Wednesday, March 21, 2018: 1:30 PM-5:00 PM
Augusta (Omni Championsgate)
Background:
Brain imaging research has advanced our understanding of biological mechanisms underlying AN, and yet this information has been slow to permeate treatment. Integrating this knowledge can improve treatment by helping participants to understand mechanisms causing restriction, thereby increasing empowerment and empathy and providing more focused treatment strategies. Neurobiologically-informed psychoeducation and skills training provides an updated account of what causes these powerful illnesses and complementary skills to augment other treatment approaches. This presentation will review novel strategies to explain and target AN symptoms from a neurobiological framework in a way that is translatable to clinical practice.
Objectives:
-Describe key neurobiological constructs and their contribution to AN symptomatology in practical terms that can be used with patients and carers
-Apply 1-2 novel treatment strategies to adults with AN in clinical practice, intended to target key neurobiological constructs
-Describe the clinical content of an intensive neurobiological treatment and report on outcome data.
The aim of this presentation is to educate participants on the underlying neurobiology of anorexia in a way that can inform clinical practice. The presentation will 1) describe and demonstrate compelling ways to deliver this information to clients and family members, and 2) describe and teach specific skills targeting neurobiological mechanisms and temperament traits implicated in disordered eating. The content of this presentation will include an overview of key neurobiological constructs and temperament traits implicated in eating disorders, including anxiety, alterations in reward and punishment sensitivity, set-shifting difficulties, rigidity, and avoidance with the aim of explaining the importance of these traits and their contribution to symptoms. Presenters will then provide examples of compelling ways to educate clients and family members on neurobiology in ways that increase empathy, reduce blame, and promote empowerment towards recovery. Experiential activities, drawing from audience participation, will include a live demonstration of experiential clinical tools used to educate client and family members on the biological basis of eating disorders. The next segment of the presentation will focus on describing specific neural pathways and circuits (using common clinical examples, metaphor, and experiential activities) that lead to common symptoms and reactions seen in eating disorder patients, and how to use specific skills to target these underlying mechanisms more directly. Throughout the presentation, we will focus on emphasizing the premise that these traits are strengths to be harnessed, not changed. We will describe the neurobiological model as a strength-based model in which clients and family members learn to view differences that characterize individuals with eating disorders as advantages that can be redirected for success. Participants will receive descriptions that are readily translatable to clinical practice and an overview of common skills and strategies to be implemented in clinical practice that target underlying neurobiology. We will present preliminary data on programs using these components, which describe treatment participants' responses and feedback and quantitative changes to symptoms.
Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a dangerous illness lacking in effective treatments. To date, there are no treatments that have been proven to reverse core symptoms, and currently available treatments for adults with AN have limited efficacy. The development of novel treatments is of critical importance. Brain imaging research has advanced our understanding of mechanisms underlying AN, and yet this information has been slow to permeate treatment. Integrating this knowledge can improve treatment by helping participants to understand mechanisms causing restriction, thereby increasing empowerment and empathy, and providing more focused treatment strategies. This presentation will provide a neurobiological framework for treating individuals with anorexia by teaching participants ways to integrate neurobiologically-informed psychoeducation and skills training, with the ultimate goal of training treatment providers to provide a contemporary account of what causes these powerful illnesses and complementary skills to augment other treatment approaches. Psychoeducation, intended to explain mechanisms that drive disordered eating behavior, is delivered through interactive, experiential activities. Activities will be demonstrated in this presentation and will include audience participation. Skills targeting key temperament constructs implicated in AN symptomatology, e.g. anxiety, alterations in reward and punishment sensitivity, set-shifting difficulties, rigidity, and avoidance underlying mechanisms focus on teaching clients effective methods for managing traits, feelings, and thought processes that can lead to eating disorder behavior. Additionally, this presentation will review the evidence and justifications for involving loved ones to participate in treatment to provide support and structure to clients struggling with eating disorders. Loved ones receive psychoeducation to reduce blame and mobilize action, and are also taught a complementary skill set for assisting with the management of symptoms. Preliminary data suggest that this approach is highly valued by patients and their loved ones, and may result in meaningful changes in symptoms. This presentation aims to educate and train participants on novel strategies to explain and target AN symptoms from a neurobiological framework in a way that is readily translatable to clinical practice.
Primary Presenter:
Stephanie Knatz-Peck, PhD
Dr. Stephanie Knatz Peck is Assistant Clinical Professor and program director for the Intensive Family Treatment (IFT) Programs at the UCSD Eating Disorders Treatment and Research Center. In addition to directing the adult and adolescent IFT programs, She is also involved in translational clinical treatment research focused on translating neurobiological research into applied clinical treatments for eating disorders. Dr. Peck is responsible for the development, testing, and oversight of novel clinical treatments for both adolescent and adults with eating disorders including NEWFED-TR (Neurobiology Enhanced with Family Eating Disorder Treatment).
Co-presenters:
Christina Wierenga, PhD
Dr. Wierenga is an Associate Professor and Clinical Neuropsychologist in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California San Diego. She is an expert in the neurobiology of eating disorders, in particular related to the neural circuitry supporting cognition and behavior. She Co-Directs the Research Program at the UCSD Eating Disorder Treatment and Research Program, where she conducts neuroimaging and neuropsychological research examining the brain basis of disordered eating, with an emphasis on cognitive control, reward processing, and interoception. She is also involved in treatment development efforts for eating disorders guided by a neurobiological understanding of behavior.
,
Laura Hill, PhD
Dr. Laura Hill is the President & CEO of The Center for Balanced Living, a free standing not-for-profit organization that specializes in the education, treatment and research of eating disorders. Dr Hill is the recipient of Muskingum University Distinguished Service Award in 2014, the National Eating Disorders Association 2011 Lori Irving Award for Excellence in Eating Disorders Prevention and Awareness and was a TEDx Columbus speaker in 2012. She is an original founder of the Academy for Eating Disorders in 1993 and was Director of what is now known as The National Eating Disorder Association from 1990 to 1994.
She is the lead author of the Family Eating Disorder Manual, 2012; and has conducted research and spoken internationally over the last 35 years. She is a recipient of the national Feeding Hope award by NEDA, in collaboration with UCSD Eating Disorder and Research.
and
Walter Kaye, MD
Dr. Walter Kaye was recruited to the UC San Diego faculty from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, where he was research director of the eating disorder program, and where he received a NIMH senior scientist award. He has an international reputation in the field of eating disorders and is the author of more than 300 articles and publications. Dr. Kaye and his clinical team are treating anorexia nervosa and other eating disorders with an innovative, intensive program that approaches the problem on multiple levels, including medical, psychological, psycho-educational and counseling of the family as key support group.
