PPSC Learning Lab: Live Webinars on Zoom!

Saturday, June 10, 2023

10:00AM – 12:00PM (EDT)

$40 Regular Admission and $25 Student/PPSC Refugee Program Volunteers

“Trauma Informed Eating Disorder Treatment; Contemporary Practices in Treatment of ED Symptoms and Underlying Trauma”*

Whitney McMullan, LCSW

A client walks into your office for an initial session and it becomes clear that their mental health is very entwined with beliefs about themselves - mind, body and soul. But how do you know when their beliefs about their bodies and the way that they feed themselves are leading them down the path towards an eating disorder? And if we are not an eating disorder specialist, what can we do to understand and support this individual? As we learn more about the impacts of diet culture and fatphobia on the human psyche, we become more and more aware of their hidden and subtle messages and thus their impacts on mental health. In our bodies we carry the narrative of our life, along with messages of shame and health and identity clouding the reality of our authentic selves. Eating Disorders are oftentimes not about food at all but become about food over time. They operate as a way to elicit care and/or control, communicate a feeling or idea or an unseen reality. Eating disorders are not a choice and do not discriminate by size, gender, race or socioeconomic status and therefore can be hard to spot. Join us as we deepen our understanding of eating disorders and the intersection of the trauma field.

Whitney McMullan, LCSW is a clinician in private practice who earned her social work degree at Columbia University. She specializes in the treatment of Eating Disorders, Trauma and other co-occurring disorders. Prior to her work in private practice, Whitney worked at the Residential, Partial Hospitalization (PHP), and Intensive Outpatient (IOP) Programs as well as on college campuses and at various mental health agencies. Whitney utilizes a holistic approach in her work with individuals and families and finds it an honor to work with them in their time of recovery.

Learning Objectives:

After attending this presentation, participants will be able to:

• Identify symptoms associated with eating disorders.

• Become familiar with appropriate levels of care and Tx options for individuals with ED symptoms.

• Understand co-occurring psychological and medical conditions to consider.

• Learn current perspectives on populations affected.

• Recognize common myths related to eating disorders and those affected by them.

• Know when and how to also address underlying trauma when present in ED Tx.

Agenda:

10:00-10:15:TBC.

10:15-10:30: TBC.

10:30 – 11:00: TBC.

11:00 – 11:10: TBC.

11:10 - 11:30: TBC.

11:30 - 11:50: TBC.

11:50 - 12:00: TBC.