Monday, March 17, 2008

DEADLINE EXTENDED! Soul Hunger: Treating Eating Disorders from the Inside Out. For Professionals Working with Eating Disorder & Body Image Issues.

April 11, 9:00 am - noon
Remedy Center for the Healing Arts 4910 Burnet Road, Austin, Tx $55
(CEUs provided for an additional $5)
Experience a lively, interactive presentation where you can learn:Approaches for helping clients understand the connection between theirdisordered eating behavior and their deeper hungers. The life skills essential for recovery from disordered eating and howto bring them into a clinical setting. Techniques for dealing with resistance and denial. How to use the symbolism of food cravings and phobias to discover hidden emotional hungers.
Register online at http://www.dranitajohnston.com/ or Contact Elissa at (512)779-3121 or elissashapiro@yahoo.com .

Soul Cycles: Four Faces of the Feminine PsycheSaturday, April 12, 2008 12:30 - 6:30 pm
A powerful workshop for women of all ages with Anita Johnston, Ph.D & Elissa Shapiro, LCSW. Experience the power of the feminine life cycle -- from menarche to menopause -- as it relates to eating, body image, and sexuality. Discover the four feminine archetypes (maiden, mother, queen, crone)traditionally found in ancient storytelling traditions and learn how to use them for healing. Develop a deeper understanding of the power of the sacred feminine --how to embody it and use it for transformation and creativity. What are the Four Faces of the Feminine Psyche and what makes them sacred? They are archetypes that correspond to four significant phases in a woman's life (maiden, mother, queen, crone) and slso correspond to the four seasons of the year (spring, summer, fall, winter), four cycles of the moon (waxing, full, waning, dark), four directions(east, south, west, north), four times of day (dawn, noon, dust, mignight) and four elements (air, fire, water, earth). These archetypal energies are available to the conscious woman for personal growth and healing, regardless of her chronological age. Anita Johnston, Ph.D, internationally known storyteller and Author of Eating in the Light of the Moon & Elissa Shapiro, Licensed Clinical Social Worker & Nia Instructor. $149 before March 21; $169 after March 21***Register online at www.DrAnitaJohnston.com****Early registration is highly recommended, as space is limited.Contact Elissa at elissashapiro@yahoo.com or (512)779-3121 with any questions.Anita Johnston, Ph.D. *http://www.dranitajohnston.com/*Author, Eating in the Light of the Moon.

Thursday, March 06, 2008

Eating Disorders Awareness Helps Mental Health Parity Pass in House Vote

PRESS RELEASE

MARCH 6 2008

CONTACT MARC LERRO, 202-543-9570


Eating disorders were front and center in the debate leading to yesterday’s passage of mental health parity in the U.S. House of Representatives. The House passed the parity bill by a vote of 268 to 148.

The House version of a national mental health parity bill includes broad definitions of mental illness that would include eating disorders. A Senate bill passed last year offers fewer protections but is likely to become the final version that Congress will send for the president’s signature. The Eating Disorders Coalition has supported both House and Senate versions, but prefers the House bill.

Yesterday’s action in the House marks the first time in 12 years that mental health parity has been brought to a vote. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi agreed to schedule a vote, reversing the long-held opposition of former House Speaker Dennis Hastert. The EDC was in the front row during yesterday’s rally at the Capitol. Speakers included House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, Rep. Jim Ramstad, Rep. Patrick Kennedy, former first lady Rosalynn Carter, and David Wellstone. The audience included singer-songwriter Carole King and U.S. Senate candidate Al Franken.

Since the beginning of the 110th Congress, the Eating Disorders Coalition and other mental health advocates have had numerous opportunities to bring the issue to the attention of congressional committees. EDC President Kitty Westin testified in Congress and spoke at a parity rally with Speaker Pelosi in 2007, recalling the loss of her daughter after the family’s insurance company denied treatment for Anna Westin’s eating disorder.

EDC Executive Director Marc Lerro says, “We made our points so often that members of Congress started making our points for us. In committee meetings, Republicans and Democrats alike described how parity could affect people with eating disorders.”

David Wellstone, founder of Wellstone Action, campaigned aggressively for the passage of the House bill. He often cited eating disorders as an example of mental health conditions that may not be fully covered under the weaker Senate bill. Wellstone was critical of the Senate bill and refused to allow the bill to be named in memory of his father, the late Senator Paul Wellstone.

Wellstone told National Public Radio’s Julie Rovner, “My dad always believed that you can’t leave people out. You can’t have people like Kitty Westin, who was his friend and my friend, who’s daughter had an eating disorder and went in and was told ‘we have to figure out if this is a medical necessity.’”

During a national speaking tour in support of parity, members of Congress in several major cities appeared with speakers who had first-hand experience with eating disorders. In Washington, D.C., the EDC hosted educational briefings and sent mailings that also kept the issue before policymakers at the Capitol. Last week, the Coalition hosted a briefing in the House of Representatives titled “Eating Disorders: From Stigma to Science,” which drew a capacity bipartisan audience.

Next, negotiations between the House and Senate must close the gap between the two bills before a final piece of legislation can be sent to the president. Rep. Kennedy is willing to compromise. He told NPR, “I’m not an all-or-nothing person. I want something, and then I can add to it next year, and the year after, and the year after that. That’s the way Congress works. I’ve watched my father over the years. I’ve taken lessons.”

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The Eating Disorders Coalition for Research, Policy & Action is working in Washington, D.C., to increase awareness, educate policymakers, and promote understanding about the disabling and life-threatening effects of eating disorders. Our mission is to advance the federal recognition of eating disorders as a public health priority.

Remuda Programs for Eating Disorders Launches New Anxiety Disorders Program

Nation's Leading Eating Disorders Treatment Center Now Offers Help For Those
with Anxiety Disorders

PHOENIX (March 6, 2008) ­ Remuda Programs for Eating Disorders, the nation's
leading and largest inpatient treatment center for women and girls suffering
from eating disorders, has launched a new treatment program for anxiety
disorders. The inpatient program will treat adolescents and children
suffering from: obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD); panic disorder;
specific phobia; social anxiety disorder; separation anxiety disorder;
generalized anxiety disorder; anxiety disorder NOS (not otherwise
specified); and OCD spectrum disorders, such as body dysmorphic disorder or
trichotillomania.

³Four to five million children and adolescents struggle with anxiety
disorders,² said Amy Spahr, Executive Clinical Director, at Remuda Programs
for Eating Disorders. ³We have been extremely successful in helping
thousands of girls and women overcome eating disorders for almost 18 years.
During this time, thousands of our young patients have entered treatment
with an anxiety disorder and we¹ve had great success in treating those
issues as well.²

The minimum stay is 60 days for Remuda,s Anxiety Disorders Program. This
time in treatment is needed to stop negative behaviors, address critical
issues and help patients and their families. All therapies occur within a
cognitive behavioral framework, are based on Biblical Christianity and
include:

· Exposure with response prevention therapy

· Didactic presentations

· Skills groups

· Equine and canine therapy

· Art therapy

· Challenge course and recreation groups

· Movement and relaxation therapy

· Daily chapels, providing non-denominational Biblical teachings

· Spiritual growth groups

Parents are encouraged to meet their daughter's treatment team at admission.
This helps Remuda's professionals gain understanding of family issues and
possible familial background of the disorder. During the patient¹s stay,
parents participate in weekly therapeutic telephone sessions with their
daughter and her therapist. Half-way through treatment, the entire family
meets at Remuda for two to three days of education, process groups and
counseling.

Remuda's programs and ranch settings are different from the traditional,
institutional format offered at hospitals and clinics. Remuda¹s programs
offer a balanced, multi-disciplinary team approach that is designed to treat
the whole person and meet her unique medical, nutritional, psychological,
and spiritual needs.

³We look forward to offering our anxiety disorders program to teens and
girls who are in need of inpatient treatment,² adds Spahr. ³Remuda has long
practiced treating the individual biologically, psychologically, socially
and spiritually. We bring to this program years of success and specific
treatment tailored to each individual.²

About Remuda Programs for Eating Disorders:
Remuda Programs for Eating Disorders offers Christian inpatient and
residential treatment for women and girls of all faiths suffering from an
eating disorder. Each patient is treated by a multi-disciplinary team
including a Psychiatric and a Primary Care Provider, Registered Dietitian,
Masters Level therapist, Psychologist and Registered Nurse. The professional
staff equips each patient with the right tools to live a healthy, productive
life. For more information, call 1-800-445-1900 or visit
www.remudaranch.com.

Monday, March 03, 2008

Phone NOW!Mental Health Parity Vote Scheduled March 5 in Congress

Eating Disorders Coalition Action AlertMarch 1, 2008
Phone NOW!
Rally on March 5!

February 29, 2008 - The EDC has been working throughout 2007 and early 2008 to enact full mental health parity. Now, victory is within reach. Following the Senate's passage of the Mental Health Parity Act (S. 558) by unanimous consent, the House is ready to take up its version of the bill, H.R. 1424, on Wednesday, March 5. After that, Senate and House leaders will reconcile differences between the two versions of the bill in order to pass the strongest possible parity legislation.

As a supporter of mental health parity, we urge you to contact your U.S. Representative NOW to urge support for H.R. 1424.

Take 3 minutes. Call now!

Use the toll-free Parity Hotline, 1-866-parity4 (1-866-727-4894), to call your U.S. Representative. (The Parity Hotline reaches the Capitol switchboard, which can connect callers to the members of Congress. Using this hotline, rather than calling House offices directly, helps us gauge our effectiveness.) If you are not sure of your Representative's name, you can find it by entering your zip code at www.house.gov.

Your message: "I am a constituent of Representative ______ and a supporter of the Eating Disorders Coalition. I am calling to ask that the Representative vote for H.R. 1424, the Paul Wellstone Mental Health & Addiction Equity Act. Parity is a fair and affordable solution to insurance discrimination against people with eating disorders and other mental disorders. It will save lives and families."

Background: The Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act of 2007 expands the Mental Health Parity Act of 1996 by prohibiting group health plans from imposing treatment or financial limitations on mental health benefits that are different from those applied to medical/surgical services. The legislation applies only to group health plans already providing mental health benefits and exempts plans sponsored by small businesses with fewer than 50 employees. For extensive information, link to the following EDC summary sheet on parity:http://www.eatingdisorderscoalition.org/legupdate/FactSheetsMPParity110.pdf

Research Participants Needed for Columbia University Study

Research Studies for Adolescents with Eating Disorders

Does your eating feel out of control?If so, you may be eligible for a research study.We are recruiting girls (13 to 19 years old) who have a problem with binge-eating and purging. These studies involve either 12-weeks of individual therapy, or monetary compensation ($100). There is no fee for participation.

For more information, please call 212-543-5316. The studies take place at Columbia University Medical Center, 1051 Riverside Drive, New York, NY.

Saturday, March 01, 2008

Do You Struggle with Exercise Bulimia?

Jenni Schaefer, author of Life Without ED, is looking for participants to share their experience with exercise bulimia for an upcoming story in a national magazine.Participants must fit the following criteria:
1.) female, age 21 or under
2.) normal weight range during struggle with exercise bulimia
3.) willing to have photo appear in magazine
4.) live in the United States

Jenni will interview participants over the phone. If you or someone you know is interested, please contact jenni@jennischaefer.com.

Friday, February 22, 2008

Clinical Director and Program Director Needed

Eating Disorder Center at Focus Health of TN

Clinical Director needed to over see an established 24 bed substance abuse treatment program and new 16 bed residential treatment program for women struggling with eating disorders, opening 3/10/08 in Chattanooga, TN. The program is based on a wellness and whole person approach to include education, cognitive behavioral therapy, art therapy, experiential therapies, yoga, meditation, nutritional wellness and process therapies.

Candidates will have extensive experience with anorexia, bulimia, compulsive overeating, exercise addiction, mental health issues, family systems, emotional trauma, team management, program development, intake, aftercare, business development, case management, utilization review and dual diagnosis. Knowledge of substance abuse and the interaction with eating disorders required and must be a Certified Eating Disorders Specialist. Those trained in EMDR, psychodrama, art therapies and DBT will be given special consideration.

The Clinical Director will be responsible for managing the clinical, intake and utilization review departments and will work directly with the Administrator, Executive Director, Director of Nursing and the Director of Marketing and must be a team player.

Additionally, we are seeking a Program Director for the eating disorders program. We are looking for an experienced clinician to supervise our team in the development and implementation of a new program for eating disorders. Candidates will be extremely knowledgeable about eating disorders, have experience in clinical supervision, staff training, program development, dual diagnosis and emotional trauma.

Masters degree or above is required, certified eating disorders specialists and those who are licensable by the state on TN are preferred for either position.

Director of Marketing needed to represent an established 24 bed substance abuse treatment program and new 16 bed residential treatment program for women struggling with eating disorders, opening 1/1/08 in Chattanooga, TN. The program is based on a wellness and whole person approach to include education, cognitive behavioral therapy, art therapy, experiential therapies, yoga, meditation, nutritional wellness and process therapies.

Candidates will have a bachelors degree or above and have knowledge of eating disorders and substance abuse. Additionally, we are looking for someone with enthusiasm, creativity and experience in business development both on a local and national level. Excellent communication and writing skills as well as being a team player are a must.

Salaries for all of the above positions are negotiable and depend on experience.

Please send cover letter and resumes to:
Amy Lashway-Cisneros, MA, LPC, NCC
Treatment Consultants
amycis7@gmail.com

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Deeply Concerning Discrimination Against People Struggling with Obesity!!

Obesity Society Denounces Mississippi Bill

Last month, a bill was introduced in the Mississippi Legislature in an apparent effort to tackle Mississippi's obesity problem, which is one of the worst in the nation. House Bill 282 proposes to ban all obese patrons from the state's restaurants. In response to the proposed bill, TOS Executive Vice President Morgan Downey responded, "We have seen many blatant efforts at discrimination against persons with obesity but none as cruel and as harmful. What do the authors think of this bill want to do: starve persons with obesity? Ban them from grocery stores?"

The Mississippi State Department of Health would provide information and materials describing the criteria to help restaurants identify obese customers. In an article on the bill in USA Today on February 11, Nanci Helmich quotes Downey saying the bill "is the most ill-conceived plan to address a public health crisis ever proposed."

Mr. Downey further lambasted the Legislature for hampering efforts at reducing discrimination against obese people. "Efforts like this assume that obesity is a simple matter of personal choice and if the choices are taken away or restricted, the problem will go away. In fact, we know that obesity is a complex, multifaceted problem involving genetics, the environment, and behavior. Simplistic solutions not only don't work, they distract us from addressing core problems."

By weeks end, the Mississippi legislative leaders had pulled the bill.

The Society recently published a slide presentation about weight bias that can be accessed at www.obesityonline .org.

Monday, February 11, 2008

An Evening of Jazz Under the Stars…in celebration of National Eating Disorders Awareness Week

Join The International Association of Eating Disorder ProfessionalsSouthern California as all four Chapters come together to celebrateEating Disorder Awareness through Art, Authors Book Signings,Documentaries and Special Guest Appearances.

To RSVP please contact Christina Weiss at 562-457-7373
christina.weiss@centerfordiscovery.com

or

Nichole Damiani at 626-592-6903
nichole.damiani@psysolutions.com

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Saturday, March 1, 2008
4:30-7:30pm

5:30-6:30pm: Program in Celebration of
Eating Disorder Awareness

The Pavilion at Calimigos Ranch
327 S. Latigo Canyon Road, Malibu, CA 90265

hors d’ oeuvres and wine served

One CEU hour available for MFT, LCSW, RD
$35 per person

Trey Chase who has watched his sister struggle for over 20 years and still continues to struggle on a daily basis with an eating disorder has written and directed Wonderful, Wonderful a short film on Sarah Heer, a 16-year old girl who chooses anorexia to fill the void in her life. Willing to risk her friends, family, and even her life for her new obsession, she finds that in the end, her goal for perfection leaves her even more empty.

This featured film will air at 5:00pm.

Following we will host a panel discussion with Trey Chase and other family members who have had to watch their loved ones struggle with an eating disorder.

Space is limited so please RSVP today to

Christina Weiss at 562-457-7373
christina.weiss@centerfordiscovery.com
or Nichole Damiani at 626-592-6903
nichole.damiani@psysolutions.com

For more information please go to www.iaedpsocal.com.

Thursday, February 07, 2008

Miami, FL. - Oliver-Pyatt Centers Creating Multidisciplinary Treatment Team


Multi-disciplinary treatment program offering high quality, comprehensive Day Treatment and Intensive Outpatient programs for the treatment of eating disorders seeks enthusiastic and psychologically minded clinical team, for both full and part time positions. Our treatment settings are intimate, with a high staff to client ratio, and a maximum of eight clients in each of the two programs. We emphasize individual therapy, and a highly individualized treatment plan for each of our clients. We are creating a team of dedicated professionals for our June 2008 opening. All disciplines are encouraged to apply. We aim to create a flexible work environment which supports a balanced lifestyle and professional development for our Clinical Team. Competitive salary/benefits package. For more information on our programs, please visit www.oliverpyattcenters.com. To apply, please contact Vicki Kroviak, at vkroviak@oliverpyattcenters.com.