Eating Disorders for Dietitians

May/June 2025

This 4 day course has been designed to reflect the healthcare and educational needs of Dietitians working within the field of eating disorders, with the aim of supporting the development of specialist skills and competencies that underpin practice within this setting.

The course will extend the knowledge of eating disorders by integrating nutritional, physiological, psychological and psychosocial perspectives, current treatments and service user needs.

The programme is taught by highly qualified and experienced specialist practitioners and academic staff who have peer-reviewed published work.

The course introduces core themes in the management of eating disorders including:

• Critical discussion of current evidence base, pathways and outcomes
• Development of the skills and strategies for supporting behaviour change in eating disorders
• Evaluation of the multi-professional team MDT in treatment and management of eating disorders
• Dual diagnosis
• Trans-diagnostic approaches to care
• Development of care pathways that incorporate monitoring and evaluation of care
• Translation of the evidence base into service delivery and outcomes
• Application of knowledge into practice with critical analysis of topics relevant to practice areas 

Duration
4 days

Dates
19 May 2025
20 May 2025 
9 June 2025 
10 June 2025

Course Description

The content of the course is based upon a competency-based framework under the following 5 key areas:

Day 1
Development and Maintenance of Eating Disorders

Why do EDs develop?
Trans diagnostic approaches
Neurobiolobgy and alternative theory
Starvation
Co-morbidities
5P’s formulation

MDT working 
Formulation
Risk management
MHA/MCA
The dietitian’s role
Family and carers
Perspectives of : psychology, OT, MHN, Psychiatry etc

Day 2  to  3.5
Nutritional approaches to eating disorders

MARSIPAN and refeeding

- Red flags and risks
- Calculating requirements - focus on range and need to individualize and rationale for this
- Monitoring and refeeding - What is new MHSG guidance and rationale for changes
- Supplementary NG and sip feeding ? - not just food- can use sip feeds/supplementary NG- need RD for this
- State not weight- focusing on BMI is mis-leading. Degree of weight loss and functioning/symptoms of starvation more important. 360 degree nut assessment needed eg looking at signs and symptoms of malnutrition
- Oedema and use of mineral supplements – low sodium feeds.
- Weight gain/loss physiology - need to consider length of starvation/underweight/ longest weight stable state/previous weight Hx/ Centile/genetics etc

Meal planning

Do not use eatwell guide
Appetite regulation (delayed gastric empting/ increased hunger with refeeding./ wt restoration/ lack of appetite
Meal support – getting food in the room -
Shopping and cooking
Veganism/food allergy 
Nutritional approaches to managing
Binge Eating Disorder
Anorexia Nervosa 
Bulimia Nervosa 
SEAN
Special considerations for Children and Adolescents
Diabetes and eating disorders
Autism Spectrum Disorder and eating disorders

Day  3.5 / 4
Communication /behaviour change skills

MI skills overview and practice
GSH overview
CBT skills overview and practice (behavioural experiments, surveys, hot cross buns, thinking styles)
Alternative psychological approaches e.g. compassionate mind/DBT
FBT approaches and RD role

Online support
Finding and evaluating the evidence
Looking at evidence and evidence quality
Critiquing papers