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Eating Disorders: Etiological Factors, Assessment & Diagnosis

Enroll in the Online Self-Study course and complete it at your own pace.
6 CE hours available for behavioral health clinicians upon completion.

Every 52 minutes, someone in the U.S. dies as a direct result of an eating disorder—yet most sufferers remain undiagnosed, misunderstood, or untreated. Behavioral health clinicians are uniquely positioned to change that.

With eating disorders cutting across every demographic and often hidden beneath other presenting concerns, clinicians need sharper tools and clearer frameworks to recognize, assess, and intervene early. This course provides exactly that, offering essential knowledge and strategies for addressing one of the most life-threatening and overlooked categories of mental illness.

Register for the 6 CE Online Self-Study for 

$180

 

Sharpen your skills to identify eating disorders early

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Get the Eating Disorder Training Certificate Program (EDTC) for $595 (Save $125)

Earn 24 CEs and access all 4 training modules

 

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Eating Disorders: Etiological Factors, Assessment & Diagnosis is Module 4 of the 4-course Eating Disorder Training Certificate Program (EDTC). 

Melanie Smith, PhD, LMHC, CEDS-C, is a nationally respected clinician, trainer, and researcher specializing in the treatment of eating disorders and comorbid emotional disorders. A Certified Eating Disorders Specialist and co-author of The Renfrew Unified Treatment Model for Eating Disorders and Comorbidity, Dr. Smith brings both deep clinical expertise and practical training experience to this self-study course.

Drawing from decades of clinical work and research, Dr. Smith approaches the topic with urgency, compassion, and evidence-based insight. Her teaching helps demystify the assessment and diagnosis process while grounding learners in ethically sound, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive practices.

Participants will explore the complex etiological landscape of eating disorders, including genetic, psychological, and sociocultural risk factors. The course also offers tools for comprehensive assessment, differential diagnosis, and appropriate level-of-care determinations for conditions such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, ARFID, orthorexia, and related presentations.

Melanie Smith Headshot

Instructor

Melanie Smith, PhD, LMHC, CEDS-C (she/her) is a therapist in private practice at CBT of Central & South Florida (https://cbtcentralflorida.com) and a Consulting Clinical Training Specialist for the Renfrew Center. She is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Qualified Supervisor in the State of Florida. Additionally, she is a Certified Eating Disorders Specialist and Approved Consultant (CEDS-C) and is a Certified Therapist & Trainer of the Unified Protocol for the Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders (UP). Special treatment interests include Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), Disorders of Gut-Brain Interaction such as Rumination Syndrome, OCD, phobias including emetophobia, health-related anxiety, and coping with chronic pain & chronic illness.

Dr. Smith is passionate about the dissemination and implementation of evidence-based treatments, clinical supervision, and clinical training and has presented numerous lectures, workshops, and Keynote presentations at academic and professional conferences nationally and internationally. She has co-authored publications in peer-reviewed journals and is co-author of the peer-reviewed treatment manual and patient workbook, The Renfrew Unified Treatment Model for Eating Disorders and Comorbidity, published by Oxford University Press.

Key Takeaways:

  • Understand critical risk factors: Learn what increases vulnerability to eating disorders and how to spot early warning signs.

  • Diagnose with precision: Gain the skills to confidently assess and differentiate between various eating disorders and related behaviors.

  • Determine level of care: Know when outpatient therapy is sufficient and when a higher level of care is essential for safety and recovery.

Why this course?

  • Relevant and essential content: Eating disorders affect clients across all treatment settings—this course ensures you don’t miss what’s hiding in plain sight.

  • Instructor credibility: Dr. Smith is not only a seasoned clinician but a national leader in eating disorder training with real-world expertise and academic rigor.

  • Practical, actionable skills: Learn what to assess, what questions to ask, and what to do next—no matter your clinical background.

Learning Objectives:

  • Identify the etiological factors that increase vulnerability for the development of eating disorders.

  • Recognize how to comprehensively assess and differentially diagnose a range of eating disorders and related conditions.

  • List the criteria for level of care appropriateness based on a comprehensive eating disorder assessment.

This course empowers you to meet your clients where they are—with understanding, clinical precision, and hope. We invite you to deepen your practice with this timely, practical, and critically important training.

Add this course to your cart to begin learning instantly.

This is a non-interactive, self-study course that offers over 6 hours of recorded video instruction. Instruction consists of 6 hours of video instruction and a post-test.

Enroll in the 6 CE Online Self-Study for $180

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Availability: From the time of registration, you have six months to access the coursework.

Who Should Attend: This course is intended for clinicians who provide behavioral health services.

Teaching Methods: This is a non-interactive, self-study course. Teaching methods for this course include recorded lectures, videos, a post-test, and a course evaluation.

How to attend: Directions for completing a course can be found by clicking here.

This program was recorded on January 13, 2023.

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