The Body Project is an eating disorder prevention and early intervention program backed by two decades of research and evaluation data. The Body Project gives high school and college-aged girls the tools and skills to confront unrealistic beauty ideals and engages them in the development of healthy body image.

NEDA invites registered conference attendees (ages 18+) to sign up for a free one-day Body Project training. Please note that this training is designed for educators, and they will be given first preference for the limited number of slots.

At the completion of the trainings attendees will be qualified to facilitate The Body Project in their communities. Please note that this training will qualify you to facilitate sessions of the Body Project and will not qualify you to train others in how to facilitate the Body Project. At this time, the Body Project training is closed. If you are interested in being placed on the waitlist or learning more about the program, please email .

This orientation meeting provides new attendees with an opportunity to learn what to expect from the NEDA Conference, meet with fellow first-time attendees, hear tips from on maximizing your conference attendance, and ask questions of the NEDA staff and returning attendees.

Enhance your conference experience by attending the NEDA Buddy Meeting! Whether you signed up in advance or you’re interested in joining a buddy group onsite, attend this meeting to learn more. You’ll meet your NEDA Buddies and find out how the NEDA Buddy program can help you stay connected with other attendees during the conference. There are NEDA Buddy meetings every morning during breakfast, and plenty of opportunities to check in with your NEDA Buddies during breaks and evening socials.

This introductory workshop is designed for both families and professionals to gain a foundational understanding of eating disorders, which will be expanded upon in each of the general and breakout sessions throughout the conference. We will discuss the emotional, behavioral and physical components that contribute to the development and progression of eating disorders, as well as the potential health impacts. The discussion will provide a broad overview of treatment options and levels of care.

Whether you are a first-time attendee or an experienced NEDA conference-goer, you’ll enjoy joining your fellow conference attendees for conversation, beverages and appetizers. The Conference Committee, Host Committee, PFN Steering Committee, and the NEDA Board and staff will be there to welcome you! The Welcome Social is open to all conference attendees, as well as non-registered guests with pre-paid tickets.

Kick off the NEDA Annual conference by meeting, mingling and enjoying a relaxing meal with fellow attendees. (ADVANCE TICKET PURCHASE REQUIRED.)

This comprehensive session will provide essential information for getting the most out of treatment. Standards and levels of care in eating disorders treatment are often presented as ‘one size fits all,’ but making informed decisions about outpatient, intensive outpatient, partial hospitalization, residential treatment centers and inpatient hospitalization requires a significant understanding not only of the terms, but of the patient’s unique circumstances. This session will review and deconstruct the guidelines for levels of care; offer insights on how to choose the right treatment provider—from a facility to an outpatient psychotherapist; suggest vital questions to ask when interviewing a treatment provider; and offer guidance on how to find out if a treatment center offers the programs and services that are best for the patient.

Interested in learning more about NEDA’s programs? Want to find out how you can make a difference in the fight against eating disorders? Join us for this engaging session highlighting NEDA’s programs and volunteers, including STAR (Solutions Through Advocacy and Reform); NEDA Walks; Proud2BMe; and NEDA Navigators. This comprehensive session offers information on how to get involved in whichever way works for you: learn how to lobby for legislative reform; raise awareness and funds in your community; become a body-positive youth advocate; or join a peer support network that provides encouragement and guidance through the journey to recovery. NEDA staff will be on hand to answer any questions and to provide more information about getting involved.

This panel discussion will explore how marginalized individuals within the eating disorder community--those whose identities fall outside of mainstream power structures--can amplify their voices and increase their leadership presence within the eating disorder community. Marginalized voices require stronger representation within communities of sufferers, advocates, educators, researchers, and clinicians. This panel will explore the barriers to inclusion that are currently in place; strategies for eroding, eradicating, and working around those barriers; and how to create a more representative landscape within the eating disorder community. Audience participation and questions will be encouraged.

It is well known that eating disorders are highly comorbid with other psychiatric conditions. It is important to differentiate whether mood or anxiety symptoms in patients with eating disorders are caused by an independent condition or whether they are consequences of the eating disorder. There are very few evidence-based psychopharmacological treatments for eating disorders. For anorexia nervosa, there are no evidence-based medications that have been clearly shown to be effective for recovery. However, when mood and anxiety disorders impact a patient's ability to engage in treatment, it is important to consider treating the co-occurring condition while also treating the eating disorder. The presence of an independent mood or anxiety disorder can significantly impact recovery and relapse rates for patients with eating disorders (and vice versa). Successful management of co-occurring mood or anxiety disorders can be critical to recovery and relapse prevention in eating disorders. This presentation will review and integrate psychiatric and neurobiological information in a way to help patients, families and clinicians understand the risks and benefits of the use of psychiatric medication for patients with eating disorders, particularly in the context of a diagnosed mood or anxiety disorder.

This interactive discussion will explore best practices and guidelines for implementing family-based treatment, also known as “the Maudsley Approach.” Discussion topics will include how to assess which patients are the best candidates for FBT; an exploration of common pitfalls and best practices; and the role of the therapist in guiding the family through the phases. Professionals are encouraged to bring questions regarding successful implementation of FBT.

In eating disorders treatment, the caregiver may be responsible for supporting a patient through recovery, navigating complex emotions, medical complications, and insurance issues, and encouraging their loved one’s mental and physical well-being. Too often, the caregiver’s own well-being is not considered, the stress of their position is not acknowledged, and the role of the caregiver is marginalized. This session will provide a well-rounded understanding of the difficulties—and, at times, gratification—that may accompany caring for a person with an eating disorder. Topics discussed will include best practices for appropriate self-care, guidelines for advocating for one’s own well-being, and the importance of caregiver well-being in a patient’s recovery. This interactive session will encourage audience participation, including a question and answer session.

Mindfulness is a well-developed component of DBT, a core principle in acceptance and commitment therapy and is increasingly integrated into CBT and psychodynamic treatment. Patients and family members with eating disorders struggle with unmindful states, often getting stuck in comparing and judging mindsets or in high anxiety states leading to avoidance of reparative action. Topics will include a model and tools to cultivate mindfulness to reduce stress and identify key ED struggles through a mindfulness frame. This workshop will describe five mindset traps that interfere with recovery, and increase distress. Three mindfulness practice exercises that can help reduce reactivity, allow compassion to emerge, and improve emotion regulation will be demonstrated.

Advocacy efforts aim to influence public policy, public perception, and resource allocations. They can include myriad activities that can be undertaken including media campaigns, grassroots movements, public speaking, or lobbying for legislative change. Advocacy efforts are particularly relevant in eating disorders, wherein public perception remains largely misguided, often affecting patients’ access to appropriate and timely care. However despite this need and desire to create positive, lasting change, many are left without guidance on how to initiate such efforts. This workshop will highlight a diverse panel representing a spectrum of advocacy initiatives to provide critical information on how to create eating disorder awareness and prevention efforts on behalf of patients, the public, and professionals. Key advocacy initiatives will be addressed including developing programming to create sociocultural change, raising awareness and understanding of eating disorders, advocating for underserved populations, creating legislative change, and increased access to evidence-based prevention programming and treatment. These leaders represent not only diverse roles within the advocacy realm but demonstrate the many forms advocacy can take from grassroots campaigns to Capitol Hill.

The eating disorder patient is often depicted as a young white woman, with much of the literature and best practices narrowly geared towards this patient. Eating disorder sufferers span a range of ages, genders, ethnicities, and sexualities, and clinicians may need to confront and reconcile their own internalized beliefs in order to effectively treat a range of patients who come from varying backgrounds. This interactive discussion will explore how clinicians can improve their self-awareness; discuss best practices for treating patients who feel their diagnoses conflict with their identities; and offer insights on differing needs and concerns by population. Attendees are encouraged to bring questions and actively participate in the group discussion.

This discussion of the implementation of a binge-eating disorder treatment program will review the process of establishing an evidence-based BED program; discuss how research can be used to guide the development of the clinical curriculum; explore the benefits and pitfalls of shared diagnostic groups vs. BED-specific groups; and use case reviews to underscore and explore program implementation best practices. Attendees are encouraged to bring questions and to actively contribute to the discussion of developing and measuring a BED treatment program.

Individuals with eating disorders are impacted by a number of co-morbid medical issues that may influence the onset of the eating disorder as well as the outcome of treatment. Contemporary issues ranging from food allergies to gluten enteropathy, PCOS, infertility and other conditions complicate the clinical picture and often need further evaluation and consideration in the treatment plan. Yet clinical expertise to deal with them is often limited. Further the integration of these co-morbid disorders with the eating disorder and coexisting mental health co-morbidities make evaluation and treatment challenging at best. This presentation will provide a clinical update on these individual co-morbid conditions with a critical eye to how they integrate with the eating disorder and best-practice evaluation and management strategies within the context of eating disorder treatment. Whether a seasoned professional or a family member new to the struggle of an eating disorder, this program will provide tools to better understand and more effectively treat these co-morbid conditions.

While mothers have long played a critical nurturing role in the treatment and recovery of those suffering from eating disorders, fathers also are desirous and fully capable of contributing to their loved one’s healing. Indeed, the psychological literature and anecdotal clinical evidence strongly suggest that those afflicted with eating disorders benefit significantly when their fathers take a more visible and active role in the treatment and recovery process. Too often, however, dads either under-appreciate their importance or lack the education, tools, encouragement and/or invitation necessary to be effective contributors. In some instances, familial, societal and/or relational barriers also exist, which further frustrate a dad’s ability to be an effective partner in the recovery process. This breakout session is designed to help family members and clinicians better understand the unique and sometimes powerful role fathers play in their loved one’s lives and to provide concrete tools designed to improve the father/daughter relationship with an eye towards encouraging dads to facilitate their loved one’s healing and search for self-empowerment.

Can healthy hashtags provide hope for the hopeless? With a focus on the power of connectivity, this presentation will review the sociocultural and neurobiological implications of human and technological connection. This series of three presentations, followed by an audience question and answer session, will provide an overview of the current landscape of social media, underscoring how its effects differ from those of traditional media; discuss the impact of social media on an adolescent's neurobiological development; and explore the ways in which social media can be used as for positive change, including functioning as a supportive tool for recovery as well as a medium for wide-reaching campaigns with tangible effects. Attendees will be empowered to support those working on eating disorder recovery to use social media to combat negative messages and promote positivity for themselves and their relationships.

Although eating disorders often endure for many years, surprisingly little has been written about the challenges faced in managing such patients. This break-out session will do so. It will aim to: (a), articulate the risk factors linked to persisting illness; (b), qualities of the therapist essential for undertaking care of the chronically ill patient; (c), treatment approaches that are ill advised; and (d), how to conceptualize treatment objectives that minimize the risk of premature termination of care, including how to approach weight restoration in very underweight patients. Several case vignettes will be presented that illustrate the approach, including narratives offered in consultations with allegedly resistant patients that effectively engaged their allegiance to care in spite of many prior, failed interventions.

The eating disorder patient is often depicted as a young white woman, with much of the literature and best practices narrowly geared towards this patient. Eating disorder sufferers span a range of ages, genders, ethnicities, and sexualities, and clinicians may need to confront and reconcile their own internalized beliefs in order to effectively treat a range of patients who come from varying backgrounds. This interactive discussion will explore how clinicians can improve their self-awareness; discuss best practices for treating patients who feel their diagnoses conflict with their identities; and offer insights on differing needs and concerns by population. Attendees are encouraged to bring questions and actively participate in the group discussion.

This panel discussion will explore what it means to support a loved one struggling with an eating disorder. Topics of discussion will include how to manage and respond to eating disorder triggers; strategies for encouraging and developing resilience; best practices for navigating between the roles of loved one and caregiver; and how to approach challenging topics through constructive conversations. The unique challenges of supporting different types of individuals--children, parents, siblings, friends, and those from different age and ethnic groups--will also be explored. This panel discussion will offer a multiplicity of perspectives from clinicians, and audience discussion and questions will be encouraged.

This presentation will describe the ways in which a yoga practice that is safe and specific for eating disorder recovery and recovery maintenance serves as a healing tool. With the rising popularity of mainstream yoga, there has not yet been a cohesive model of Yoga for Eating Disorder recovery, which leaves referring providers and those in recovery at a disadvantage for how to find a teacher, style, or studio that will aid them in reconnecting their mind and body through breath and serve as a therapeutic practice.

If used therapeutically, the practice of yoga can serve as a re-integration of mind and body. This presentation will outline specific qualities and attributes of a yoga practice that allows for it to be a container of integration. The yoga practice can then be used to help those in recovery and in maintenance to become more accepting, balanced, and forgiving. The tools of yoga can also teach those in recovery how to be present, let go of attachment to outcomes, stop comparing, become available to possibility, express emotion, use support when needed, and develop a witness mind that can observe without reacting. Potential yoga students, current students of yoga, and yoga teachers are encouraged to attend this presentation that will include some interactive chair yoga and mindfulness exercises.

This panel discussion will explore how college students with eating disorders and in recovery from an eating disorder can best be served by their universities, and how a university can meet its students' needs by offering supportive and preventative services. It will frame the challenges that students may face in the university environment; offer parents and students guidance on how to pick a school with strong supportive services; and offer university educators best practices on how to support and help students struggling with eating disorders.

Avoidant-Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) is a new diagnostic category in the DSM-5. An ARFID diagnosis is given in the presence of a feeding or eating disturbance that results in persistent failure to meet one’s nutritional or energy needs. Common presentations of ARFID include long standing picky eaters, those with emotionally-based food avoidance, those gastrointestinal complaints, and those with food-related specific phobias. Currently, very little information or guidance is available on treatment approaches for this disorder. The main aim of this workshop is to familiarize professionals with the diagnosis, including how to identify it (and differentiate it from other eating disorders) and how to construct appropriate treatment plans. In particular, the workshop will focus on those individuals with longstanding picky eating behavior. We will review information on the development of picky eating behavior and discuss implications for treatment. A proposed treatment model for addressing long standing picky eating will be presented, detailing treatment goals and specific interventions. Data from case studies will be presented to help illustrate these new treatment approaches for ARFID.

This moderated roundtable discussion will allow for a deeper exploration of the biological mechanisms presented in the second general session presentation, Food for Thought: Using neurobiology to understand symptoms and develop better treatments for anorexia and bulimia nervosa. Discussion topics will include recent research into the biological processes underlying eating disorders; the role of traits in eating disorder development and symptoms; and how this knowledge can be utilized in treatment. Attendees are encouraged to come prepared with questions and actively participate in the discussion.

This presentation is geared towards caretakers of patients with eating disorders; whether the patients are in treatment, active recovery, or recovered. We know that family based treatment has shown to be effective. We will discuss the role of family as a vital resource for recovery, and techniques for engaging families in treatment. We find some of the more difficult things for parents, caregivers, spouses, and loved ones is that they either do not know how to react to problematic behaviors, they do not see them, or recognize the behaviors as disordered. We will share the process we use during our family intensive sessions. During the session you will learn ways to provide meal support and coaching in an effective therapeutic way. We will discuss how to stay calm and incorporate these methods in a non-threating way, interrupt behaviors, and avoid power struggles as they arise. Lastly, we will discuss creating a safe, supportive home environment for your loved one with an eating disorder.

Carolyn Jennings has experienced and witnessed how shame and stress proliferate around eating disorders. Those in recovery and family and friends are encouraged to face these challenging feelings in new and creative ways in this hands-on writing workshop. The writing methods are fast, fresh and fun. In a shelter of acceptance and safety, Carolyn guides participants through Journal to the Self techniques, which add color, perspective and dimension to reflective writing. The interactive workshop will inform about the health benefits of writing and provide a new view of difficult emotions, an experience of creativity that leads to insight, and tools at your fingertips for future self-care.

Cultural messages about health, food, exercise and the body are pervasive. The gap between recovery messages and the cultural messages is widening. In recovery we work to broaden our patients’ willingness to experience and take more in - food, people, life. We encourage sufferers to listen and satisfy their hunger and that there are no bad foods, yet the culture is strongly suggesting the opposite. The current cultural messages, which advocate whole grains, non-GMO, chemical free, organic, gluten-free foods, and extreme exercise, encourages restriction, black/white thinking and potentially foster eating disordered behaviors. However, many of these cultural messages are considered healthy and we may incorporate them into our own self-care. Sondra will explore the reality of this discrepancy, the impact on those struggling with an eating disorder and those supporting them, offering tools to bridge the gap. The concepts of "preference over position", "choice", "balance", “congruity” and "responsible freedom" will be presented. Techniques to incorporate these concepts into recovery protocols are provided. Addressing and bridging the gap between the cultural messages of purity and wholeness and the recovery messages of conscious and free eating will create more sustainable recoveries.

Evidence suggests that anxiety and mood disorders are the most common comorbid diagnoses with eating disorders. This workshop will describe the rationale and implementation of two cognitive behavioral techniques for anxiety and depression, namely Exposure Response Prevention (ERP) and behavioral activation, that appear to be similarly effective for EDs. We will first discuss the conceptualization of EDs as anxiety-based disorders and review the relationships between EDs, anxiety/OCD, depression, and avoidance. Second, we will describe how exposure-based interventions are applied to both ED and anxiety disorders (e.g., food hierarchy, body image exposures, eating behaviors), as well as how we thought challenge for ED-specific maladaptive thoughts (e.g., weight gain). Third, we will provide an overview of behavioral activation and offer examples (e.g., horticulture, family passes, active coping) of how this intervention is applied. Sufficient time will be allotted for questions from attendees.

Eating disorders professionals—those who are established in their practices, as well as those new to the field—will benefit from this opportunity to discuss case considerations with established experts in the field. This session offers professionals the opportunity to share challenges, questions, and thoughts regarding their cases. Attendees should come prepared with clinical questions, as this session will be a conversational exchange rather than a didactic presentation. Established eating disorders professionals will provide insight and guidance, opening a larger discussion around shared concerns and considerations in eating disorders treatment.

Jennifer Siebel Newsom’s keynote presentation will address the current climate of American media and its harmful effects on young people and our culture at large, specifically as it relates to body image issues such as dysmorphia, and the resulting proliferation of eating disorders among youth. By weaving stories from her diverse experiences—writing, directing and producing the documentary films Miss Representation and The Mask You Live In; making her way as an actress and producer in Hollywood; raising her three young children with her husband, California Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom, in the rising media landscape of infotainment, reality television and 24/7 news cycles; and overcoming an eating disorder herself—Newsom examines the dire consequences of a media that values women solely for their youth, beauty and sexuality and men for power, dominance and aggression. Newsom’s presentation will underscore that despite this omnipresent media landscape, women, girls, boys and men are all have the power to take action and effect real change.

There is growing recognition that altered brain processes contribute to developing and maintaining an eating disorder. Many people who develop anorexia and bulimia nervosa may be ill for many years, underscoring the urgent need to develop more effective treatments. Over the past decade biological research into eating disorders and behavior has made significant progress, and this new knowledge can now inform treatment. The first part of this plenary will describe traits such as anxiety, harm avoidance and perfection; how they may set the stage for a person to develop an eating disorder; and how they may contribute to eating disorder symptoms. The second part will describe how eating disorder behaviors may lead to a vicious cycle of altered brain function that further perpetuates the eating disorder. We are still some time away from being able to use biological treatments that can directly target and reverse processes in the brain, but we can already start to use this new knowledge for education and to underscore the need for certain treatment approaches.

Join members of the Family Panel as they share insights on their experiences with eating disorders and speak from a broad range of perspectives on recovery and treatment. This panel will explore the challenges and barriers to recovery, as well as sources of support, strategies for self-care and the importance of enduring hope. This engaging discussion will spotlight the voices of those who have become activists in the field following their or their loved one's eating disorder diagnosis. It will provide an opportunity for professionals, educators and families to hear directly from those affected and to learn about activism opportunities in the fight against eating disorders.

Eating disorders are serious illnesses that affect 30 million people in the United States at some point in their lives. Despite their severity and prevalence, research funding in this field is severely lacking. The National Eating Disorders Association’s Feeding Hope Fund provides grants to qualified researchers and experts in order to advance eating disorders research, treatment, and prevention. The Feeding Hope Fund has supported the work of four pivotal and innovative research studies: Family Based-Treatment Without Borders: Utilizing Telemedicine to Deliver Family-Based Therapy (FBT), Daniel Le Grange, PhD; Harnessing Technology for Training Therapists to Deliver Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT), Denise Wilfley, PhD; An Innovative Family Based Treatment for Adults with Anorexia Nervosa Using Insights from Neurobiology, Christina Wierenga, PhD; and Changing Habits in AN: A Novel Approach, Joanna Steinglass, MD. The principal investigators on each project will share their research findings and perspectives on the future of eating disorders research. Join this engaging and interactive presentation to hear directly from those leading the field of eating disorders research.

Those who have lost a family member or other loved one to an eating disorder can come together to talk with others who have experienced this unique type of grief. Attendees will be encouraged to discuss healthy, positive ways they have found to cope with their loss.

Those who have struggled with an eating disorder are encouraged to join this discussion about eating disorder development, treatment, support systems, resources and recovery. Attendees will be encouraged to discuss self-care strategies that have been effective in maintaining recovery.

Those who are supporting—or have supported—a loved one with an eating disorder are encouraged to join this discussion about the challenges, emotional impacts, effects on the relationship, and strategies for coping and self-care.

The Networking Social is a wonderful opportunity to unwind at the end of the day, catch up with friends and make new connections. Refreshments will be served. The Networking Social is open to all conference attendees, as well as non-registered guests with pre-paid tickets.