Mental Health Today

GEM Academy Is Helping Teen Girls Battle Body Image And Weight Issues With Jim Hershey Jim is the founder and executive director of GEM Academy, a solutions-based treatment program for adolescent girls who struggle with obesity. The format of GEM Academy is similar to a boarding school with a curriculum inclusive of high school general studies, nutrition and culinary, fitness, therapy, community service, and experiential learning. For the last 14 years, Jim has specialized exclusively in therapeutic work with overweight teens and young adults, with an emphasis on immersion programs, long-term treatment, and aftercare. Jim worked as a clinician working with college athletes in the field of sport psychology. He has amassed over 8000 hours of direct client work in this specialty putting Jim in a small, exclusive group of clinicians in the world. As a member of the Obesity Action Coalition Jim is a constant advocate and educator regarding the causes of obesity and effective interventions. Learn more about G