Her interest in eating disorders first began as a pediatric psychology fellow at the Children's Hospital of Orange County, where she provided therapy and Consultation/Liaison services for the children with a wide variety of chronic medical issues. She later went on to complete a specialized postdoctoral fellowship in eating disorders at the University of California San Diego's Eating Disorders Center for Treatment and Research/Rady Children's Hospital, where she trained in family-based therapy and inpatient medical stabilization for eating disorders. Dr. Eckhardt is a 2011 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Doctoral Program in Counseling Psychology and her clinical interests include medical stabilization and the treatment of eating disorders using family- based therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy-enhanced.