Friday, March 7, 2008

Eating Disorders: Differential Diagnosis and Treatment Challenges

Clients with eating disorders present the clinician with a myriad of challenges. Many have one or more co-morbid diagnoses or special circumstances. We will discuss how to differentially diagnose and treat challenging clients including children, adolescents, and adults with psychiatric co-morbidities, including major and bipolar depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, substance abuse, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We will also consider the treatment of clients with special circumstances such as those who have diabetes.

We will discuss the combined use of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and psychodynamic psychotherapy. As family therapy is considered the treatment of choice for children and adolescents, we will consider the pure and modified versions of Maudsley Family Therapy. For each client discussed, we will refer to Prochaska's Stages of Change to determine the treatment focus and tasks. Workshop participants will be able to:

• Differentially diagnosis complex clients who present with food/weight/body issues as well as other psychiatric co-morbidities
• Develop treatment plans utilizing a combination of CBT, DBT, and psychodynamic psychotherapy
• Apply Maudsley Family Therapy principles in pure or modified form to use with children and adolescents living at home
• Determine the stage of change of each client and identify an effective treatment approach based on the stage of change

Workshop format includes lecture, discussion, and clinical case material.

Instructor

Mona Villapiano, Psy.D. is a licensed psychologist with 25 years of experience developing and directing inpatient, partial, evening, and outpatient programs for clients with eating disorders. She maintains a private practice, is on staff at Newton Wellesley Hospital, and is a former member of the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Eating Disorders Association. Dr. Villapiano trains and consults nationally. She is co-author of two books, one for clinicians, Eating Disorders: Time for Change, and a companion publication for clients, Eating Disorders: The Journey to Recovery Workbook.