Eating Disorder training for Dietitians
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If you’re a Dietitian working with humans, you have an important role in the prevention, identification, early intervention and/or treatment of Eating Disorders.
It can be challenging work, AND it can be enormously rewarding work. And when we are clear about our roles and understand more about eating disorders, we are more free to support people within our scope and role without feeling the pressure to “specialise” or be part of the treatment team. And, if you DO want to be part of a treatment team, your learning will be more specific and comprehensive so you’re feeling equipped with knowledge and skills to offer inclusive, high quality care.
Whether you’re seeing the occasional person who is experiencing some turmoil in their relationship with food, eating and their body, or working more closely with people with diagnosed Eating Disorders, our role as Dietitians really matters now more than ever.
The Eating Disorder Training Pathway for Australian Dietitians
If you’re an Australian Dietitian, there is a pathway you can follow which will take you from Foundational learning right through to more advanced skill development. You may or may not have had much exposure to Eating Disorders content in your Tertiary training but there are places you can start to build your skills in supporting the Eating Disorder Workforce, even as someone who is competent and confident in screening, assessment and a good quality initial response which support people to get the help they most need.
The pathway, and your choices of courses
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Focussed on prevention, identification and early intervention.
Suitable for any Dietitian working in any space, at any stage of career.
If you choose a course that’s been approved by NEDC as meeting competency standards, you’ll get a certificate that you can use as evidence of completion. Please note that not all “introductory” courses (including those at University) will be eligible unless they meet the standards set out by NEDC.
The Mindful Dietitian Course has been approved by NEDC and Comprises Part 1 of the ANZAED ED Credential
Find out more information about the content of this course further down the page
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Building on Foundations and very much focussed on Dietetic treatment.
Most suited to Dietitians wanting to upskill more specifically in EDs and be able to engage people competently and confidently in intervention and treatment.
This course, once completed along with 2 years of experience will equip you to apply for the ANZAED ED Credential
Steps 1 & 2 can be completed together with the combined course - see more information below
**Please note - a standalone Dietetic Skills Training (Part 2) is in the pipe for 2025 - stay tuned!
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By this point, you’ll have completed Dietetic Treatment training and you’ve figured out that your learning about EDs is probably only just starting.
One of the most important steps you can take here is to engage in Supervision with a Dietitian who is trained as a Supervisor, and who can guide you in delivering safe practice alongside optimising your own wellbeing. You’ll find a lot more more information about Supervision here at Dietitian Supervision Resources Australia and International
You’ll have plenty of options for ongoing learning and growth which will support you to provide safe, evidence-informed care to your clients.
At The Mindful Dietitian, you can extend and deepen your learning with these courses:
Trauma Informed Dietetic Care
Body Image
Being in Relationship
Neurodiversity Affirming Dietetic Care
Gender Affirming Dietetic Care
What’s available here?
As of February 2025, you have the following options:
Foundations of ED Care for Dietitians (Part 1 of Credential)
Foundations of ED Care for Dietitians PLUS Dietetic Skills Training for the Treatment of EDs (Parts 1 & 2 of the Credential, you can apply following completion of these)
Then various options for further learning, training and supervision (more details here)
Why choose these courses offered at The mindful Dietitian?
In your investigations, you’ll likely have read about a number of different courses, with varying content, price point and lengths (you deserve to find the best match for you, read more about your options here at NEDC). As a training team, we pride ourselves on offering the highest quality training available, drawing upon the most recent evidence (including the valuable evidence of those with lived experience), frameworks of care and National practice standards. At all times we are keeping you - the Dietitian, wherever you are along your career stage - in mind, with our hope that these courses will really boost your confidence in feeling clear in what you have to offer along every stage of someone’s pathway.
Importantly, we are committed to weight inclusivity and trauma-informed care, and this course will be firmly dedicated to upholding these principles from screening to treatment and beyond.
new foundations course available now
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new foundations course available now ***
**NEW** Foundations of Eating Disorders: Training for Dietitians (launched august 2024)
This foundational training is suitable for Dietitians at any stage of career, working across all sectors who are likely to encounter people at risk of, or who have, an eating disorder. In other words, that’s pretty much everyone! The content is focussed on the key opportunities to play our part in prevention, identification and early intervention and is aligned with the NEDC Stepped System of Care Framework.
If you are considering pursuing the ANZAED ED Credential (more information here), this course has been approved as meeting the NEDC Core Competencies and the ANZAED Practice Standards for “Introduction to Eating Disorders” and can be used towards your Credential in the future.
15 hours self-paced + 1.5 hours Q&A with Fiona and Terrill
Completing this course will leave you feeling more clear in understanding your role and scope of practice as a Dietitian in contributing to safe, high quality care to all people, in all bodies. You will also feel more confident about how to have important conversations which aim to link people into specialist services in a timely way that is best matched to their needs.
The self-paced material, offers comprehensive content and opportunities to pause and reflect, and the live training will bring the material to life and focus on concrete skills to take into practice. See an outline of the modules below. This is followed by a live Q&A for everyone who has signed up for this course, on the date(s) below.
Next live Q&A:
Monday February 10th, 2025 from 9am-10:30am AEDT (for all registrations through to Feb 10th 2025)
Once you sign up, you are welcome to dive into the self paced material. Please put the Q&A date in your calendar and register through your training portal.
Module 1 (self paced, 4 hours)
Understanding Eating Disorders - what, who, how, when?
Diagnostics
Conceptualising Eating Disorders
Lived Experience Voices
Module 2 (self paced, 2 hours)
Eating Disorders and Community Groups
Prioritising safe and inclusive care
Risk and Protective Factors
Co-occurring presentations
Module 3 (self paced, 5 hours)
Key Roles
Scope of Practice
The Multi-Disciplinary Team
Screening Essentials
Module 4 (SELF PACED, 4 hours)
Co-hosted by Fiona Sutherland & Terrill Bruere, this module will take a much deeper, more concrete dive in to the essential elements of your screening, assessment and key next steps within your role as a Dietitian. We’ll bring the material to life with LOTS of practical examples.
Assessment Skills
Key Nutritional Considerations
Navigating the System of Care
Communication and Counselling
Fees:
AUD$255 + gst
The next date for live Q&A is Mon Feb 10th 2025 from 9am-10:30am AEDT for all registrations until Feb 10th, 2025
Foundations Training PLUS Dietetic Treatment Training
Your hosts - Fiona Sutherland and Shane Jeffrey with guest contribtions by terrill bruere, anjanette casey, claire toohey and jodie sheraton
If you are considering pursuing the ANZAED ED Credential (more information here), this course has been approved as meeting the NEDC Core Competencies and the ANZAED Practice Standards for
Introduction to Eating Disorders
Evidence-Informed Dietetic Care
About the course:
This comprehensive course is equivalent to a 3-day training, and is designed to prepare you to work more safely, confidently and ethically with clients presenting with a range of disordered eating presentations, elevating your knowledge, insights and skills. We are committed to weight inclusivity and trauma-informed care, and this course will be firmly dedicated to upholding these principles from screening to treatment and beyond.
This course will be a combination of go-at-your-own-pace online recordings and recorded online live sessions where we will be getting into the more practical components.
Focussing more on the “how” and “why” rather than just the “what,” you will be provided with key learnings and opportunities to develop your skills within a supportive and reflective learning environment. At the end of this series, you can expect to leave feeling clear about a range of ways to navigate the inevitable challenges and complexities of working in this field, coupled with an ongoing curiosity to learn more from your valued colleagues and clients!
Please note that anyone, wherever you are in the world, is welcome to take this course. You will have the option of go-at-your-own pace learning AND attending the live sessions, OR doing the whole course yourself online. It’s up to you!
WHO IS THIS training SUITABLE FOR?
This series is primarily designed for Dietitians with more than two years of dietetic practice. If you are a Dietitian with less than two years of dietetic practice, you are very welcome to attend on the premise that you have completed all reading and allocated work prior to the workshop. If you are pursuing the ANZAED ED Credential, a pre-requisite is two years of practice experience.
You may have been seeing clients with clinical eating disorders for some time, and you are more than welcome too! This workshop is an inclusive, trauma-informed, very comprehensive and practical dive into dietetic care and may act as a very suitable review or update of existing skills and understandings.
There are more commonalities than differences with Eating Disorder care worldwide, and we have designed this course to be suitable for, and thoughtful about the needs of, as many Dietitians as possible wherever you are in the world. Please do reach out if you have any questions, and see other course options below to get a good idea of whether this will be suitable for you
This training will take you at least 25 hours to complete
YOU CAN EXPECT TO LEAVE WITH A THOROUGH UNDERSTANDING OF:
The role of the Dietitian in ED care, including scope of practice
Inclusive, thoughtful Dietetic screening and assessment
Working thoughtfully with diverse groups of people
Evidence based practice AND practice-based evidence
Optimising inclusivity in Eating Disorder spaces - what’s your role?
“Where do I start?” - setting up your Dietetic care with a solid foundation
Communication skills, working & collaborating with a health team
Trauma-informed Dietetic practice - developing awareness
Specific counselling skills and modalities that are essential in ED work
Inter-personal processes that are critical to the work we do
Aligning your practice with stages of change
Pacing & flow of sessions over time, setting expectations and boundaries
Medical monitoring & tracking of client progress
Working with adolescents, families, adults
“What do I say when….” troubleshooting
Cases to bring presentations to life, and offers more realistic opportunities to learn.
How to address uncertainty, fear and anxiety effectively instead of going into “Dietitian fixing” mode
Understanding our own stuck-points and what gets in the way for us doing this work
The importance of Supervision and ongoing support for Dietitians
The sequence of the learning will be
Pre-Recorded Online Modules: Go at your own pace online, approximately 15 hours
Recorded Live Training (2022): Total 15 hours
Total - approximately 30 hours of training
Course Fees:
AUD $550 (+GST) for Australians
AUD $550 (no tax) for non US and non Australians
USD $425 (no tax) for US and anyone who wishes to pay in USD
Accessibility and equity is important to us. Equity pricing available for Dietitians from marginalised communities and low income countries. Please contact me directly at themindfuldietitian@gmail.com for more details.
FAQ’s
I am not applying for the ANZAED Credential but am interested in this course - is that ok?
YES, absolutely. These courses are open to anyone who would like to do the training from any country.
Can I just do the “Dietetic Practice” Modules if I haven’t done a Foundations Training?
At this stage, there are two choices - Foundations OR Foundations + Dietetic Training. A standalone Dietetic Training course will launch in 2025.
is this course suitable if i am not australian?
Yes, a vast majority of this content would be internationally applicable. Another course I highly recommend if you’re looking for options is Marci Evans Counselling Skills for Eating Disorders