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Rethinking eating disorders: Making treatment more accessible using an attachment-focused approach
Using an attachment-focused approach to make eating disorder treatment more understandable, approachable, and accessible to mental health professional
Many mental health professionals consider eating disorders a highly specialized area of clinical practice, which can make them hesitant to engage in treatment. While eating disorders can present significant clinical complexities and medical risks, particularly in more severe presentations, the underlying psychological and relational difficulties are often similar to those seen in other mental health concerns. An attachment-focused approach to eating disorder treatment examines how attachment insecurity, emotional regulation and relational experiences may contribute to the development and maintenance of eating disorders, offering clinicians a more approachable framework for understanding these concerns.
This workshop introduces an attachment-focused framework for understanding and conceptualizing eating disorders, recognizing the complexities of recovery while challenging the perception that their psychological treatment requires an entirely separate therapeutic framework. Participants will explore the foundations of attachment theory, including attachment categories and their influence on emotional regulation, relationships, and psychological development.
By examining the role of attachment insecurity, participants will gain insight into how underlying psychological and relational processes may contribute to the development and maintenance of eating disorders. Through clinical teaching and case examples, the workshop will explore how different attachment patterns can shape the presentation of eating disorders, including individuals’ experiences of distress, emotional regulation, and interpersonal relationships.
Participants will explore an attachment-focused treatment framework, examining how an understanding of attachment insecurity can inform therapeutic work and how fostering greater attachment security can support the recovery process.
“I recognize that eating disorders can be complex and that recovery is not always straightforward. However, when we begin to understand eating disorders through an attachment-focused approach, we can look beyond the symptoms to recognize the underlying insecurity that contributes to the development and maintenance of the disorder. This understanding provides clinicians with a meaningful framework for guiding treatment, making the therapeutic work more approachable while supporting lasting recovery.” – Devra Igra, MSW, RSW
Learning objectives
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
- Understand the foundations of attachment theory, including attachment categories and their influence on emotional regulation, relationships, and psychological development.
- Examine the relationship between attachment insecurity and eating disorders, including how underlying insecurity may contribute to the development and maintenance of disordered eating behaviours.
- Recognize how attachment patterns influence the presentation of eating disorders, including differences in emotional regulation, relational experiences, and responses to distress.
- Explore the role of an attachment-focused approach in eating disorder treatment, including an introduction to how fostering greater attachment security can guide therapeutic work and support recovery.
What you will gain
Participants will develop a foundational understanding of attachment theory and its relevance to eating disorders, including how attachment insecurity may contribute to the development and maintenance of disordered eating behaviours.
They will gain insight into how different attachment categories influence emotional regulation, interpersonal relationships, and responses to distress, and how these patterns may shape the presentation and experience of eating disorders.
Through an attachment-focused framework, participants will learn to conceptualize eating disorders beyond their symptoms, recognizing the underlying psychological and relational processes that contribute to the disorder. They will also be introduced to how an attachment-focused treatment approach can guide therapeutic understanding and support the development of greater attachment security throughout recovery.
By making eating disorders more understandable through an attachment-focused approach, this workshop aims to reduce perceived barriers to treatment and strengthen clinicians’ confidence in working with this population, while recognizing the clinical complexities, medical risks, and need for specialized or multidisciplinary care when indicated.
Rethink your approach to eating disorder treatment. Register now to deepen your understanding of eating disorders through an attachment-focused framework and explore how this perspective can inform clinical understanding and guide therapeutic work.
