Title: The Missing Piece: Family Involvement in the Comprehensive Treatment of Eating Disorders

Course Description:

Eating disorders affect the entire family, but families and caregivers are often overlooked in the treatment process. When their loved ones leave treatment, family members often feel unprepared for how to support them. This presentation will provide a framework for clinicians in working with families of clients with eating disorders from an Emotion Focused Family Therapy (EFFT) perspective. An overview of EFFT will be provided, along with concrete ways to identify barriers and caregiver traps that keep family members stuck in supporting their loved one. Experiential interventions will be delivered in which clinicians will practice skills learned and identify their own biases and blocks towards working with family members and/or supportive others. The goal of the presentation is to equip and empower clinicians to work with families of individuals with eating disorders with competence, confidence, and compassion.

Learning Objectives:

1. Attendees will describe the foundation of Emotion Focused Family Therapy as a framework for providing support to family members and supportive others of loved ones with eating disorders.

2. Attendees will identify barriers and caregiver traps in providing support to loved ones with eating disorders.

3. Attendees will demonstrate skills in validation and providing emotional and practical support to loved ones with eating disorders.

 Bio: 

Caroline Nichols, LICSW, CEDS-s, National Director of Family Programs Alsana: An Eating Recovery Community received her Master of Social Work degree, with a concentration in Mental Health, from the University of Alabama and is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker in the State of Alabama and a Certified Eating Disordered Specialist. Caroline has previous experience working with individuals with eating disorders at the residential, partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient levels of care.  She also has extensive experience working with issues related to PTSD, addiction, co-dependency, chronic pain management, self-harm, suicidality, family dynamics and personality disorders. She has specialized training in Dialectal Behavior Therapy, Cognitive Processing Therapy, Prolonged Exposure Therapy, Emotion Focused Family Therapy and is a Level II Trained EMDR therapist. She currently serves as the Hospitality Co-Chair for the Alabama Chapter of International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals (IAEDP). Caroline employs a wide variety of therapeutic modalities to treat the whole person and is committed to empowering clients in developing a “life worth living.” 

Continuing Education Credit: 

October Road, Inc. is an NBCC-Approved Continuing Education Provider (ACEP) and may offer NBCC-approved clock hours for events that meet NBCC requirements. The ACEP solely is responsible for all aspects of the program. Approval # 6469

Application is pending approval by the NC Substance Abuse Professional Practice Board 

 Application is pending approval by LPCA-GA for 3 core continuing education hours

Refund Policy:

Requests must be in writing. Refunds will be given on requests postmarked or faxed no later than 7 business days prior to the seminar. No refunds will be issued for "late arrivals" and "no shows". Address: October Road, Inc, Erin Evans, Administrative Assistant/Seminar Coordinator, 119 Tunnel Road Suite B, Asheville, NC. 28805-1800. Fax: (828) 350-1300. Requests may also be emailed to eevans@octoberroadinc.net.

Location:

All programs are held in the October Road, Inc. Training Room. October Road is located Take 240 west to exit 6 (Tunnel Road/Chunns Cove). Exit left to end of road and turn left. Travel to light and turn left. Pass Applebee's on right and turn into parking lot between Applebee's & Olive Garden. Travel to back of parking lot and you will see large white concrete building on left.  If you are coming from 240 east at exit 6 (Tunnel Road/Chunns Cove) travel to light and turn right. Olive Garden and Applebee's will be on your immediate left. Turn left into parking lot between the two restaurants. Travel to back of parking lot and you will see a large white concrete building on left.