Speakers » Kayla Pruitte

Kayla Pruitte is a Media Studies scholar whose work focuses on the intersections of mental health and popular culture. She is currently pursuing her Master’s in Mass Communications/Media Studies at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Inspired by her own journey of recovery from anorexia nervosa, upon finishing her degree, she hopes to work for an eating disorder clinic or non-profit as their marketing, outreach and advocacy coordinator.

While image repair and discourse of renewal have been widely studied in organizational communication, they have mostly been viewed from a defensive standpoint. Few studies examine how image repair and renewal operate after an organizational crisis in a positive and optimistic manner. This study adds to the crisis communication literature in that it reiterates the importance of maintaining an organizational image, especially where it concerns eating disorders, as these illnesses, and the treatment surrounding them, are still considered taboo topics. This case study approach demonstrates how image repair failed for Castlewood, an eating disorder treatment center in St. Louis, therefore, requiring the clinic to take a more transformative approach in using the discourse of renewal to become Alsana.