Navigating Eating Disorders:
Education & Support through Expert Guidance
Make a Donation
Contact us
Navigating Eating Disorders:
Education & Support through Expert Guidance
Empower yourself with stigma-breaking knowledge, skills and confidence through this blended program featuring leading experts and people with lived experience.
A course on eating disorders organized by Mind Blossom, Inc.
Mind Blossom is proud to offer 12 hours of eating disorder training recorded during our popular course “How To Navigate Eating Disorders” hosted in January – March 2024.
This course is a one-of-a-kind program on eating disorders tailored for those that are supporting someone with an eating disorder. This course is particularly popular among caregivers and professionals that work with youth.
It’s been one of the best courses I’ve done in my 15 years of career. It’s been so enlightening and rich of knowledge and compassion. The amount of incredible professional was a privilege to listen to. The way to explain such a complex topic in a way it was very understandable and digestible was great.
Course information
Duration: 12 hours in total, divided into 12 sessions
Mode: Can be accessed as video or audio
Access: Life-long access to all of the recordings
Who it is for: Loved ones, professionals and those directly affected
Certifications provided to those who complete all assessments!
Just what you need if you are an organisation or school wanting training on eating disorders. I’ve been working with Mind Blossom for a few months now. Very knowledgeable on the topic of eating disorders. I’ve accessed their training and would recommend it to anyone wanting to learn more on this subject. Great content and delivery of this was brilliant! Very engaging and informative.
On average, our participants are ‘extremely likely’ to say they would recommend this course to a colleage or peer.
Learn why in our impact report!
Our Impact Report includes an analysis of four outcome measures
What participants gained from this course
This course taught me how much I didn’t know about eating disorders (and I thought I knew a bit).
This was fascinating to say the least. Learning about how different eating disorders work from different systems in the brain. And how interpersonal trauma has a higher risk of developing an eating disorder, blows my mind a little. It is so not black and white and the more I listenned, the more I realise how complexed this is. An hour really well spent!
Take a sneak peak!
What people wish they had known about eating disorders
Whether you’re personally grappling with an eating disorder, providing care for someone, or offering therapy to those in need, understanding the challenges is key. Check out this video to hear firsthand from individuals who’ve been there, both personally and professionally.
Check out the program content
Session 1
Mind Blossom Speakers: Pernille Yilmam, PhD & Sushma Srinivasan, MS.
Guest Speakers: Meghan Quinn, MD & Mary-Catherine Durkin.
Topic: Dr. Yilmam introduces the fundamentals of eating disorder behaviors and diagnoses. Dr. Quinn and Ms. Durkin share their personal stories: Dr. Quinn struggled with an eating disorder during adulthood while Ms. Durkin supported her 11 year old daughter through the rapid onset of an eating disorder.
Session 2
Mind Blossom Speakers: Pernille Yilmam, PhD & Sushma Srinivasan, MS.
Guest Speakers: Norman Kim, PhD, Charlotte Markey, PhD, Meghan Quinn, MD & Amy Pershing, LMSW.
Topic: Dr. Yilmam introduces the importance of understanding the triggers of an eating disorder and, in collaboration with Dr. Markey, discusses the complicated role of social media in triggering eating disorders. Dr. Kim dives into the role of anxiety, Dr. Quinn discusses the role of adult interpersonal trauma, and Ms. Pershing provides a comprehensive overview of how childhood trauma and early life experiences can serve as precursours for disordered eating behaviors.
Session 3
Mind Blossom Speakers: Sushma Srinivasan, MS & Iulia Nandrea.
Guest Speakers: Betsy Brenner, Jason Wood, Leah Stiles, Olivia Bowden & Izzy Snayd.
Topic: Ms. Srinivasan, in collaboration with Ms. Nandrea, moderates a panel featuring five people who have or still are facing an eating disorder. These speakers represent a large range of personal experiences with varying ages (21 to 60 years old) and eating disorder types. This conversation empowers everyone, showcasing recovery as an attainable possibility while providing actionable strategies for supporting someone you know or yourself.
Session 4
Mind Blossom Speakers: Sushma Srinivasan, MS & Iulia Nandrea.
Guest Speakers: Jenni Gaines, Georgie Gaines, Stephanie Albers, PhD, & Stephanie Grabowski.
Topic: Ms. Srinivasan, in collaboration with Ms. Nandrea, moderates a second panel featuring four individuals who have supported someone with an eating disorder. Ms. Jenni Gaines and Dr. Albers share their experience in supporting their children (daughter and son, respectively) with an eating disorder (anorexia and ARFID, respectively). Ms. Georgie Gaines and Ms. Grabowski share their perspective as a sibling. Ms. Grabowski shares her difficult story of losing her sister to anorexia. This conversation talks about the real challenges of living with and supporting someone with an eating disorder, while also taking care of yourself.
Session 5
Mind Blossom Speakers: Pernille Yilmam, PhD & Sushma Srinivasan, MS.
Guest Speakers: Norman Kim, PhD & Gina Lee, PMHNP.
Topic: Dr. Yilmam introduces the concept of intersectionality and the unique challenges that increase the risk of eating disorders among minority groups. Dr. Kim provides a presentation on why and how people of color and in the LGBTQ+ community are at higher risk of developing eating disorders. Ms. Lee shares how she sees eating disorders expressed across a diverse group of people spanning age groups and ethnicities.
Session 6
Mind Blossom Speakers: Pernille Yilmam, PhD & Sushma Srinivasan, MS.
Guest Speakers: Julie Cole, RND.
Topic: Dr. Yilmam offers a personal account of how her body was affected by an eating disorder, and Ms. Cole, a registered dietician with expertise in eating disorders, dives into an accessible scientific overview of how an eating disorder affects our bodies. Dr. Yilmam finishes off the session with an overview of the other mental illnesses that often co-occur with eating disorders. This session builds on the knowledge we learned in Session 5 and provides foundational information for the forthcoming week’s session.
Session 7
Mind Blossom Speakers: Pernille Yilmam, PhD & Sushma Srinivasan, MS.
Topic: Dr. Yilmam, a neuroscientist trained at Emory University and Harvard University, dives into the neuroscience of eating disorders. In an engaging and accessible manner, she provides the audience with an in-depth understanding of how eating disorders affect the brain. She completes the session with an empowering message of hope: recovery can be observed and measured in the brain. This session is complemented by Mind Blossom’s Intro to the Brain Pamphlet.
Session 8
Mind Blossom Speakers: Pernille Yilmam, PhD & Sushma Srinivasan, MS.
Guest Speakers: Tara Wells, LCSW, Stephen Reeder, MA, LPCC, Guilia Suro, PhD, Nicole Garber, MD, & Emily McDonagh, LCSW.
Topic: In this interactive session, five therapists provide an overview of the leading treatment methods for people with eating disorders. This session provides crucial information for anyone trying to understand what thereapeutic method is best for them. Check out the accompanying fact sheet for a quick overview of the most important take aways.
Session 9
Mind Blossom Speakers: Pernille Yilmam, PhD & Sushma Srinivasan, MS.
Guest Speakers: Nicole Garber, MD, Rachel Kramer, PhD & Sarah Lee.
Topic: This session addresses the levels of care people with eating disorders can access. Dr. Garber dives into in-patient and residential treatment, while Dr. Kramer gives an overview of partial hospitalization and outpatient treatment options. Ms. Lee, an eating disorder recovery coach, explains how coaching can provide mental and logistical support at all levels of care. This session is complemented by a fact sheet that provides an overview of the key takeaways.
Session 10
Mind Blossom Speakers: Pernille Yilmam, PhD & Sushma Srinivasan, MS.
Guest Speakers: Kathleen MacDonald & Meghan Quinn, MD.
Topic: Dr. Yilmam introduces the barriers to accessing eating disorder care, which Ms. MacDonald, an eating disorder insurance advocate, provides a historical deep dive into. Ms. MacDonald has more than 20 years of experience working in the field of treatment access advocacy and her learned lessons empower all of us to better navigate the eating disorder care system. Dr. Quinn shares her insights as a psychiatrist and the challenges and tricks in providing care to patients that present with eating disorder symptoms. If you are a provider or youth-advocate, this session is a must.
Session 11
Mind Blossom Speakers: Pernille Yilmam, PhD & Sushma Srinivasan, MS.
Guest Speakers: Olivia Bowden & Sophie Killip, MEd.
Topic: Dr. Yilmam kicks off the conversation with a definition and overview of body image and body dysmorphic disorder. Ms. Killip dives into the psychology behind our body image, and Ms. Bowden provides actionable skills and personal insights on how to foster a healthier relationship with our bodies. Dr. Yilmam dives back into the brain by providing easy-to-understand insights on what happens in the brain of someone with body dysmorphic disorder. We encourage you to check out Dr. Yilmam’s Psychology Today article diving into this topic.
Session 12
Mind Blossom Speakers: Pernille Yilmam, PhD & Sushma Srinivasan, MS.
Guest Speakers: Jennie Gaines, Georgie Gaines, Gina Lee, PMHNP, & Emily McDonagh, LCSW.
Topic: This session provides a fun and engaging recap of everything we have learned in the past 11 weeks. We dive into a Q&A and tie up lose ends with the guest speakers, finishing with a message of hope.
Every session I learned a lot of new information and it also has helped me to indentify biases I didn’t know I had them so thank you very much.
This session really got me thinking, I learnt a lot. Although I had some knowledge about this topic, the conversation opened up many things I haven’t given sufficient consideration to. Thank you.
Check out our popular fact sheets
Recovery is possible
With the right tools, recovery from an eating disorder is possible.
45% of people with an eating disorder recover eventually.
By providing support early, the chances of full recovery are markedly increased.
What you might not know about eating disorders
Eating disorders affect everyone.
No matter your age, gender, or sexual orientation, you might experience disordered eating at one point in your lifetime.
However, some demographic groups are at higher risk.
Females are, on average, more likely to develop an eating disorder compared to men. New research is demonstrating that people who identify as nonbinary or transgender are as or even more likely than cis-females to experience an eating disorder.
While the highest risk of developing an eating disorder is around age 14, many people develop symptoms earlier or later.
ARFID and Anorexia are two of the most common eating disorders among children under 10. In contrast, Bulimia and Binge Eating Disorder are two of the most common eating disorders among people age 40 and over.
75% of all initial mental illness symptoms occur before age 25.
In fact, 50% of all intital symptoms have emerged by age 15.
It’s estimated that 16-18% of children between 1-5 years old experience a mental illness.
Adulthood does not protect you against eating disorders.
13% of women over 50 report at least one eating disorder symptom.
Empowering yourself with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to identify early signs of eating disorders is a powerful way to potentially save lives.
These disorders can have serious physical and psychological consequences, and early intervention can make a significant difference in someone’s recovery journey. Understanding the signs and symptoms, being aware of risk factors, and knowing how to approach someone who may be struggling are all crucial aspects of this empowerment.
By educating yourself and others, you can play a vital role in supporting those who are affected and helping them access the help they need.
What a Mind Blossom Certification looks like
Curious what a certification from Mind Blossom looks like?
Here’s a sneapeak!
Learn more about eating disorders
Since you are here
Help us help you by filling out our surveys and urging your school leaders to implement mental health education into the curriculum
Get In Touch
Boston, Massachusetts
USA
info@mindblossom.org