Summary - Certificate in dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) for eating disorders

Please read carefully:

This certificate program is offered as an open 3-level series, allowing the flexibility to register for Level 1, Level 2 or the entire series, depending on your learning objectives.

Level 1 Eating disorders (EDs): What every clinician needs to know (on-demand training): This introductory program provides core foundational training in eating disorders and it is the prerequisite for those who do not have foundational and current eating disorders education. This training covers identification, assessment, and treatment of various eating disorders, focusing on the latest clinical research and practical interventions for early detection and management.
Level 2 When standard eating disorders treatments are not enough: The MED-DBT protocol (live webinar series): This training introduces MED-DBT, an adaptation of DBT for complex eating disorders. It covers the protocol's framework for managing multiple high-risk behaviors, emotion regulation difficulties, and treatment-resistant symptoms in eating disorder patients.
Level 3 Virtual group consultation (optional): Participants will be able to develop their clinical expertise under the guidance of Dr. Anita Federici, PhD, C.Psych, FAED. The consultation sessions aims to provide practical, hands-on learning to improve clinicians' ability to support individuals with eating disorders.

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 will receive a Certificate of Participation from SickKids CCMH Learning Institute for completing Levels 1 and/or 2 as stand-alone trainings.

*Please note: If you do not have foundational and current eating disorders education, it is recommended to complete this on-demand training as a prerequisite for Level 2 When standard eating disorders treatments are not enough: The MED-DBT protocol live webinar series. 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 90 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.

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.

This training focuses on the adaptation of standard DBT for individuals with multidiagnostic eating disorder presentations. This is not a standard eating disorder training nor is it a foundational training in DBT. We assume that clinicians already have:

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

This training is designed for clinicians working with an outpatient team who can provide individual MED-DBT sessions, phone coaching, skills training, and 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 on their own will derive benefit from the content, the MED-DBT protocol is a team-based model.

Eating disorders (EDs) are complex neurobiological and psychiatric illnesses associated with significant morbidity and mortality. While CBT-E is considered a front-line treatment for EDs, 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 MED-DBT protocol (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, how to address multiple high-risk behaviours, 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 for adapting DBT skills, using MED-DBT diary cards, and working with chain and missing link analyses is also included.

Learning objectives:

At the end of this training, participants will be able to:

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.

As a participant in the Certificate in dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) for eating disorders (EDs), you'll have the opportunity to develop clinical skills under the guidance of Dr. Anita Federici, a renowned expert in eating disorders and DBT. This limited group consultation program for 10 clinicians offers:

Virtual group consultation sessions.
Case study analysis and application.
Opportunity to receive professional feedback.
Skills enhancement for eating disorder clinical practice.

The consultation provides practical, hands-on learning to improve clinicians' ability to support individuals with eating disorders.

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: TBA per clinician.

Continuing Education (CE) Information:

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SickKids Centre for Community Mental Health Learning Institute is approved by the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) to offer continuing education (CE) hours. Full-day programs equal six CE hours; half-day programs equal three CE hours; for less than half-day programs, one hour of programming equals one CE hour. SickKids Centre for Community Mental Health Learning Institute maintains responsibility for the programs.

Other licensing boards and professional organizations will grant continuing education credits for attendance at their own discretion; participants will need to submit the course outline and Certificate of Participation for their consideration.

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.