Certificate in dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) for eating disorders: Adolescents

Full program dates: October 4, 11, 18, November 29, December 6 and 13, 2022

Time: 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. EST

This training is suitable for:
Medical Professionals: Nurses, psychiatrists, pediatricians, family doctors.
Mental Health Professionals: Psychotherapists, counsellors, psychologists, social workers.
Direct Service Workers: Drop in workers, shelter and hostel workers, child and youth workers, youth justice workers.

Client age category: For professionals who work with clients aged 10 to adulthood.

Level of training: Introductory/intermediate (participants must have foundational DBT knowledge and experience to complete Part 2 of this certificate)

Trigger warning: This content may be triggering for those with lived experience of an eating disorder.

Facilitator: Anita Federici, PhD, C.Psych., FAED, with special guests Anne Williams, RD, and Dr. Jennifer Couturier

Part one: Eating disorder foundations skills

Guest presenters: Anne Williams, RD, and Dr. Jennifer Couturier

Part one dates: October 4, 11 and 18, 2022

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 has increased substantially. Waiting lists for hospital programming and for private eating disorder centres are exceptionally long. As EDs are chronic in nature, highly debilitating, and associated with extremely high mortality rates, those affected by them can’t afford to wait. A recent statistic from the Academy for Eating Disorders reported that someone dies as a direct result of their ED every 52 minutes. Given the severity and the sheer demand for services, it is reasonable to expect that most health-care practitioners will have a number of patients with EDs on their caseloads. 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, hands-on 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

• Describe biological and social factors that cause and maintain eating disorders
• Identify when the eating disorder becomes life-threatening
• Explain set point theory
• Administer three ED-specific assessment measures
• Identify ways to create weight-neutral and body inclusive spaces

Please see the Agenda tab at the top of this page for further information on the daily learning breakdown.

Part two: Treating eating disorders in adolescents: The DBT-FBT model

Part two dates: November 29, December 6 and 13, 2022

Description: While family-based treatment (FBT) is considered the gold standard treatment for adolescents with an eating disorder, more than 50 per cent of individuals do not respond adequately and relapse rates remain high. Problems with emotion regulation, co-occurring suicide and self-injury, high expressed emotion or criticism within the family, and slow progress in FBT have been identified as predictors of poor outcome. While FBT is suitable for many patients, it was never designed to treat multiple high-risk behaviours, does not have protocols for managing chronic suicide or self-injury, and does not comprehensively target interpersonal and affect regulation difficulties. In fact, many families report feeling overwhelmed and unable to manage pervasive emotion dysregulation in addition to the eating disorder. 

Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) provides a comprehensive and multi-modal framework for managing emotion regulation difficulties and high-risk behaviours in the context of an eating disorder. This workshop will focus on how DBT has been adapted for adolescents and families who have not responded to standard approaches. Participants can expect a focus on enhanced case conceptualization, commitment strategies, and direction on how to integrate DBT with FBT. This workshop will include large and small group discussion, role-play, and ready-to-use client handouts. 

This training is designed for clinicians who have foundational DBT knowledge and experience. 

Learning objectives:

• Determine who needs DBT-FBT vs. standard FBT treatment
• Teach the adapted biosocial theory and the two-step framework to youth and caregivers
• Orient families to the rationale and use of the target hierarchy
• Identify how to use dialectical communication strategies to get “unstuck”
• Describe how multifamily skills groups operate in DBT-FBT

Note: If you have already taken an introductory course on eating disorders with the facilitator, or have extensive experience in treating eating disorders, and wish to only participate in Part 2, please contact Mary Anne Van Rooyen at mvanrooyen@sickkidscmhlearning.ca.

Please see the Agenda tab at the top of this page for further information on the daily learning breakdown.