Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID): An Introduction to An Exposure-Based Treatment for Picky Eating

Date:  Monday, February 13, 2023

Time:  9:00am to 5:00pm EST

Cost:  $450.00 per person

Location:  Zoom (you will be sent an invitation with instructions prior to the workshop)

Workshop Description:

Picky eating is prevalent among children and adolescents and elicits considerable concern and distress from caregivers. When picky eating manifests in a persistent failure to meet appropriate nutritional, energy, and/or growth targets, necessitates supplementation, or interferes with psychosocial functioning (e.g., family strain, difficulty eating outside the home), a diagnosis of avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) can be made. Though food-related anxiety and avoidance responds well to exposure therapy (Dahlsgaard & Bodie, 2019), very few practitioners in the anxiety or eating disorder fields are trained to treat ARFID. Dr. Jessica Bodie, director of child services at the Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety, will lead this webinar and provide an introduction to ARFID and an exposure-based parent intervention shown to reduce picky eating.  

Attendees will learn components of parent management training to coach parents to act as behavioral interventionists and lead children in daily food exposures. This method has been demonstrated to improve food acceptance and positive mealtime behaviors in the home and other social settings.  

 

Additional topics include: 

  • Mealtime hygiene and optimizing hunger  
  • Food hierarchies, food chaining, and expanding portion sizes 
  • Differential reinforcement, limit setting, motivation, and contingency management, including reward systems (e.g., contingent screen time) 

 

CE Learning Objectives

At the end of this workshop, participants should be able to:

  1. Describe the diagnostic criteria for ARFID and common presentations of extreme picky eating. 
  2. Describe behaviorally based treatment strategies for impairing picky eating. 
  3. Describe normal development of food preferences in childhood and selective eating/ARFID 
  4. Explain rationale for CBT 
  5. Apply the 2 active ingredients of the treatment - exposure and contingency management to sample cases 
  6. Explain psychoeducation regarding good mealtime hygiene  
  7. Plan patient rewards and response cost – e.g., screentime 

About the Presenter

Jessica Bodie, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist and Director of Child Services at the CTSA. Dr. Bodie completed her clinical internship at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and has conducted research on and clinically treats extremely picky eating (also called Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, ARFID), emetophobia (vomit phobia), and choking phobia. As an exposure therapist to picky children, adolescents, and adults, Dr. Bodie will share tips to increase food acceptance and motivation as well as answer questions and discuss sample cases.

Target Audience

This presentation is intended for mental health professionals, researchers, and graduate students. The instructional level of this presentation is intermediate and some familiarity with cognitive behavioral treatment principles is helpful.

Continuing Education

THE PHILADELPHIA BEHAVIOR THERAPY ASSOCIATION (PBTA) IS APPROVED BY THE AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION TO SPONSOR CONTINUING EDUCATION FOR PSYCHOLOGISTS.  PBTA MAINTAINS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE PROGRAM AND ITS CONTENT.  THIS PRESENTATION PROVIDES SIX AND A HALF (6.5) HOURS OF CE CREDITS FOR PSYCHOLOGISTS.

PBTA IS ALSO AN AUTHORIZED PROVIDER FOR CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDITS FOR PROFESSIONAL COUNSELORS, MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPISTS, AND CLINICAL SOCIAL WORKERS LICENSED IN THE STATE OF PENNSYLVANIA - THIS PROGRAM PROVIDES SIX AND A HALF (6.5) HOURS OF CE CREDITS. 

In order to receive continuing education credits, participants must:

  • attend each hour of the workshop (no late arrivals or early departures)
  • complete a course evaluation

If both of these requirements are met, you will receive a continuing education certificate after the conclusion of the workshop.

Registration

Please find the registration form here.

Registration forms can be submitted via email as a Microsoft Word or PDF attachment to: sandraca@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

 


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