A New Eating Disorder Certification Hits the Market: Elevate Your Expertise and Grow Your Practice
As awareness of eating disorders increases, so does the need for skilled professionals who can provide specialized care. Eating disorders affect approximately 9% of the population globally, with many individuals struggling in silence. Whether you're a therapist, dietitian, or coach, expanding your expertise in this area can make a significant impact on the lives of your clients — and your practice.
Introducing the Inclusive Eating Disorder Specialist (IEDS) Certification
If you’re looking to enhance your credentials and stand out in a crowded marketplace, a new certification from Inclusive Eating Disorder Education, PLLC has just been introduced. Designed with therapists, dietitians, and wellness coaches in mind, this certification offers the knowledge, tools, and evidence-based practices necessary to support clients with disordered eating behaviors.
Why Specializing in Eating Disorders Matters
Eating disorders are complex and multifaceted, often involving co-occurring issues such as trauma, anxiety, OCD, or depression. While general mental health or nutrition training may address some of these concerns, true expertise requires a deep understanding of the unique challenges that individuals with eating disorders face.
Specialization in eating disorders from an inclusive lens enables you to offer targeted, evidence-based care that helps clients navigate both the physical, emotional, behavioral, and psychological aspects of disordered eating, body image, compulsive exercise, and co-occurring conditions. As the demand for specialized care grows, so does the importance of earning credentials that showcase your ability to treat these conditions effectively.
The IEDE team deeply believes in the power of inclusive, trauma-informed, antiracist, and culturally aware treatment approaches. The new Inclusive Eating Disorder Specialist (IEDS) Certification not only covers the essential aspects of eating disorder treatment but also emphasizes an weight inclusive and antiracist approach that ensures all clients feel seen, respected, and supported.
What You’ll Learn: A Deep Dive into Eating Disorder Treatment
Our certification program is designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of eating disorders and the skills and tools needed to support clients throughout their recovery journey. Here’s a snapshot of what you’ll gain:
Comprehensive Knowledge of Eating Disorders: Explore both common and lesser-known eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, ARFID and OSFED (Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorders).
Trauma-Informed Care: Learn how trauma often intersects with eating disorders and how to provide compassionate, safe care to those affected.
Inclusive Approaches: Gain skills to support clients from diverse backgrounds, addressing unique issues related to body image, race, gender, and cultural factors that influence disordered eating. Addresses your own (unitentional) biases to provide better care, especially for clients facing stigmatization and oppression.
Hands-On Tools for Treatment: Master assessment strategies, treatment planning, and interventions that can be tailored to your clients’ specific needs. You will also receive a robust eating disorder skills and tools list, adapted from Recovery Record, with permission.
Integration of Nutrition Therapy and Mental Health: Understand all aspects of eating disorder treatment, how to collaborate on a treatment team, and how to provide holistic care while staying in your own lane.
Whether you’re already working with clients with eating disorders or simply wanting to learn more in this area, this certification equips you with the knowledge and skills to make a tangible difference in your practice.
Key Benefits of the IEDS Certification
Obtaining the Inclusive Eating Disorder Specialist (IEDS) Certification from Inclusive Eating Disorder Education, PLLC offers both immediate and long-term advantages for your career. Here are some of the key benefits:
1. Specialized Knowledge
Deepen your understanding of the full spectrum of eating disorders and their physical, emotional, and psychological aspects, enabling you to provide more comprehensive care.
2. Increased Credibility
A certification demonstrates your commitment to professional growth and specialized treatment, distinguishing you from other clinicians. This credential adds authority to your profile and helps attract more clients seeking expertise in eating disorder care.
3. Inclusive, Culturally Aware Care
It is imperative that clinicians provide care that is informed and sensitive to the diverse experiences of those with eating disorders. Because eating disorders are a response to and a way to cope with stress, therapists and dietitians must practice from an antiracist and inclusive perspective.
4. Avoid losing Clients to AI and Giant Online Therapy Corporations
You have seen the rise of AI powered bots acting as therapists, and the sudden explosion of giant counseling corporations (looking at you, Better Help). We know that real human specialists can never be replaced. Private practitioners are needing to up their game in the therapy business and specialize, now more than ever, to build and maintain their caseloads.
5. Enhanced Client Outcomes
The IEDS Certification training is comprehensive, trauma-informed, evidenced-based, and will teach you how to show up effectively for clients in all body sizes. You’ll be better equipped to design treatment plans that lead to more effective and sustained recovery.
6. Grow Your Client Base
Specializing in eating disorders positions you as an expert in a highly sought-after field, increasing your visibility to potential clients. Whether through word-of-mouth referrals or improved SEO rankings, having a certification boosts your marketability.
7. Access to a Professional Network
Gain access to a community of fellow certified professionals, offering resources, case consultations, and continued learning opportunities long after you complete the program.
8. Ethical and Responsible Treatment
Ethical care is at the heart of our certification. You’ll learn how to support clients in a responsible, culturally sensitive manner, providing the compassionate care they need to heal.
9. Flexible Learning Options
The IEDS certification program is entirely online, and designed with busy professionals in mind. With online learning modules, engaging quizzes, learning activities, and a practical case study, you can enhance your expertise at your own pace without interrupting your practice.
IEDS Certification Can Help Grow Your Practice
Adding an eating disorder certification to your resume can have profound effects on your practice. Not only does it deepen your expertise, but it also positions you as a trusted practitioner in the field, increasing your visibility to potential clients.
For therapists, dietitians, and wellness coaches, having this credential allows you to attract a more specialized client base, which can lead to higher fees, more referrals, and collaboration opportunities with other health professionals. The IEDS certification serves as a signal to clients that you’re equipped to help them with the unique and complex challenges of eating disorders.
In our competitive mental health and wellness landscape, standing out as a trusted clinician with expertise is necessary. Clients are more likely to seek help from professionals who have demonstrated their expertise through specialized training and certifications. The IEDS certification not only enhances your ability to treat eating disorders but also strengthens your practice’s overall appeal.
Learn More about the Inclusive Eating Disorder Specialist (IEDS) Certification
If you're eager to expand your expertise and help clients with disordered eating behaviors, the new IEDS certification may be a great opportunity for you. This comprehensive training program provides the skills and credentials to grow your practice while making a lasting impact on the lives of your clients.
References
Galmiche, M., Déchelotte, P., Lambert, G., & Tavolacci, M. P. (2019). Prevalence of eating disorders over the 2000–2018 period: A systematic literature review. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 109(5), 1402-1413. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/nqy342
Legal Disclaimer:
The content provided by Inclusive Eating Disorder Education, PLLC is for educational purposes only, aimed at helping clinicians and professionals learn about eating disorder treatment. This information is not a substitute for clinical supervision, professional training, or medical, psychological, or nutritional advice. Clinicians should always rely on their professional judgment and consult relevant healthcare providers when treating clients. IEDE assumes no responsibility for any errors, omissions, or outcomes related to the use of this information in practice.