Support for Healthcare Professionals & Educators
Support Groups
Those impacted by eating disorders, whether that be directly or indirectly, need support.
Encourage those experiencing an eating disorder and their caregivers (parents, partners, and loved ones) to reach out to EDSNA and learn more about our groups.
About Eating Disorders
Additional information about eating disorders, including books and research, is available on our main ‘learn more‘ page.
What you should know
” What All Medical Professionals Should Know about Eating Disorders. ” – article by Dr. Angela Guarda, Director of the Eating Disorders Program at The John Hopkins Hospital.
The Gurze/Salucore airs podcast
ED Matters: The Gurze/Salucore podcast airs once a week and is where top experts in the field of eating disorders are interviewed. They share information for individuals recovering from eating disorders, their loved ones, clinicians in the field, and other individuals, professional or otherwise seeking to learn about eating disorders. Includes healthy, informative conversations about eating disorders.
CTRI Free Webinar
CTRI Free Webinar: A great overview on eating disorders provided by the Crisis and Trauma Resource Institute.
Peer Reviewed Research Studies
Peer Reviewed Research Studies on Eating Disorders, taken from the International Eating Disorder Action Website. We have provided brief summaries of each research study.
Assessment, Screening Tools & Diagnosis
Healthcare professionals from all disciplines may find the following resources and tools helpful– they cover both general information that may be useful when working with clients, as well as referral pathways and contact information Alberta.
Beneath these first toggles is information specific to the named professional discipline.
An integrated health care team (professionals from multiple disciplines) is imperative in eating disorder recovery– professionals should anticipate, and encourage, the assembly of a treatment team. Understand the role of each professional in each disorder recovery, from the Eating Disorder Referral and Information Centre.
Assessment, Screening Tools & Diagnosis
General Information
Article: Dear Doctor, Your Patient has an Eating Disorder. Clinical, research-based, & detailed article on signs that may show up in your office & how to arrive at an accurate diagnosis. From Recovery Warriors.
Article: The Role of the Pediatrician in Family-Based Treatment for Adolescent Eating Disorders: Opportunities and Challenges. Peer-reviewed article from the Journal of Adolescent Health.
Resource Hub: Comprehensive list of resources for clinicians. Assembled by the Centre for Excellence in Eating Disorders (UK). Includes Best Practice Guidelines, Medical Risk Management, Screening Tools, Assessment, Adolescent/Youth, Treatment, Recovery Planning, and more.
Resource Hub: Resource hub for providing culturally-sensitive care. “The intent of this resource is to serve as a starting point from which healthcare providers can develop their understanding of EDs among BIPOC community members and of practices they can adopt to support the healing of BIPOC clients who are struggling with an ED.” From the National Eating Disorder Information Centre.
Podcast: Finding Courage in Discomfort and Tough Conversations with Grace Wong. Grace Wong advocates for the non-diet approach, HAES and weight acceptance in her practise and campaigns for a supportive community where practitioners can engage in respectful disagreements and ongoing professional and personal develop to broaden perspectives and strengthen and advance our work
Screening
Learn more about the range of screening and assessment tools when working with people with eating disorders from the National Eating Disorders Collaboration (Australia). Handout accompanies healthcare professional educational video series. Screening & assessment tool.
Specific Questionnaires:
- SCOFF: A simple 5-question test used to screen for Anorexia and Bulimia, developed by UK doctors.
- ODES-Y
- Research: Development of the Ottawa Disordered Eating Screen for Youth: The ODES-Y (Dec 2019; downloadable)
Consultation, Referrals & Resources
Consultation
Handout: Addressing a Possible Eating Disorder. Strategies and direction for healthcare professionals that are supporting a client with a possible eating disorder. From Alberta Health Services.
Referral
Handout: Referral Pathway for Eating Disorders in Alberta. Descriptions, referral information, and contacts in Alberta. From Alberta Health Services.
Treatment & Guidelines
Treatment
Handbook: The Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Patients with Eating Disorders. Specific treatment guidelines for eating disorders, current as of 2021. It is made available through the American Psychiatric Association website.
Research: Treatment recommendations when managing concurrent eating disorders and exercise dysfunction (as a specific purging behaviour)
- 2016:Exercise in Eating Disorders Treatment: Systematic Review and Proposal of Guidelines
- 2016: Effective medical treatment strategies to help cessation of purging behaviors
Guide: Eating Disorders: Critical Points for Early Recognition and Medical Risk Management in the Care of Individuals with Eating Disorders. A guide to early recognition and medical risk management in the care of individuals with eating disorders, from the Academy of Eating Disorders.
Handouts & Modules: “Break Free from ED”. Treatment guides and specific tools when working with clients in recovery. Guides include support for tackling feared foods, body checking, safety behaviours and more. From the Centre for Clinical Interventions.
For Dentists
Dentists are in a unique place in that they may notice signs of disordered eating that many others would not be privvy to.
Because of this, it is imperative that dentists, dental hygienists, dental assistants, and dental techs feel completely comfortable recognizing symptoms of disordered eating and speaking with clients.
Eating Disorder Hope
Eating Disorder Hope: How to Reverse Dental Damage Caused By Bulimia Nervosa
When an individual is binging and purging, the acidity from the bile that comes up affects dental health, this web page offers tips on how to reverse the damage.
NEDA: Dental Complications of Eating Disorders
NEDA: Dental Complications of Eating Disorders
The harmful habits and nutritional deficiencies that often accompany disordered eating can have severe consequences on one’s dental health, this web page details the dental complications that may arise.
Oral Health: Diagnosing Bulimia
Oral Health: Diagnosing Bulimia
Dental Professionals can be the first line of defense in identifying the warning signs and symptoms of bulimia, this web pages lists signs of disordered eating, what to say and how to proceed.
National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA)
National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA)
Developed a handout for dental hygienists and dentists.
Outlines the dental complications of eating disorders, effects on teeth and gums and gives a step-by-step guide to start the conversation with a patient.
Eating Disorders: A Resource For Dentists (Bodywhys + National Eating Disorders Collaboration)
PDF handbook for dentists created by the Dublin Dental Hospital and the Irish Dental Association, in collaboration with the National Eating Disorders Collaboration (Australia).
For Dietitians
Fatphobia in Public Health and Dietetics: What Dietitians Need to Know
Fatphobia in Public Health and Dietetics: What Dietitians Need to Know
Webinar about fatphobia in dietetics, hosted by the Weight-Inclusive Dietitians in Canada.
For Doctors
InsideOut Institute: Resource Hub for General Physicians
InsideOut Institute, based in Australia, hosts tools for GPs that cover:
- health prevention and promotion
- diagnosis and assessment
- treatment and medical management
- relapse prevention
- support for specific situations
InsideOut Institute: Training for Clinicians
InsideOut Institute, based in Australia, offers multi-module online training course to help clinicians start and expand their knowledge when working with eating disorders.
From the website:
“[… Learn the] nature, identification, assessment, and treatment of eating disorders. This extensive program offers immersive learning, incorporating role-plays, resources, expert videos, interactive exercises, and quizzes. Designed to meet the requirements of the NEDC competency framework for clinicians training in eating disorders, this course covers all the essential areas of basic training in the field. You’ll develop the necessary skills for each crucial step in the diagnosis, assessment, and treatment of clients across all major eating disorder diagnoses, for both children and adults.”
For Educators
Teachers may be the first to notice the signs of disordered eating, poor body image, perfectionism, self-harm, or compulsive exercising in their students. They may wonder what to do, where to turn, what to say, when to say it and who to consult. With this in mind, EDSNA frequently receives requests to present to student populations, or other individuals under the age of 18.
Recent relevant research has indicated that providing presentations to students, or other individuals under the age of 18, lacks preventative power- little to nothing is gained by offering information in these formats to this audience. If anything, addressing youth and adolescent cohorts directly may increase the likelihood of experimentation with maladaptive behaviours, and may inadvertently improve the sophistication of hiding techniques.
In keeping with these findings, EDSNA seeks to support teachers, administrative staff, and counselors by supporting them directly, in the hopes that they may be better able to notice and report disordered eating behaviour in the youth and adolescents that they work with.
School culture can influence the recovery process. It’s important to be aware of the messages being sent and try to see things through the eyes of someone with this illness. Eating in a crowded cafeteria may be impossible. Diet challenges or activities around food may be triggering. Posters that only support the thin ideal don’t emphasize health at any size and body acceptance. Recovery is possible and young people who have early, appropriate treatment have the best recovery rates.
Request an eating disorder presentation (for populations over 18 only) from EDSNA by emailing info@edsna.ca
Early, compassionate, and appropriate treatment often leads to better outcomes – recovery is possible.
Tools, Curriculm and Support
Farm to School B.C. Webinar: Supporting Healthy Eating at School
Farm to School B.C. Webinar: Supporting Healthy Eating at School
This nearly hour long webinar describes roles of adults and children with respect to feeding and eating, along with exploring how our language around food can impact children’s eating habits.
Tips for Lunchroom Monitors
Six tips for lunchroom monitors to help instill healthy eating habits
Tips for Talking About Food to Children
Tips for Talking About Food to Children
This web page offers suggestions about ways to talk to children about food, including focusing on teaching about food, keeping the focus away from weight and remembering children may not have control over what goes into their lunch
Understanding Food and Weight Preoccupation in Youth
Understanding Food and Weight Preoccupation in Youth
A three page document for educators filled with tips and facts to recognize the warning signs of eating disorders and disordered eating.
Podcast: WNW Series: Exploring Weight-Neutral Wellbeing with TFC hosts
Elizabeth Tingle and Dana Fulwiler discuss why weight-neutral approaches to health and wellbeing are ideal for every body in the school context.
Podcast: WNW Series: Weight-Neutral Schools
Podcast: WNW Series: Weight-Neutral Schools with Dr. Shelly Russell-Mayhew
The group discusses concerns with weight-centric health promotion and strategies on how to make a cultural shift towards more inclusive health messages.
ED Matters
The Gurze/Salucore podcast airing once a week where top experts in the field of eating disorders are interviewed.
Sharing information for individuals recovering from eating disorders, their loved ones, clinicians in the field, and other individuals, professional or otherwise seeking to learn about eating disorders. Healthy conversations about eating disorders.
School Counselor’s Role in Addressing Eating Disorder Symptomology
Research paper on a school counselor’s role in helping students with eating disorders.
Free toolkit for educators
Developed by the National Eating Disorder Association the USA.
Body Image Curriculum
Developed by the National Eating Disorder Information Centre (NEDIC) of Canada.
20 lessons and is set out for grades 4-8 and is absolutely FREE. They are currently updating it to include more about social media.
18 Effective De-Escalation Strategies for Diffusing Meltdowns
18 Effective De-Escalation Strategies for Diffusing Meltdowns
Informative webpage about using effective validation techniques in the classroom to quickly de-escalate high emotion.
NEDIC Presentation
Request an online presentation for adults or youth via NEDIC.
Youth presentations are focused on body image, self-esteem and media literacy.
Adult presentation focuses on recognizing the signs of eating disorders and prevention.