Upcoming Events
ElevatED Conference
This two-day conference will bring together renowned speakers and leading experts in the eating disorder field, offering invaluable education and practical strategies to better support your clients 1:1. Workshops will cover critical topics such as practicing from a weight-inclusive lens, gender-affirming care, neuroscience and nervous system regulation in the context of recovery, and much more!
Here's what to expect:
Join us for a transformative two-day conference that brings together renowned speakers and leading experts in the eating disorder field, offering invaluable education and practical strategies to better support your clients 1:1.
Throughout the conference, you will participate in dynamic sessions covering critical topics identified by experienced coaches as essential for effective support. Expect to engage in thought-provoking workshops as well as networking opportunities that will empower you to elevate your coaching practice.
Prepare to be informed, educated, and inspired to make an even more profound impact on the lives of those you support!
McGill Eating Disorder Conference
Join us a the Eating Disorder Center of the Students Society of McGill Universty!
PA NASW Conference
EMPOWER: NASW PA Conference
Save the date for the 2024 Conference
Sunday, October 13th-Wednesday, October 16th, 2024
Kalahari Resorts and Conversations
Network with professionals who understand what you do day-in and day-out.
Registration for the 2024 NASW-PA Conference Now Open
GLMA Conference
From GLMA:
GLMA's Annual Conference on LGBTQ+ Health
Since its inception in 1981, GLMA's Annual Conference on LGBTQ+ Health has served as the premier scientific conference shaping the future of LGBTQ+ health care, where health professionals come together to share innovative breakthroughs and interventions, as well as the latest research on LGBTQ+ health. The conference is open to health care providers of all disciplines, researchers, academics, health administrators, policy experts, advocates, and all LGBTQ+ health supporters.
Present Portraits
Join Wednesdae & Megan Wooding of Megan Wooding Photography on a journey of self-discovery and body trust in this unique self-care opportunity
This is a 3 hour workshop focused on celebrating our sacred, messy, ever changing bodies.
This workshop is hosted by the Breathing Room in New Haven, CT, more information to come!
Present Portraits
Join Wednesdae & Megan Wooding of Megan Wooding Photography on a journey of self-discovery and body trust in this unique self-care opportunity
This is a 3 hour workshop focused on celebrating our sacred, messy, ever changing bodies.
Express Pride Expressive Arts Confernece
Join Wednesdae at the Expressing Pride 2024 Expressive Arts Conference and see their Auto-ethnographic work on gender and gender constructs!
This presentation will cover expressive art-making through found objects as part of the gender-affirming care process. The use of found objects such as mannequins is rarely discussed in therapy. The presenter has personal and professional experience using this process to document and parallel their gender-affirmation process. This presentation will outline how this process can become more central to gender exploration and elevate the deep introspection often needed in the process of self-discovery. Through the presenter's narrative, participants can learn how to facilitate this process and support clients in a new modality that can expand gender exploration and gender affirmation.
Women's Consortium- DMHAS Gender Identity Education Group
Join Wednesdae at the CT Women’s Consortium as they provide education and support via the DMHAS Gender Identity Education Group.
LGBTQ Research Symposium
Join Wednesdae at the LGBTQ Research Symposium.
The LGBTQ Research Symposium is now in it’s 12th year! From being started by two graduate students at the University of Illinois (Meg Paceley & Elizabeth Holman) to being hosted by the University of Kansas and now co-hosted with the University of Connecticut, the symposium continues to grow and remains a critical component of our queer research communities. This year we have expanded our formal leadership to include faculty in multiple disciplines and institutions. We’d love to see you join us!
DMHAS- Advanced Trans Topics
Join Wednesdae at the CT Womens Consortium running a training for DMHAS (Dept of Mental Health & Addiction Services on advanced clinical care for Trans and Gender Diverse people.
MEDA Conference
Join Wednesdae and Ron at the MEDA Conference for trainings and talks on Art Therapy for Queer Clients with Eating Disorder and Sex Therapy with Eating Disorders.
DMHAS-Trans Letter Writing For Clinicians
Join Wednesdae at the CT Womens Consortium running a training for DMHAS (Dept of Mental Health & Addiction Services) and learn how to eradicate gatekeeping and write Gender Affirming Letters aiding clients in getting the care they need.
Recovery Collective
Wednesdae will be sharing work around art therapy and gender affirming care and how those with eating disorders can cope through gender dysphoria.
NASW CT- Restricted
Wednesdae & Colleagues share a presentation on the restricted social justice topics in our current culture and the importance of examining intersections.
Queer Body Liberation Through Art
ECSU Pride Center welcomes Wednesdae to discuss Queer Body Liberation and how art heals and documents the beauty that is the queer body.
Body Justice in the 21st Century
Join Wednesdae at the Connecticut Women’s Consortium for a talk on body justice, body trust, HAES, and the expansion of body justice in the 21st Century.
Treating Eating Disorders in Marginalized Identities
Treating Eating Disorders in Marginalized Identities"
Join us for an enlightening event with breakfast, where we'll discuss treating eating disorders in marginalized identities. This in-person event will be held in the conference room at:
Homewood Suites by Hilton Newtown - Langhorne, PA: 110 Pheasant Run, Newtown, PA 18940.
There will be three 1-hour speakers during the morning event:
8:30am-9:00am Check-In, Breakfast, Networking / Community Time
9:00am-10:00am RACHEL MILLNER, PSY.D, CEDS-S, CBTP® (she/her): "Anti-Fat Bias in Eating Disorder Treatment".
10:00am-11:00am SHANNON HAYS, LPC, CAADC, CEDS (she/her): "Intersection of Disabilities and Eating Disorders".
11:00am-12:00pm WEDNESDAE REIM IFRACH, REAT, ATR-BC, ATCS, LPC, NCC, CLAT, LCMHC, LPCC (they/them): "Trans and Gender Diverse Bodies in ED Treatment".
12:00pm-12:30pm Networking / Community Time
Treatment Centers & Programs are welcome to contact Stacy Hunt, PhD regarding reserving space for tabling: director@buckssupportservices.com
There will be a community table for sharing cards and information for local practices.
*The venue is ADA compliant and accessible. Please contact Stacy Hunt, PhD for any additional accommodation requests.
Present Portraits: Photography as Care Work
Join Wednesdae and Megan Wooding of Megan Wooding Photography as they host a community photography event around embracing body image through community building, and creating meanigful connections.
Event Registration for Fundraiser: Gender Affirming Care & Eating Disorders
Join Wednesdae in a Fundraise for Kai to stay in the US.
We need to support and protect AAPI Trans/Gender Diverse registered dietitans who work in the Eating Disorder field.
This is a CEU event and all participants will recive 2 CEU’s from the NASW.
How to Be Harm Reduction and Person Centered When Clients Want Weight Loss Intensive 3-Part Series
Join Gloria Lucas of Nalgona Positivity Pride and Wednesdae Reim Ifrach of Rainbow Recovery present a 3 part intensive training on managing the conversation of Weight Loss in Weight Neutral Care. Meeting Monday 7th, Wednesday 9th and Thursday 10th from 7:30pm to 9:30pm EST.
Join us for an engaging and thought-provoking event focused on exploring the complex dynamics of weight loss conversations within the context of harm reduction and person-centered care. In this Part 2 session, we will delve deeper into the challenges faced by both providers and individuals with lived experiences when weight loss becomes a priority.
Themes To Be Explored
Reconciling opposing truths:
In a world where weight loss is known to be ineffective yet can offer a sense of safety in a fatphobic society, how can we navigate the conflicting truths that have the potential to both protect and harm individuals? We will delve deeper into this conundrum and discuss strategies for finding common ground.
The illusion of safety:
Safety is often elusive in an inherently unsafe world, and being fat or possessing multiple marginalized identities further compounds the lack of safety. We will engage in an open dialogue to understand the challenges faced by clients in maintaining safety and explore ways to address them.
The least harmful approach:
Various approaches to weight loss will be discussed, including over-the-counter and prescription diet pills, medical interventions like Ozempic, exercise, and dietary changes. We will thoroughly examine the risks and benefits of each approach and consider factors such as affordability, accessibility to diverse healthcare professionals, and individual needs.
Individualizing care:
Every client is unique, and their circumstances necessitate personalized considerations. We will explore how to tailor weight loss conversations based on factors such as medical stability, therapy engagement, and harm reduction practices. Attendees will gain insights into navigating these complex dynamics on a case-by-case basis.
The role of therapy, HAES, and intuitive eating:
We will delve into the potential benefits and drawbacks of incorporating Health at Every Size (HAES) and intuitive eating frameworks into therapy. We will also address the influence of privilege and personal circumstances on the effectiveness of these approaches. Alternative concepts such as mechanical eating and mindful eating will be explored as well.
Cultivating compassion, curiosity, and empathy:
Participants will learn strategies for fostering compassion, curiosity, and empathy when clients express a desire for weight loss. We will delve into the importance of maintaining person-centered care while upholding our own values and beliefs, facilitating a more supportive and inclusive therapeutic environment.
Integrating lived experiences:
The event facilitators, a bariatric surgery survivor, and a person living with bulimia and practicing harm reduction will share their personal journeys and reflections on fatness and anti-fatness. Attendees will be encouraged to bring their own lived experiences to the table, fostering a safe space for open discussions and a deeper exploration of these important topics.
NASW National Conference
Prof. Sharlene Kerelejza at the NASW Conference in CT where they will be presenting on The Ethics of Body Trust and Body Justice in Trauma Work.
Gender Affirming Care in Eating Disorder Treatment
Join Wednesdae for this donation based training on Gender Affirming Care in Eating Disorder Treatment. 100% of the proceeds will go to Project HEAL’s treatment equity fund to aid in equitable access of eating disorder treatment.
Healing the Body: Health at Every Size, Intuitive Eating and the Ethical Healing of Bodies
CT Women’s Consortium on integrating HAES, Intuitive Eating and the Ethical Healing of Bodies.
DMHAS: Gender Affirming Care & Working with LGBTQ+ Clients
90-Minute Arm Chair Discussion surrounding gender affirming care and working with LGBTQ+ Clients.
Radical Person Centered Care
Weight Inclusive Dietitians in Canada to discuss Radical Person Centered Care. How do we elevate past trauma informed, hear clients needs, center our clients as experts of their bodies and help them meet their needs in the face gatekeeping tactics by the systems that be.
RD's For Neurodiversity: Eating Disorder Healing Through Intersectionality, Vulnerability & Empathy
Register at the button below!
This training will cover the intersection of eating disorders within marginalized communities including: BIPOC/AAPI, LGB+, Disabled, Trans & GD+, and those who are neurodivergent.
Topics covered will include that statistic of each population, compassionate practices for eating disorder treatment, treatments which encompass diversity, cultural competency and do no harm and how to be a more ethical provider within those communities.
Based on the research of Parker and Harringer (2020), Minority Stress greatly affects the LGBTQ+ community including the ability to learn self-nourishing skills. By utilizing the Minority Stress Model and expanding it to BIPOC & AAPT communities we can create a more holistic and sustainable treatment model that follows the ethics around treatment inclusion (Calzo, Blashill, Brown& Aregnal, 2017). This is further cemented by the American Psychological Association’s composite research on Acculturated Stress (APA, 2022).
As part of self-nourishing, we will discuss how past “gold-standards” of treatment caused harm to marginalized humans and how to support self-nourishment in a way that incorporated culture, cultural food and the needs presented in neurodivergent people including but not limited to: struggles navigating harmful systems that cause trauma reactions to food, a lack of self-nourishing skills, being texture, taste or smell avoidant and forgetfulness.
