Wanting and not wanting to live and to die – The concept of a “life worth living” in eating disorders care

Traditional eating disorder treatments often focus primarily on weight and nutritional stability, overlooking the crucial aspects of quality of life and patient ambivalence. MED-DBT, an innovative multimodal treatment, addresses this gap by helping clients build lives they find worth living while managing multiple co-occurring conditions alongside eating disorders.

This engaging webinar-based training will explore the unique challenges of applying the “life worth living” (LWL) concept to eating disorders treatment. Participants will examine:

• Definitions of LWL in the context of eating disorders
• The impact of weight bias and diet culture on recovery
• Clinician biases and their influence on treatment
• Strategies for navigating patient ambivalence and anosognosia

The key learning objectives of this intermediate level training are:

• Define the concept of “building lives worth living” in DBT
• Identify challenges in applying LWL goals to eating disorders treatment
• Demonstrate practical ways to incorporate LWL discussions in therapy
• Explain the importance of finding middle ground when addressing living and dying in ED care
• Explore collaborative strategies to help clients find meaning and purpose despite ambivalence

This training will equip professionals with an enhanced ability to provide comprehensive, patient-centered care in eating disorders treatment.

Please note: SickKids CCMH Learning Institute will record this webinar and requests that all participants review the audio/visual consent form.