What’s my advice for getting started as an Eating Disorders Dietitian?
When students, interns, and dietitians ask me about what is required to get into the ED profession, I offer a couple of pieces of advice.
The first is that you have to be willing to sacrifice time, energy, and money to specialize in eating disorders. It is a SPECIALTY, and it takes significant resources to become a specialist.
The second is that excellent providers are humble and non-defensive enough to receive feedback.
The flip side of learning is unlearning.
And to provide weight-inclusive care as a dietitian requires just as much (maybe more?!) unlearning than it does learning. And to unlearn, I believe we have to drop our defenses.
For those of you who attended some of the conferences like FNCE and WIND conferences, which were in Colorado this year, I invite you to keep an open heart and an open mind. Unlearning can bring untold freedom and joy.
I hope you’ve left these conferences feeling motivated and energized to keep growing, to keep learning, to keep expanding.
And if you haven’t attended them, I encourage you to look at your list of priorities each year and find a place where you can go to not only network with other providers, but learn and even unlearn strategies, tools, and methods that will help you grow in your profession and career.
One of the greatest gifts of my career has been meeting and learning from people that I otherwise would have never crossed paths except at these conferences. These people, their experience, and their wisdom have fueled my innate curiosity and helped me to become both a better person and provider.
Another event you may not have heard about is Project Heal. They, along with EDRD Pro, hosted their inaugural virtual education forum in 2023. I love that they center on some of the most complex issues facing our profession today in the legal, healthcare, medical, and cultural landscapes.
I attended the Project Heal forum with an open heart and curious mind as I learned from an amazing lineup of panelists. I’m not going to lie, my heart was racing when we got to those AAP Guidelines, but It felt better with my friends and colleagues alongside me.
Learning can be uncomfortable, but it’s in our discomfort where we expand our edges and grow.
The Dietitian’s Guide on Where to Go for Eating Disorders Training
The number one question I am asked by fellow clinicians is “where do I go for eating disorders training? I don’t feel confident in working with this population, but don’t know where to go for help.”
And that question is exactly why I wrote this guide, The Dietitian’s Guide on Where to Go for Eating Disorders Training. I want clinicians far and wide to know about the multitude of resources available to help them feel less anxious and more excited about the complex world of eating disorder care.
Click here to download your copy today.
If you know you are ready to take your skills to the next level and build your confidence working in the field of eating disorders, be sure to check out the Food and Body Image Healers® Training Institute.
Here you will find three core courses that offer reliable, affordable, and confidence boosting online education for treating eating disorders.
All courses are:
- Approved for CE credit by The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
- Accessible online for a lifetime
- Accompanied with detailed power points and client ready handouts
- Developed with the most updated evidence base possible
- Curriculum that integrates trauma-informed, anti-oppressive, and affirming care
- Suitable for all professionals – dietitians and non-dietitians alike
BONUS- Access to the Food and Body Image Healers® Community
All courses come with special access to the Food and Body Image Healers® Private Facebook Group. This group is one of the greatest perks that come with your course purchase. The group provides a place for you to continue your own development by offering or receiving support on clinical questions with your peers as well as my weekly FB Lives. You have the chance to receive consultation and guidance from myself as well as from special guests.
This group is open, generous, and supportive. I love watching how all the interaction strengthens clinicians to provide the best care possible to their clients.
Learn more about our online training programs: Nutrition Counseling for Eating Disorders, Body Image Training, and Digestive Disorders and Eating Disorders.