Working with Eating Difficulties

This new course for HG therapists builds on the online Understanding Eating Difficulties introductory webinar.

It will deepen your understanding of working with clients experiencing eating difficulties and give you practical guidance on the most appropriate ways to support them, whether they have an official diagnosis or not.

You will leave the workshop with a much better understanding of how to apply the skills and concepts encompassed in human givens therapy in this area.

Jo Baker has a wealth of experience in this area; she has previously worked as a volunteer for BEAT and other local eating disorder charities and helped people with eating difficulties in both private practice and university settings.

NEXT DATE:  This course is recommended CPD for HG therapists. We don’t currently have another date – if you are interested in attending please register here so we can let you know when one becomes available.

Why take this course

The numbers of people experiencing eating difficulties are hitting an all time high – in the UK, 1.25 million people are estimated to have a diagnosable eating disorder¹ with hospital admissions more than doubling from 10,318 to 22,000 in the four years between 2016 and 2020².

The early stages (or ‘subthreshold’ stages i.e. when symptoms do not meet full diagnostic criteria for an eating disorder as defined by the DSM-5 or the ICD-11) have been identified as a critical period for preventing progression of an eating disorder³. However, stigma directed towards those experiencing eating difficulties that aren’t believed to be ‘serious enough’ to warrant support⁴ can present a barrier to seeking help.

With its deliberate use of non-clinical language Jo Baker’s new workshop for HG therapists considers all difficulties around eating worthy of help, understanding and support, irrespective of whether or not these difficulties have been diagnosed or meet the criteria for a diagnosable eating disorder. In this regard, the human givens approach takes a step forward towards early intervention, and treating the whole person.

As well as having been a practising Human Givens therapist for 12 years, and teaching the HG Diploma, Jo has previously worked as a volunteer for BEAT and other local eating disorder charities and brings to the day a wealth of practical experience of working with eating difficulties both in private practice and in university settings.

What will you learn

• The nuance of language – how to avoid causing unintentional distress
• The causes of most eating disorders and difficulties
• Creating space for the client’s story
• How to help your client identify and challenge destructive thought processes
• Therapeutic tools to get to the root of the problem – we look at which techniques can be useful, and what to be careful of
• The barriers created by clinical language and diagnostic criteria
• Diversity in eating difficulties – a greater understanding of the impact of cultural and contextual factors around eating
• How to help your client meet their needs and use their resources in a healthy way
• Eating difficulties and neurodiversity
• An increased awareness of complicating conditions – such as alcohol / substance abuse and medical conditions
• The important role of sleep in recovery
• Accessing resources and helping the individual to develop a nurturing self
• Ethical practice
• Understanding the boundaries of your role and your own limitations
• And more…

All training is limited by time constraints and whilst we have done our utmost to include a diversity of perspectives there will inevitably be topics that have not been covered. This course is an invitation to recognise that all experiences of eating difficulties are equally valid and worthy of care and support. It is hoped that the learner develops further depth and breadth to their understanding and feels an increased confidence to support clients with eating difficulties however they present.

References

1. BEAT, 2020
2. NHS, 2021
3. Spettigue et al, 2020
4. Boero & Pascoe, 2012