Certificate in dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) for eating disorders

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This certificate program is a 3-level series. To receive the joint Certificate of Participation from SickKids CCMH Learning Institute and The Centre for Psychology and Emotion Regulation, you must complete Level 2 and Level 3 of the Certificate in dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) for eating disorders program.

Participants may take Level 1 or Level 2 on their own as stand-alone training and will receive a Certificate of Participation from SickKids CCMH Learning Institute.

Level 1

Eating disorders (EDs): What every clinician needs to know

(optional on-demand training)

*Please note: If you do not have foundational and current eating disorders education, it is recommended to complete our on-demand training as a prerequisite for Level 2: Treating complex and multidiagnostic EDs in DBT: Foundations for adults and adolescents. You will have the option to register for the on-demand training during the registration of this program.

Upon registration, participants will receive a confirmation email that includes access information to our on-demand training platform, SickKids Academy Online. Participants will have access for 60 days from the date they begin the course on SickKids Academy Online. Following the training, participants are required to complete a quiz to receive the Certificate of Participation.

CE: 9.25 hours

If you wish to only register for Level 1: Eating disorders (EDs): What every clinician needs to know on-demand training, please click the button for the separate registration form.

Who is this training for?

This is an introductory course designed for all health-care practitioners who plan to, or are working in, the eating disorder field. While this will serve as core foundational training, due to the rapid evolution of knowledge in the field, this course can also be used as a refresher for anyone who has not had up-to-date training.

Training description:

The demand for eating disorder (ED) treatment has never been greater. Over the course of the pandemic, the number of people suffering from an ED and seeking professional help increased substantially. Waiting lists for hospital programming and for private eating disorder centres are exceptionally long. Chronic in nature, highly debilitating and associated with high mortality rates; eating disorders can’t afford to wait. Given the severity and the sheer demand for services, it is reasonable to expect that health-care practitioners will have a lot of patients and clients with EDs. Stigma, misconceptions, and a lack of clinical resources continue to impede early detection, proper assessment, and necessary treatment. Signs and symptoms are often missed. Thus, it is imperative that all clinicians have foundational knowledge to aid in prevention, early detection, and foundational treatment interventions.

This practical on-demand workshop provides health-care providers with foundational training in eating disorders. Participants can expect a focus on the latest clinical research on causal and maintaining factors, assessment guidelines, and foundational psychoeducation to improve early detection, treatment, and referral when needed.

Learning objectives:

• Identify and distinguish core features across 7 types of eating disorders
• Assess symptoms using standard measures
• Describe unique neurobiological and environmental underpinnings that cause and maintain eating disorders
• Learn about medication management
• Develop awareness to monitor common physical and emotional consequences
• Assist clients in developing a non-dieting, mechanical meal plan
• Describe the rationale for, and concerns with, weighing clients
• Identify weight bias and stigma, and how to provide trauma-informed ED care
• Identify treatment options for clients with eating disorders

Level 2

Treating complex and multidiagnostic EDs in DBT: Foundations for adults and adolescents

(live webinar series)

Dates: February 29, March 1, 7, and 8, 2024
Time: 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET
CE: 24 hours

Who is this training for?

This training focuses on the adaptation of standard DBT for individuals with complex eating disorder presentations. Therefore, it assumes clinicians already have:

• Foundational and current eating disorder education and experience
  • It is recommended to complete our on-demand training as a prerequisite: Eating disorders (EDs): What every clinician needs to know. You will have the option to register for the on-demand training during the registration of this program.
• Received foundational or intensive training in DBT
  • This training does not teach core DBT content, rather works on adapting the standard model for complex EDs.

This training is designed for clinicians working with an outpatient team who can provide individual DBT sessions, phone coaching, skills training, and attending consultation team meetings. While there will be recommendations for higher levels of care, this training does not cover the nuances and program planning components needed for day treatment and inpatient or residential settings. While clinicians who work independently will benefit from the content, this treatment protocol is intended to be a team-based model.

Training description:

Eating disorders (EDs) are complex neurobiological and psychiatric illnesses associated with significant morbidity and mortality. While FBT and CBT-E are considered front-line treatments, more than 50% of patients do not respond adequately and relapse rates remain high. Research has highlighted that differential treatment approaches are needed for individuals presenting with co-occurring suicide, self-injury, trauma, and specific bio-temperamental characteristics. The need to target emotion regulation difficulties, sensory and perceptual issues, and interpersonal challenges is well documented in the literature. Standard ED treatments however are not designed to treat multiple high-risk behaviours outside of the ED, nor do they comprehensively target the diverse and varied way that EDs present. Clinicians often report feeling burnt out or ineffective in their work with this population.

The DBT-ED protocol (ex. MED-DBT - an adaptation of dialectical behaviour therapy for multidiagnostic clinical presentations) provides a comprehensive and multi-modal framework for managing emotion regulation difficulties and multiple high-risk behaviours in the context of an eating disorder. Participants can expect a focus on the adapted Biosocial Theory, targeting effectively in ED treatment, managing ambivalence and anosognosia using commitment strategies, dialectical strategies and dilemmas unique to EDs, collaborative contingency management protocols, and the application of MED-DBT assumptions and team agreements. An overview of tips and strategies will be included, such as adapting DBT skills, using phone coaching, modifying diary cards to track food and fluid intake, and working with chain and missing link analyses.

This workshop will include group discussion, role-plays, break-out rooms, and ready-to-use client handouts.

Learning objectives:

• Determine suitability for MED-DBT
• Teach clients how biotemperament interacts with invalidating environments to cause and maintain complex ED symptoms
• Conceptualize clients using MED-DBT dialectical dilemmas
• Organize the first 4 sessions of MED-DBT
• Identify where ED behaviours are placed on the target hierarchy
• Increase commitment for ego-syntonic symptoms
• Troubleshoot common challenges to MED-DBT diary cards
• Adapt DBT skills for complex ED

MED-DBT (A): Adolescent and family considerations

(optional day 5; live webinar)

Date: March 28, 2024
Time: 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET
CE: 6 hours

*Please note: This training is designed for those who have completed the 4 days of the Level 2: Treating complex and multidiagnostic EDs in DBT: Foundations for adults and adolescents training. It is an optional session for those who work with adolescent clients and their families.

Training description:

The demand to utilize the DBT for ED framework for adolescents and their families struggling with multidiagnostic eating disorder presentations has risen substantially. Many adolescents have not been adequately helped by frontline approaches (e.g., FBT) and parents report feeling overwhelmed and at a loss for how to manage severe emotion regulation difficulties, suicidal urges, and recurrent self-injury in the context of feeding and supporting their child.

As a follow-up to the 4-day intensive training, this one-day workshop focuses on fundamental strategies and recommendations for using DBT with teens and their families. While the underlying theories and strategies are similar, there are important differences when applying this treatment to the family system. MED-DBT (A) blends traditional FBT concepts (e.g., empowering parents, supported meals, graduated stages of independence) with DBT approaches (e.g., focusing on emotion regulation, empowering the youth, dialectics).

Learning objectives:

• Determine suitability for MED-DBT (A)
• Establish the MED-DBT (A) clinical team and program structure
• Describe how to adapt the pre-treatment phase for youth and their families
• Identify strategies to enhance family and youth commitment
• Teach families how to apply DBT philosophy/skills for meals and snacks
• Describe MED-DBT (A) strategies to overcome common implementation obstacles

Level 3

Group consultations

(optional; virtual)

Dates: Wednesdays from April 3 to July 10, 2024
Time: 2 to 3 p.m. ET
CE: Will vary depending on how many sessions attended

*Please note: If you complete the Certificate in dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) for eating disorders: Level 2 and Level 3 Group Consultation (minimum of 13 sessions), you will receive a joint Certificate of Participation from SickKids CCMH Learning Institute and The Centre for Psychology and Emotion Regulation.

Training description:

As a participant in the Certificate in dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) for eating disorders: Level 2, you are eligible for an opportunity to put your newly acquired skills into practice by taking the Level 3 Group Consultation.

Dr. Anita Federici will be offering 10 clinicians a chance to participate in small group consultation sessions. These sessions are designed to provide participants the opportunity to apply their skills and knowledge to case studies (at least two), receive feedback, and enhance clinical skills overall to support individuals with an eating disorder.

Structure:

• Group size: 10 clinicians
• Number of sessions offered: 15
• Attendance policy: To complete the joint Certificate of Participation, clinicians must attend a minimum of 13 sessions
• Fee: $900 per clinician

If you are interested in signing up for the Level 3 Group Consultation, please email Mary Anne Van Rooyen at mvanrooyen@sickkidscmhlearning.ca.

What our learners have to say about this training

"This is a fantastic program! Dr. Anita Federici is one of the strongest facilitators I’ve learned from. She embodied compassion, flexibility, vulnerability, and wisdom. I’m located in Alberta, so this virtual program allowed me to participate and enhance my skills. I definitely recommend it to a colleague!”

– Program participant, facilitated by Anita Federici, PhD, C.Psych., FAED

Please note: Once the online registration is complete, any modifications to a registration must be done by contacting Mary Anne Van Rooyen via email at mvanrooyen@sickkidscmhlearning.ca

Accessibility

We strive to ensure our online learning programs are easy for everyone, everywhere. The on-demand and live webinars will include automated closed-captioning and transcript.

Disclaimer: The automated closed captioning and transcript are based on the accuracy of the audio recording and may contain some gaps or inaccuracies. They are meant to be an assistive tool and not an official record. Please refer to the original audio/video for full and accurate communication.

If you have other accessibility requirements, please email Mary Anne Van Rooyen at mvanrooyen@sickkidscmhlearning.ca to let us know how we can best support your learning experience.