Disordered eating and eating disorders are a pressing concern that significantly affects the Asia-Pacific populations. Approximately one in five young Asians are reported to experience disordered eating. Unfortunately, the dearth of research and knowledge of eating disorders in the region, coupled with the lack of awareness and rigid socio-cultural conditioning creates healthcare professionals (HCPs such as doctors, therapists, nutritionists, RDs, psychiatrists etc.) who harbor limited empathy and sensitivity around such presenting concerns. Due to this, the physiological and psychological impact is highly overlooked and underreported in these regions, especially South Asia. 

First of its kind, ‘Navigating Eating Disorders in Healthcare Professionals’ (NEDHCP) aims to provide psychoeducation and sensitize HCPs through a South-Asian lens. It provides the latest evidence on pertinent topics that contribute to and perpetuate EDs. To be able to identify red flags, symptomologies and provide appropriate guidance as first-person contact. Early diagnosis of EDs and prompt referral to ED specialists could enable faster recovery for the populations suffering with the same. ED-sensitized HCPs are the need of this hour in our healthcare. The NEDHCP course imparts practical information and clinical skills to HCPs that they could immediately start implementing after this course. 

• Module 1: introduces the course and its speakers 
• Module 2: speaks about the eating behavior spectrum, identifying the point at which eating can be termed as ‘disordered eating’ and/or moving onto a full-blown eating disorders.  
• Module 3: explores socio-cultural conditioning and explores weight stigma and its consequences along with practical exploratory exercises.
• Module 4: explains the effect of media culture and body image 
• Module 5: touches upon nutritional considerations 
• Module 6: provides recommended clinical practices

Learning Objectives:

• To sensitise health care professionals about Eating Disorders and Disordered Eating
• To enable health professionals to reflect and be aware of their biases and its impact on their patient engagement and care
• To identify signs and symptoms of disordered eating
• To be able to offer informed and appropriate care to patients as a first point of contact

This course will benefit all current and to-be health care professionals, especially:

• General Practitioners
• Specialists
• Psychiatrists
• Gynecologists
• Gastroenterologists
• Bariatricians
• Psychologists and Mental Health Counselors
• Nutritionists and Dietitians

Ishitaa Bhatia is a Mumbai-based consulting nutritionist and founder of The Nutrition Project. She holds two masters (MSc.) degrees in Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics from University of Mumbai, India and University College London, UK. She is a Registered Associated Nutritionist (ANutr.), from the Association for Nutrition, UK; as well as a member of the Indian Dietetic Association (IDA) and Nutrition Society India (NSI). She has completed training in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Eating Disorders (CBT-E) from the ED unit at University of Oxford (CREDO).

Ishitaa holds a special interest in children and young adult patient population. Her passion lies in consulting patients to bring about long-term changes in nutritional behaviours. She specialises in eating disorders and clinical nutrition; and often works with multidisciplinary health-care teams. She identifies as a body-positive HAES-aligned nutritionist with her practice stemming from the principles of Intuitive Eating.

The Nutrition Project strives to provide accurate scientific nutrition information through social media- in addition to mending clients’ relationship with food and their bodies. It aims to provide for a safe, sustainable self-care eating framework.

Rhea Kishnani is a mental health counselor and the founder of a private counseling center, Mind Heal(th) in Mumbai, India.  She has completed her double masters, Ed.M. Psychological Counseling and M.A. Mental Health Counseling from Teachers College, Columbia University, New York City. She has significant counseling and teaching experience in the United States and is professionally affiliated with Psi Chi Honor Society, Phi Beta Kappa, American Counseling Association and the National Eating Disorder Association, USA.

Her clinical specializations involve working with clients experiencing issues around anxiety, eating disorders, life transitions, interpersonal issues, empowerment and spiritual search for meaning-making through a trauma informed framework. Mind Heal(th) strives to create a non-judgmental space wherein a trauma- relational framework is adopted that helps individuals explore their innate healing capacities along with examine various systemic factors that contribute to their support, safety, recovery and transformation.

"I think you have done an outstanding job of covering a range of key subject areas for training in eating disorders.... Excellent and engaging 6-part course on eating disorders for clinicians in India. I’m sure many clinicians will be very pleased with the course when they are able to take it and will be able to put their new knowledge into action in the clinical practices". 
—Dr. Bryn Austyn, Harvard Chan School of Public Health; Founding director, Harvard STRIPED

“These continuing education materials consist of 6 slide set modules that are designed to help Indian health care professionals offer sensitive and empathic care for people with eating disorders, body image concerns and disordered eating. These continuing education materials are consistent with AED’s agenda to reach a global audience to improve identification, prevention and treatment of eating disorders. Overall, these materials offer a primer on disordered eating, eating disorders, body image, weight stigma, nutrition and counseling skills. The concise overview of these important topics and engaging slides are appropriate for busy health care professionals. The topics are not commonly addressed in medical school training and are generally supported by the research.”
—Dr. Leslie A. Sim, Mayo Clinic

Eating disorders (EDs) are serious and difficult to treat psychiatric illnesses which frequently co-occur with medical complications, psychiatric conditions, and ambivalence toward recovery. Early diagnosis and prompt intervention, based on a developmentally appropriate and evidence-based multidisciplinary team approach is the ideal standard of care.  However, if you are not an ED specialist, identifying and assessing the ED, deciding among the various treatments available and knowing when you need to refer to a higher level of care can be overwhelming. The good news is that there is a vast literature to guide these decisions!

During this webinar series, AED Fellow Lucene Wisniewski, PhD emphasizes integrating cutting edge research and evidence-based protocols into real-world clinical practice to help the general practitioner feel more confident treating EDs. 

Sessions 1-2 of the workshop provides an overview of how to identify and diagnose an ED in adults and adolescents, decide upon the appropriate level of care (outpatient, intensive outpatient, partial hospital, residential and inpatient) and treatment approach based on diagnosis, case conceptualization and available resources.  Special attention is given to how to execute this effectively in clinical practice. 

Sessions 3-4 discusses how to assemble a multidisciplinary treatment team and review the basic elements of evidence-based ED care. Finally, session 5 reviews how to know if the treatment is effective and what to do if it is not, and how to know if you need more training.  

At the end of this workshop, the attendee should be able to:

1. diagnose and assess a client with an eating disorder.
2. identify factors involved in evaluating the need for a higher level of care
3. articulate the evidence-based treatments for ED clients
4. evaluate if treatment is successful
5. identify how to assemble a multidisciplinary treatment team