Eating disorders and the body

Duration: 9 sessions (30 academic hours)
Teachers: psychotherapist, medical doctor–dietitian
Recommended level: Basic

Skills you will gain after completing the course:

1. Ability to distinguish and classify types of hunger and recognize intuitive eating.
2. In-depth understanding of intuitive eating and the structure of a healthy diet.
3. Knowledge of the main types of eating disorders and methods of their diagnosis.
4. Skills for working with clients with eating disorders, including adults and families with children.
5. Understanding the physiology of excess weight and methods of weight normalization.
6. Knowledge of psychological factors behind weight gain and the influence of family dynamics.
7. Ability to analyze and correct body image disturbances.
8. Awareness of alternative nutrition theories and their impact on health.
9. Practical skills in analyzing and reviewing client cases in the context of eating behavior.

COURSE PROGRAM

Lesson 1. Healthy eating behavior in psychology.
Criteria of healthy eating behavior. Types of hunger. Eating intuition.

Lesson 2. Healthy eating behavior in dietetics.
Meeting basic physiological needs. Intuitive eating from a dietetics perspective.
Nutrition structure and rules for meal planning.
Daily routine and physical activity.
Food / carbohydrate addiction from a physiological point of view.

Lesson 3. Eating disorders.
Anorexia nervosa. Bulimia nervosa.
Statistics. ICD and DSM classifications.
Signs and risk factors.

Lesson 4. Eating disorders.
Compulsive overeating, orthorexia nervosa, bigorexia, pregorexia, and others.
Causes of relapses during and after treatment.
Overview of management strategies for adult clients with eating disorders and for families with children affected by eating disorders.

Lesson 5. Eating disorders and health risks.
Obesity. Physiology of excess weight.
Approaches to weight normalization.

Lesson 6. Psychological aspects of excess weight.
The role of family structure in the development of excess weight.
Fat-shaming. Social stigma.
Risks of surgical and pharmacological treatment of obesity.

Lesson 7. Body image. Norm and disorders.
Body image formation.
Body image disturbances.

Lesson 8. Alternative nutrition theories. Psychology.
Basic needs. Anthropology.
A historical overview of non-traditional nutrition.
Causes, psychological norms, and disorders in alternative eating patterns.
Health risks.

Lesson 9. Final session.
Client case analysis.
Summary and conclusions.