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Live Webinar

Tangled Roots: The Importance of Treating Eating and Anxiety Disorder Concurrently

Erin McGinty Fort, MS, MHA, LPC-S, CEDS-S
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Information

Date & Time

Learning Objectives

Participants will be able to:

  • Describe the relationship between eating and anxiety disorder core symptomatology.

  • Summarize the shared biobehavioral characteristics between eating and anxiety disorders.

  • Identify three (3) ways that anxiety disorder treatment, including exposure-based therapy, can be implemented concurrently with eating disorder treatment.

Educational Goal

To increase clinical competence in the comorbidity of eating and anxiety disorders as well as treating both disorders concurrently.

Description

Eating and anxiety disorders coexist in as many as two-thirds of our eating disorder clients. They share many of the same core symptoms and biobehavioral characteristics, and we know that the presence of an anxiety disorder can worsen body image dissatisfaction, avoidance, risk tolerance, and depression in clients who have eating disorders. Despite this, the treatment for eating and anxiety disorders is often siloed; it can be difficult for clients and families to find treatment providers and centers who have specialized training and expertise in recognizing and treating both disorders.


This presentation will explore how the “roots” of eating and anxiety disorders often become tangled together and why it is vital that treatment of an anxiety disorder not be relegated to the aftercare plan. We will also look at ways that providers and programs can effectively incorporate interventions to improve eating and anxiety disorder treatment outcomes.

Target Audience

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

Presenters

Erin McGinty Fort, MS, MHA, LPC-S, CEDS-S
Erin has over a decade of experience with treating eating disorders in men and women. She has worked at several nationally-known treatment facilities, including Rogers Behavioral Health, Castlewood Treatment Center, Monte Nido & Affiliates, and Eating Recovery Center. In addition to her role as a clinician, Erin has served as a Program Director and Clinical Director. She has worked at all levels of eating disorder treatment throughout her career, including inpatient, residential, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, and outpatient. Erin previously was the Coordinator of Eating Disorder Services at Baylor University’s Counseling Center. She is intimately familiar with the anxieties that can come with seeking help and the different challenges that individuals and their families face along the journey of recovery.

Erin is a licensed professional counselor and supervisor in the state of Texas, and has her graduate degrees in both Counseling and Health Administration. She is a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist through the International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals (iaedp), which allows clients to rest assured that they are receiving care from a highly trained, competent, and skilled provider in the treatment of eating disorders. Because of the rigorous demands that life throws at us and the flexibility needed for providing treatment, Erin is a Board Certified TeleMental Health Provider. She is a professional member of both iaedp and the Academy for Eating Disorders.

A transplant from the Midwest, Erin has embraced Texas as her home. When not working at Thrive Wellness, she enjoys spending time with her husband, daughter, and fur son.

Financially Sponsored By

  • Alsana