Overview

This event will include two talks, which are summarised below.

Unraveling Eating Disorders: Aetiology, Neurobiology, and Contemporary Treatment Approaches, presented by Dr Romi Goldschlager: Dr Romi will present a brief introduction to eating disorders with a focus on how to differentiate anorexia nervosa from the other eating disorders. She will touch briefly on some of the etiological factors of anorexia nervosa, as well as the importance of a therapeutic alliance in working with people with anorexia nervosa. Following Stephanie's presentation she will then present an overview of her PhD work looking at the intersection between ADHD and anorexia, with a specific focus on the On the ways in which likely ADHD driven cognitive differences impact on people with coexisting anorexia and ADHD.

Cognitive flexibility difficulties in anorexia nervosa: Essential knowledge and clinical implications, presented by Dr Stephanie Miles: Cognitive flexibility difficulties are a key feature of anorexia nervosa and a challenge for treatment. This presentation will provide a summary of findings from the literature, describe how cognitive inflexibility can present in people with anorexia nervosa, and elucidate the impact of impaired cognitive flexibility. Approaches for assessing and managing cognitive inflexibility in people with anorexia nervosa in clinical practice will be discussed.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this event, participants should be able to: 

• Understand Neurobiological Aetiology: Be aware of the key neural circuits, executive function deficits, and neurodevelopmental overlaps (e.g., ADHD) in eating disorder onset and persistence.
• Contemporary Interventions: Have an understanding of evidence-based treatment models alongside emerging biological and endocrine pathways.
• Integrate Cross-Disciplinary Practice: Consider how you can align neuropsychological assessments with psychiatric care plans to optimise individual patient management.
• Understand and describe how poor cognitive flexibility may present in people with anorexia nervosa.
• Explain differences between various methods for assessing cognitive flexibility.
• Implement cognitive flexibility assessment into clinical practice where appropriate.
• Discuss therapeutic approaches for addressing cognitive inflexibility.

Presenter(s)

About the presenter(s)

Dr. Romi Goldschlager is a psychiatrist with special interests that include complex trauma and eating disorders. She works at the Women's Recovery Network, a statewide women-only mental health unit with the definition of women open to anybody who identifies as a woman or for whom a women's-only service would be appropriate. It is an inpatient unit with generalist beds and speciality beds for people with eating disorders and perinatal mental health concerns. Dr Romi is also currently completing her PhD looking at treatment for people with ADHD who have a history of Anorexia.

Dr. Stephanie Miles is a Research Fellow at The University of Melbourne Centre for Youth Mental Health and Orygen. Her research focuses on anorexia nervosa, executive functioning, and related psychological factors. She has also developed guidelines to improve the administration and interpretation of cognitive assessments. Dr. Miles is passionate about collaborating with people with a lived experience of an eating disorder in research and has published several papers on this topic.

Notes

Target Audience

This activity is aimed at psychologists and neuropsychologists at all stages of their career interested in learning more about eating disorders.

Please note:

• This is a Member Groups event. All communication will be sent to the registrants’ registered email address. This includes event reminders with details (such as the Zoom link) and any pre-event or post-event resources, if provided by the facilitators.
• A post-event email will be sent within two weeks of the event’s completion to each registrant’s registered email address. This email will include the CPD certificate, event-recording, and any additional resources shared during the session.

Duration of Access

This event will be recorded. The recording will be emailed to all registered within 2 weeks post event and available for viewing up to 90 days.

CPD

It is up to attendees to assess and determine how learning from this event aligns with the requirements of their learning plan. The providers accordingly do not make any representation that the event counts towards attendees’ CPD learning requirements. If an attendee determines themselves that the learning they complete aligns to their learning plan, then they can decide to count those hours towards their CPD requirements for the registration cycle.

The information in this presentation has been prepared in good faith and for educational purposes only. Therefore, the information is general in nature and should not be relied upon in the treatment of any condition and you should seek your own independent professional and/or legal advice concerning any specific issue. The APS accepts no responsibility for any errors, omissions or decisions relating to the information. The content should not be reproduced without permission or unless permitted by law.

If you are experiencing registration difficulties please contact APS Events Support.