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In Person
Arkansas Eating Disorder Summit

Eating Disorder Triage: Determining Severity & Appropriate Treatment Options

Elizabeth Parks, LCSW, CEDS
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Description

Participants will learn the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for common eating disorders and develop an understanding of how these disorders may present across clinical settings. Participants will learn to recognize behavioral, psychological, and physical signs of eating disorders, identify associated medical and psychiatric complications, and explore evidence-based interventions and treatment approaches. The training will include practical guidance on identifying when an eating disorder may be present, applying diagnostic criteria through case examples, understanding levels of care within eating disorder treatment, and determining when a higher level of care may be indicated. Participants will also learn strategies for navigating sensitive conversations about eating behaviors and treatment with patients, addressing common barriers to care, and initiating appropriate referrals to eating disorder specialists and treatment programs based on the patient’s clinical needs and level of risk.

Learning Objectives

Participants will be able to:

  • Define the symptoms of four major eating disorder diagnoses

  • Identify the levels of care in eating disorder treatment and the criteria to determine appropriate treatment for patients

  • Implement at least 3 clinical strategies to enhance and support conversations with patients about engaging in treatment for their eating disorder

Educational Goal

The educational goal of this workshop is for participants to identify common presentations of potential eating disorders, determine what level of care to recommend for treatment, and how to support a patient to initiate their treatment course.

Target Audience

  • Addiction Professional
  • Counselor
  • Marriage & Family Therapist
  • Nurse
  • Physician
  • Psychologist
  • Social Worker

Presenters

Elizabeth Parks, LCSW, CEDS
Elizabeth "Libby" Parks, LCSW, CEDS, serves as the Clinical Social Work Lead at the ACUTE Center for Eating Disorders and Severe Malnutrition, where she has been providing care since 2019. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Dickinson College and her Master of Social Work from New York University Silver School of Social Work. Libby is a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist through the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals (iaedp™), reflecting her deep commitment to evidence-based, specialized care. Libby began her career in eating disorder treatment in 2015 as a behavioral health technician at a residential program for adult women, later becoming a Primary Therapist and then Lead Therapist for a PHP/IOP site serving adolescents and adults. She also has experience providing outpatient psychotherapy for individuals with eating disorders, body image concerns, and mood and anxiety disorders. Prior to specializing in eating disorders, Libby worked in inpatient psychiatric care at a Level 1 trauma hospital in New York and supported first-time mothers and their babies through the Denver-based Nurse-Family Partnership. Her clinical work is informed by research and scholarship, including publications on the psychotherapeutic treatment of co-occurring eating disorders and PTSD and on severe and enduring anorexia nervosa, such as Psychotherapeutic Treatment of Co-Occurring Eating Disorders and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Severe and Enduring Anorexia Nervosa and Futility: A Time for Every Purpose.

Financially Sponsored By

  • Acadia Healthcare Treatment Placement Specialists® (TPS)