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For
Psychotherapists
and Counselors
The Unique Use
of the
Therapist’s Self
in the Treatment
of Eating
Disorders
Eight goals and
objectives
qualifying this
lecture for CEU
status:
·
Understanding what eating disorders are and their full implications
for individual
and family.
·
Dispelling myths and misconceptions
·
Assuming diagnostic responsibility; recognizing an elusive
diagnosis
·
The nutritionist’s unique use of self in the face of unique and
complex
disorders
·
The nutritionist's role as member of the out -patient treatment
team; putting a
team together
·
Including parents as recovery advocates for child patients
·
The Nuts and Bolts of eating disorder treatment; The Nutritionist’
Tool Box
·
Facilitating a committed recovery and aftercare
The most lethal
of all the
mental health
disorders,
eating disorders
remain amongst
the most highly
misunderstood,
under-diagnosed,
and medically
and
psychologically
mishandled
diseases; the
vast majority of
otherwise
competent health
professionals
have no idea how
to recognize
these diseases
or approach
their treatment.
The good news
is that anorexia
nervosa and
bulimia nervosa
are curable in
80 percent of
cases when
recognized early
and treated in a
timely and
effective
manner.
Every eating disorder is as unique as a thumbprint, defined by
the patient’s
own heritable
factors,
personality
structure,
cognitive,
social and
emotional
development, as
well as the
structure and
quality of
function of the
family-based
“holding” system
in the case of
the child
patient. Every
treatment plan
must be uniquely
custom-tailored
to match the
unique
requirements of
each case. The
mastery of the
strategies,
skill sets, and
protocols
specific to
eating disorders
are clearly the
cornerstone of
effective
treatment…
though
continually
evolving
research and
discovery leaves
the jury still
out on what
these are. In
addition,
outside the
context of an
effective
therapeutic
relationship,
evidence-based
factors by
themselves are
not sufficient
to turn the tide
on an eating
disorder.
Successful outcomes lie in the effective and facile use of the
therapeutic
relationship,
and of the
practitioner’s
self to
inspire the
patient to
choose to
heal… and then
to discover the
best way to
go about doing so. As role model, reality tester, limit
setter, mentor
and cheerleader,
the practitioner
creates a safe
and stimulating
learning
environment,
optimizing the
patient’s
capacity to
change and grow
through the
quality of the
healing
connection. Even
within a
clinical setting
where treatment
is largely based
on the
application of
scientific
evidence-based
protocols, there
remains more
than enough room
for
treatment
as
art.
Agenda Outline
Psychotherapy
Treatment
Challenges
-
Understanding
ED; what
they
are...and
what they
are not.
-
Eating
disorders
are not
primarily
dysfunctions
of
eating
or
weight
management
-
How the
eating
disorder
works
-
Busting
myths
-
Capturing an
elusive
diagnosis
-
It is
for
nutritionists
to
diagnose
what is
often
missed
in the
medical
evaluation
-
A look at
how the ED
patient
heals
-
The unique
use of the
nutritionist’s
self
-
Human
connections
heal.
-
What sets ED
treatment
apart?
-
The
nutritionist’s
roles
-
The
parent
connection
-
The
nutritionist's
role as
member of
the out
-patient
treatment
team;
putting the
team
together and
functioning
within it.
-
ED Treatment
Nuts and
Bolts:
Getting down
and dirty in
the trenches
-
The
Nutritionist’s
“Tool
Box”
-
Healing
through
Action
-
Doing
what
works
-
Facilitating
Recovery and
Aftercare
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