Professional Summer School Series

This summer, The Renfrew Center Foundation is pleased to offer our Summer School Series, an opportunity for mental health professionals to access 5 On-Demand Continuing Education (CE) courses. These powerful presentations will address core issues in the treatment of eating disorders.

In this series, Renfrew experts will explore topics which include:

• Orthorexia Nervosa
• Weight-Inclusive Care
• Affirming Care for the LGBTQ+ Community
• Including Families in Treatment
• Unique Needs of College-aged Students

Training #1
Orthorexia in a World of Wellness Fads: How To Help Clients Who Suffer
Presenter: Lacey Vogel, LMHC

• “Orthorexia” can be defined as a set of extremely rigid and obsessive eating behaviors, often with a focus on health and exacerbated by our current sociocultural climate. This presentation will provide knowledge on “orthorexia nervosa,” a clinical term that has not officially made it into the DSM as a psychiatric diagnosis but may have significant implications within the eating disorder world. We will walk you through the historical context of the term and examine some of the limited research available. Utilizing Renfrew’s Unified Treatment model, we will introduce some therapeutic tools to use with clients.
  

Training #2
Size Bias and Eating Disorder Recovery: Healing Across the Weight Spectrum
Presenter: Jaclynn Wise, PsyD

• Weight stigma, also known as weight bias, fatphobia, or anti-fat bias, describes the systematic oppression that people in larger bodies experience in occupational, social, and medical systems. This bias is especially harmful among people personally impacted by eating disorders. Awareness of anti-fat bias is important in providing affirming care in eating disorder treatment spaces. This presentation will provide considerations for eating disorder care across the size spectrum, and offer interventions and tools for clients to navigate weight stigma and fatphobia. This workshop will explore fat activism as a means of healing from weight stigma experiences.

Training #3
The Intersection of Eating Disorders, the LGBTQIA+ Community, and Dance/Movement Therapy
Presenter: Liz Shemory, MA, LPC, BC-DMT

• Members of the LGBTQIA+ community experience disordered eating/eating disorders at higher rates than their cisgender/heterosexual counterparts. Members of this community often experience increased minority stress, stigma, and trauma, as well as body image concerns, gender dysphoria, lack of family support, and fatphobia/weight stigma. This presentation will introduce specific eating disorder risk factors related to LGBTQIA+ identifying individuals, as well as tenets of Relational-Cultural Theory and Renfrew’s Unified Treatment Model to conceptualize eating disorders within the LGBTQIA+ community. Participants will also learn about basic tenets of Dance/Movement therapy and how this modality can be used to support LGBTQIA+ individuals.

Training #4
Healing Together: Treating The Complex Family
Presenter: Ashley Moser, LMFT, CEDS

• Family relationships are complex, to say the least. They are foundational, emotional and have an impact on us throughout the lifespan. With this in mind, it is vital that families are involved in the treatment of any mental health condition, however, involving family is easier said than done. This presentation will address the complicated and ‘messy’ nature of family in the treatment of eating disorders with specific focus on the more complex and challenging family and patient presentations. Best practices and interventions focused on increasing the emotion tolerance of the entire family will be emphasized to make systemic change and increase the likelihood of long-term recovery.

Training #5
It’s a Balancing Act: Navigating Ethical Care and the College Experience for Students with Eating Disorders
Presenter: Laura McLain, PsyD, BC-TMH

• The complexities of eating disorders in college students coupled with short-term treatment limitations present unique challenges for college mental health professionals in effective assessment and intervention. Mental health concerns are prevalent on college campuses, but tend to be underreported and under treated due to resource scarcity. Intersectionality must be considered to reduce assessment and treatment gaps. This training will provide an in-depth look at how to assess, treat, and refer students to the appropriate resources. Discussion will focus on barriers to treatment and evidence-based care using vignettes to highlight the complexities of eating disorders and maintenance factors.

For questions, please contact [email protected].