. Costa has completed advanced training in DBT, CBT, and group therapy.