National Psychology Training Consortium

Advanced --- Builds upon established experience, knowledge and skills in the content area. This may include more diverse applications to specific populations or a novel application of the skill presented. Advanced level programming tends to be more specialized in nature, and allows the learner to integrate and enhance knowledge and skills into their practice or other professional domains.

Course Description and Target Audience

This advanced 4-hour presentation examines modern approaches to eating disorders through an evidence-based and interdisciplinary lens designed for a small cohort of psychology interns. The presentation explores current developments in the assessment, conceptualization, and treatment of eating disorders across multiple therapeutic frameworks, including cognitive behavioral therapies, family-based interventions, dialectical behavior therapy, mindfulness-based approaches, motivational enhancement strategies, and transdiagnostic models of care. Participants will critically examine the evolving evidence base supporting these interventions, including ongoing debates regarding treatment efficacy, methodological limitations, high dropout rates, treatment resistance, and the gap between clinical innovation and empirical validation. The presentation also addresses emerging discussions surrounding digital culture, body image, social media influence, neurobiological models, stigma, and culturally responsive care within diverse populations. It will focus on the complexity of interdisciplinary treatment planning, ethical considerations, and the role of psychologists within collaborative care environments involving psychiatry, medicine, and nutrition professionals. Through guided discussion and case-based analysis, interns will be encouraged to evaluate strengths, limitations, controversies, and practical applications of modern eating disorder approaches within real-world behavioral health settings. Target audience: Mental health professionals and psychology interns who work with adolescents and adults experiencing eating disorders, body image concerns, emotional eating, and related behavioral health conditions within traditional psychology settings.

The content presented in this training is grounded in current evidence-based literature and reflects modern psychological, behavioral, and interdisciplinary approaches to eating disorders. Materials incorporate recent research on cognitive behavioral therapies, family-based interventions, dialectical behavior therapy, mindfulness-based approaches, motivational enhancement strategies, and transdiagnostic models, while also addressing current debates, limitations in evidence quality, and emerging developments within the field. The presentation is designed to provide clinically relevant, practical, and ethically informed information that psychology interns can apply within traditional psychotherapy settings. Case-based discussion, critical evaluation of treatment models, and integration of culturally responsive perspectives are intended to enhance clinical reasoning, professional development, and real-world application for trainees working with diverse behavioral health populations. The presentation includes discussion of evolving and emerging approaches to eating disorders for which the empirical evidence base varies in strength and consistency across treatment modalities and populations. Some contemporary interventions, including mindfulness-based therapies, dialectical behavior therapy adaptations, acceptance-based approaches, and newer transdiagnostic models, continue to require additional large-scale and longitudinal research to establish broader generalizability and long-term effectiveness. 

Research literature in eating disorders has also been limited by methodological concerns, including small sample sizes, high dropout rates, underrepresentation of culturally diverse populations, and an overreliance on studies involving predominantly white female participants. In addition, the clinical application remains within the participant’s scope of practice, training level, ethical guidelines, and supervision structure. There are minimal risks associated with this training. Participants may experience mild discomfort when discussing eating disorders, body image concerns, trauma-related eating behaviors, treatment resistance, ethical dilemmas, or limitations in current clinical approaches. In addition, the presentation introduces evolving and sometimes controversial treatment models and interdisciplinary perspectives that may challenge previously held theoretical assumptions or clinical practices. Some participants may also experience emotional discomfort when reflecting on complex case material or culturally sensitive topics related to stigma, family dynamics, and weight-related experiences. These risks are expected to be minimal and will be mitigated through a respectful, inclusive, and structured learning environment that encourages thoughtful discussion, professional reflection, and appropriate clinical boundaries. 

This presentation meaningfully incorporates diversity by examining how eating disorders are shaped by cultural, social, familial, gender-related, socioeconomic, and digital influences across diverse populations and clinical contexts. Discussion includes the underrepresentation of culturally diverse groups within eating disorder research and the limitations of existing evidence that has historically focused predominantly on white female populations. The training highlights how eating disorders may be presented differently across cultures, genders, body sizes, age groups, and social environments, including the influence of stigma, acculturation, trauma, family systems, social media, and access to care. Case discussions and clinical examples are designed to encourage culturally responsive assessment, ethical awareness, and sensitivity to individual identity, lived experience, and systemic barriers affecting help-seeking and treatment engagement. Participants will also explore the importance of interdisciplinary and person-centered approaches that avoid stereotyping and support inclusive, equitable behavioral health care.

Learning Objectives

• Participants will be able to identify and compare major contemporary evidence-based approaches used in the treatment of eating disorders, including cognitive behavioral therapies, family-based interventions, dialectical behavior therapy, mindfulness-based approaches, and transdiagnostic and personalized models of care.
• Participants will be able to analyze the psychological, behavioral, sociocultural, neurobiological, and digital factors that contribute to the development and maintenance of eating disorders across diverse populations and clinical presentations.
• Participants will be able to critically evaluate the strengths, limitations, and current evidence supporting modern treatment approaches for eating disorders, including challenges related to treatment resistance, dropout, access to care, and methodological limitations within the research literature.
• Participants will be able to apply culturally responsive, neurodiversity-informed, and ethically grounded clinical considerations when working with individuals experiencing eating disorders, body image concerns, and related behavioral health conditions.
• Participants will be able to demonstrate understanding of interdisciplinary collaboration, referral considerations, and systems-based approaches involving psychology, psychiatry, medicine, nutrition, and family support systems in the treatment of eating disorders.

Presenter Information

Dr. Tatyana El-Kour, PhD, is a psychologist and media psychology researcher with over 25 years of experience translating behavioral science, digital health, and ethics into practical guidance for clinicians and supervisors. She holds a PhD in Psychology with dual concentrations in Media Psychology and the Social Impact of Mobile and Immersive Technologies, and serves as a Senior Research Fellow at the Media Psychology Research Center. CITI-certified in human research and trained in advanced AI applications for data analysis, her work focuses on AI-mediated decision-making, algorithmic influence, and the ethical integration of technology into practice. She has presented on AI in psychology at multiple American Psychological Association conventions, including sessions on AI’s impact on clinical judgment and professional practice. Dr. El-Kour is known for her engaging, highly applied teaching style, equipping supervisors to critically evaluate AI, guide trainees responsibly, and navigate ethical decision-making in rapidly evolving, technology-mediated care environments.

Video Homestudy Format

CE’s for this homestudy training will be earned through completing the following tasks:

• Watch the presentation video and review all provided documents in their entirety.
• Pass the post-test questionnaire with at least 80% correct.

A program evaluation form will be provided to all who registered following the training. Please be sure to complete this form since your feedback helps direct future CE programming from our organization.

Registration Cost

This cost includes video links, materials, and tests required to obtain CE’s. Your CE certificate will be made available to you upon successful completion of the training (80% or higher on exam).

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Training Support - Ember Serencko at [email protected].

National Psychology Training Consortium (NPTC) is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. NPTC maintains responsibility for this program and its content.