The Intersection of Discrimination and Shame in the Presentation of Eating Disorders in BIPOC Communities
Norman Kim, PhD. Norman is the co-founder and principal of the Institute for Antiracism and Equity, a social justice focused consultancy, and the Deputy Director of Ayana Therapy, an app startup focused on providing culturally intelligent, adapted, and accessible care to marginalized communities. He completed his B.A. at Yale and his Ph.D. in Psychology at UCLA. His research and clinical interests include the social development of people with autism, the developmental course of bipolar disorder, and anxiety disorders. In conjunction Norman has developed an expertise in psychiatrically complex populations, and his primary areas of interest are the application of a transdiagnostic framework for eating disorders, taking an evolutionary approach to shame and anxiety, and minority mental health. He is a regular national and international speaker, educator, and passionate advocate with a particular focus on minority status and barriers to mental health care in marginalized communities. He is the founding co-chair of the BIPOC Committee of IAEDP, on the inaugural Behavioral Health Taskforce for the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association, and serves on numerous advisory boards. Norman was the co-founder of Reasons Eating Disorder Center.
People from ethnic minority groups and those in LGBTQ+ communities suffer from eating disorders at similar or higher rates than in the general population. People from these communities must often also grapple with additional stigma and marginalization, resulting in a multiple dose of shame and reasons for experiencing self-hatred. Among other risk factors, a history of macro- and micro-aggressions, discrimination and marginalization, and the well-documented confluence of stressors associated with minority status puts people from these communities at particularly high risk for the development of disordered eating behaviors and their attendant consequences.
Despite the seriousness and lethal nature of eating disorders for all those affected, there remains a tremendous disparity in mental health services utilization among those from marginalized and minority groups. People from these groups are under-identified by professionals and tend to receive and utilize treatment for eating disorders at significantly lower rates. These disparities reflect a profound need for culturally competent assessment and treatment services for members of marginalized communities who are struggling with eating disorders.
Cultural competency among care providers is crucial in providing effective treatment in both medical and mental health settings, and has particular salience in the context of illnesses as complex and multifaceted as eating disorders. It is essential for therapists, dietitians, physicians, nurses, and other allied professionals to possess cultural knowledge and be able to apply such cultural understanding to assessment and delivery of interventions and therapies as a fundamental aspect of overall clinical competence.
Brought to you in collaboration with The Eating Disorder Foundation and Reasons Eating Disorder Center
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For many, the holiday season may inspire the joy of quality time with loved ones and gratitude for a new year. But for those navigating eating disorder recovery, difficult emotions may arise. During this one-hour presentation, Equip’s mentorship leaders will provide practical tips and tools for having a happier holiday season by participating in a recovery-supportive way.
JD Ouellette is the Director of Mentorship at Equip. She is an educator turned Family Mentor whose youngest child developed anorexia in 2012; they received cutting edge, evidence-based treatment at UC San Diego, igniting JD’s passion to ensure all families have access to evidence-based care. JD is active in online family support communities, writing, and speaking at conferences. She is also a past board member for FEAST.
Maris Degener is the Peer Mentorship Manager at Equip, where she currently oversees all Peer Mentors. After recovering from anorexia as a teenager, Maris became passionate about harnessing her lived experience to support others suffering from eating disorders. Maris shared her story in the documentary I Am Maris, available on Netflix, to spread the message that full recovery is possible and destigmatize talking openly about mental health challenges. Maris studied psychology at UC Santa Cruz.
Brought to you in collaboration with Equip
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For questions about this event, contact us at 303-322-3373 or info@eatingdisorderfoundation.org
Join us as Meredith Nisbet LMFT, CEDS shares how we can thrive in recovery during the holiday season from a HAES framework.
Health At Every Size provides an advocacy framework that can allow us to face holiday food and family challenges while staying grounded in our recovery values. Join us as Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Certified Eating Disorders Specialist Meredith Nisbet provides tools for navigating the holiday season while pursuing or maintaining eating disorder recovery.
Meredith Nisbet MS, LMFT, CEDS is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a Certified Eating Disorders Specialist. She is currently the Supervisor of the Clinical Response Team with Eating Recovery Center and Pathlight Mood and Anxiety Center, where she enjoys engaging with patients, families, and providers seeking admission nationwide. In addition to her work for ERC-Pathlight and in her private practice with Three Birds Counseling, Meredith also provides education and training on weight stigma and Health At Every Size-informed care around the country. Meredith earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from East Carolina University. Meredith resides in Raleigh, North Carolina where she spends her free time listening to true crime podcasts, practicing hot yoga, and snuggling with her dog, Mac.
Brought to you in collaboration with The Eating Recovery Center and Pathlight Mood and Behavioral Health Center, and The Eating Disorder Foundation.
For reminders about these events and others, sign up for our newsletter at the bottom of our home page https://www.eatingdisorderfoundation.org/
For questions about this event, contact us at 303-322-3373 or info@eatingdisorderfoundation.org
It’s commonly said that to be able to care for others, you must first take care of yourself. At Equip, we recognize caring for a loved one through eating disorder recovery is hard, important work — that’s why it’s essential for caregivers to prioritize their own mental health too. Join Equip’s Director of Therapy Dr. Tana Luo and Senior Family Mentor Kevin Dunn to learn practical and effective strategies for supporting yourself while also supporting your loved one through recovery.
Speakers:
Tana Luo, PhD, Director of Therapy
Dr. Tana Luo is the Director of Therapy at Equip and a clinical psychologist with a Ph.D. from the University of Southern California. She completed her predoctoral and postdoctoral training at the UC San Diego Eating Disorders Center and has experience working with children, adolescents, and adults across different levels of care. During her fellowship, she received specialized training in treating pediatric eating disorders.
Kevin Dunn, Senior Family Mentor
Kevin, a dad in the Family Mentor role at Equip, knows eating disorders, though unwelcome, present opportunities for positive change. He leads the Equip Men’s Group and supports all parents on their path.
Brought to you in collaboration with Equip
Join us for a workshop about the connection between what we feel inside (any kind of bodily sensation, emotion, and even absence of them!) and what we usually think and believe with our habitual mind. It is a way to discover how the body and mind are working together and what gives meaning to our life. It helps us to sense and safely explore where there are incongruities, often felt as a diffuse discomfort in the body. We can then discover new options and find a fresh way of experiencing life, act, and interact with ourselves and others.
In this introductory workshop, we will practice how to safely access our feelings and needs and we will focus particularly on the 3 first Steps of the Focusing Process Model.
We will learn and create the conditions necessary to foster a sense of self-control and self-regulation through guided Focusing practice.
We will explore more particularly the “Clearing a Space” Focusing Step, a visualization technique helping to create a safe and secure environment within us.
As an option at the end of the session, we will have a short expressive arts practice in order to enhance the effect of the session.
Facilitator: Agnes Windram, MA Psychology & Counseling, Expressive Art & Movement Therapist (FOT & FOAT), Traumatologist, & Mindfulness Facilitator (MBSR)
Agnes is a bi-lingual, Spanish-English speaking Psychologist, Counselor and Educator. She is specialized in body-mind psychotherapy, trauma recovery, self-image, and self-worth. She has had the opportunity to facilitate the path toward resiliency of individuals with eating disorders, low self-esteem, and self-harming behavior for more than two decades. She worked in Colorado and California as a counselor at the Denver Advocacy Children Center, Florence Crittenton Services, and the COVIA-Well Connected Organization, is a lecturer in Body-Mind Psychotherapy, Trauma & Recovery Counseling at Naropa University, and is a member of the Virginia Satir and the International Focusing Institutes.
For reminders about these events and others, sign up for our newsletter at the bottom of our home page https://www.eatingdisorderfoundation.org/
For questions about this event, contact us at 303-322-3373 or info@eatingdisorderfoundation.org
Agnes Windram, MA Psychology & Counseling, Expressive Art & Movement Therapist (FOT & FOAT), Traumatologist, & Mindfulness Facilitator (MBSR).
Agnes is a bi-lingual, Spanish-English speaking Psychologist, Counselor and Educator. She is specialized in body-mind psychotherapy, trauma recovery, self-image, and self-worth. She has had the opportunity to facilitate the path toward resiliency of individuals with eating disorders, low self-esteem, and self-harming behavior for more than two decades. She worked in Colorado and California as a counselor at the Denver Advocacy Children Center, Florence Crittenton Services, and the COVIA-Well Connected Organization, is a lecturer in Body-Mind Psychotherapy, Trauma & Recovery Counseling at Naropa University, and is a member of the Virginia Satir and the International Focusing Institutes.
Agnes particularly likes to work with groups as she believes that peer and group support are one of the pillars of the process of change and resiliency. Regardless of how much or little we are socially engaged we all live in interaction, and clear communication is at the core of one’s experience of life, self-esteem, and self-growth. Group supports are a great opportunity to safely share and experience what our struggles, needs, and feelings are.
She is the founder and director of the institutes Creating Connections (English) and Creando Conexiones (Spanish) which provide different coaching & mentoring programs for recovery, self-growth, and congruent communication.
Join us this month to learn from Jennifer L. Gaudiani, MD, CEDS, FAED, the Founder and Medical Director of the Gaudiani Clinic. This talk will explore why focusing on weight as a primary outcome does more harm than good, how classic health outcomes associated with weight loss are achieved or surpassed by improving physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness, independent of BMI, and why a weight-inclusive approach should be offered to everyone.
Jennifer L. Gaudiani, MD, CEDS-S, FAED, is the Founder and Medical Director of the Gaudiani Clinic. Board Certified in Internal Medicine, she completed her undergraduate degree at Harvard, medical school at Boston University School of Medicine, and her internal medicine residency and chief residency at Yale. Dr. Gaudiani served as the Medical Director at the ACUTE Center for Eating Disorders prior to founding the Gaudiani Clinic, which is a Denver-based outpatient medical clinic dedicated to people with eating disorders and disordered eating. The Gaudiani Clinic is a HAES (Health At Every Size)®-informed provider and embraces treating people of all shapes, sizes, ages, and genders. The Gaudiani Clinic is licensed to practice in over 35 US states via telemedicine and offers international professional consultation and education. Dr. Gaudiani has lectured nationally and internationally, is widely published in the scientific literature as well as on blogs, is a Fellow of the Academy for Eating Disorders, and is a recent former member of the editorial board of the International Journal of Eating Disorders and the Academy for Eating Disorders Medical Care Standards Committee. Dr. Gaudiani’s first book, Sick Enough: A Guide to the Medical Complications of Eating Disorders(Routledge,2018) is available on Amazon.
When: Thursday, January 20th
Time: 6-7:00 PM Mountain Time
Who: Everyone is welcome
Where: virtually on Zoom
Cost: Free
Brought to you in collaboration with The Eating Disorder Foundation & The Gaudiani Clinic.
RESCHEDULED FOR JANUARY 27Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Certified Eating Disorders Specialist Meredith Nisbet will discuss ways to drown out the noise of diet culture, and share how to cultivate intentional, values-based resolutions that support your recovery.
Meredith Nisbet MS, LMFT, CEDS is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a Certified Eating Disorders Specialist. She is currently the Supervisor of the Clinical Response Team with Eating Recovery Center and Pathlight Mood and Anxiety Center, where she enjoys engaging with patients, families, and providers seeking admission nationwide. In addition to her work for ERC-Pathlight and in her private practice with Three Birds Counseling, Meredith also provides education and training on weight stigma and Health At Every Size-informed care around the country. Meredith earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from East Carolina University. Meredith resides in Raleigh, North Carolina where she spends her free time listening to true crime podcasts, practicing hot yoga, and snuggling with her dog, Mac.
Brought to you in collaboration with The Eating Recovery Center and Pathlight Mood and Behavioral Health Center, and The Eating Disorder Foundation.
Join us virtually on March 17th as Licensed Professional Counselor and Certified Eating Disorders Specialist Lolly Wool discusses how to define body image and the goal of body image work for eating disorders. This workshop will explore our emotions and feelings about body image and navigating healing. We will learn techniques to increase the individual connection to our body, how to navigate blocks as they come up, and how to set realistic goals for healing and body image. Lolly Wool is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Certified Eating disorders Specialist. She started her career as a Special Education teacher working with kids with Autism and, After completing her Master’s degree, began working for Alsana as a primary therapist. At Alana, lolly has held the positions of Lead Therapist, Director of Clinical Services for Residential, and now Regional Executive Director. Lolly is trained in EMDR and has Advanced training in Somatic Experiencing. Lolly has a passion for helping those with eating disorders and was drawn to Alsana for the impressive clinical and nutritional philosophies and how Alsana encourages individuals to form a new relationship with their body, food, and movement. She believes that the staff at Alsana is brilliant and the most compassionate and dedicated individuals she has ever worked with. She loves forming relationships with people and loves holding hope in recovery for all of Alsana’s clients. Lolly spends most of her time outside, hanging out with her husband and three kids. She loves Broadway musicals and finding time to read.
Join us virtually on Thursday, March 31st from 5-6PM Mountain Time as author of The Clinical Guide to Fertility, Motherhood and Eating Disorders: From Shame to Self-Acceptance, Kate Daigle, MA, NCC, LPC presents a free workshop exploring the development of a healthy relationship between eating disorders, shame related to fertility, pregnancy and postpartum recovery.
Did you know that 20.7% of patients struggling with infertility have had an eating disorder?
Psychotherapy with this population can reveal shame rooted in unexpected difficulties in conception, pregnancy or early motherhood. The lack of open discussion around these topics increases internalized judgment and self-criticism. This presentation will focus on issues arising from challenges conceiving, sustaining a healthy pregnancy, and mother-child bonding in women who have had or currently have an eating disorder. Discussion will examine research linking the presence of anorexia nervosa, bulimia or binge eating disorder to fertility issues and experiential exercises exploring how to process this with clients will be outlined. Kate will share some personal experiences from her own life and case studies to highlight the depth of these struggles. This presentation will be a guide to addressing, working with, and healing from emotional struggles related to fertility and eating disorders both for practitioners who work with these issues regularly and for those who are wanting to learn about this topic.
Brought to you by The Eating Disorder Foundation.
For reminders about these events and others, sign up for our newsletter at the bottom of our home page https://www.eatingdisorderfoundation.org/
For questions about this event, contact us at 303-322-3373 or info@eatingdisorderfoundation.org
