The Intersection of Eating Disorders, Weight Stigma, Diet Culture, and Implicit Bias

This 3 hour workshop, offered in the anti-oppressive practice category, provides a multidisciplinary exploration of the complex interplay between eating disorders, weight stigma, diet culture, and clinician bias. Drawing from psychology, sociology, and nutrition, we examine how societal narratives, systemic inequities, and misconceptions about health and weight contribute to body image distress, disordered eating, and disparities in access to care.

Participants will explore the historical and cultural roots of weight stigma and diet culture, reflect on how these forces may have shaped their own beliefs and professional practices, and consider the ways bias can unintentionally influence clinical assessment and treatment. Through theoretical framing, case examples, and interactive reflection, attendees will gain practical strategies for interrupting weight stigma in their work and guidance on recognizing when referral to specialized eating disorder services is appropriate.

Participants will receive 3 cultural competency / anti-oppression CEs following their completion of the program.

Carolyn Karoll, LCSW-C, CEDS-C, is a therapist specializing in the treatment of eating disorders. She is a Maryland board-certified Licensed Clinical Social Worker, an approved supervisor, and a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist and Approved Consultant through the International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals. She is a member of the National Association of Social Workers and the Academy for Eating Disorders and is committed to advancing ethical, evidence-informed care in the field.

Her clinical work centers on dismantling weight stigma and examining the cultural and systemic influences that shape body image and disordered eating. Grounded in a social justice and weight-inclusive framework, Carolyn supports individuals in reconnecting with their inherent worth and developing a more sustainable relationship with food and their bodies. She provides individual, family, and group therapy and offers clinical supervision and consultation to other professionals.

Carolyn’s work has been featured in national media and professional speaking engagements. She is the author of the Psychology Today blog Eating Disorder Recovery: Understanding and Overcoming Eating Disorders and co-author of Eating Disorder Group Therapy: A Collaborative Approach, a professional resource for clinicians that emphasizes collaborative group treatment between therapists and registered dietitians.

Adina Silverman, MS, RD, LDN is a Registered Dietitian specializing in the treatment of eating disorders. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and later earned a Master’s in Nutrition and Wellness from Benedictine University.

After working in various levels of care in eating disorder treatment programs, Adina began her private practice in Baltimore, Maryland and continues to see clients in this practice. She is passionate about helping adolescents, teenagers, and adults heal their relationships with food and their bodies. She supports her clients to have the courage to cultivate the relationship with food that feels best to them and reject mainstream diet culture messaging. Her thorough and compassionate approach has impacted many individuals and families and distinguished her as a leader in her professional community.

Adina regularly speaks to students, teachers, mental health professionals, and the public on the topics of eating disorders and cultivating healthy relationships with food. She has spoken at professional conferences and been featured in print media and live news broadcasts.

Adina and Carolyn Karoll, LCSW-C, CEDS-C are co-authors of the book, Eating Disorder Group Therapy: A Collaborative Approach, published in April 2024. Adina and Carolyn co-facilitate the “Thrive” eating disorder recovery group, which they have been leading together since 2016. Adina is energized by the strength and resilience of the women in this group and firmly believes in the transformative power of group work in eating disorder recovery.

New to the West Coast, Adina now resides in San Diego, California with her husband and three children where she continues to run her Maryland-based practice.

Additional Program Information:

Target audience: social workers and counselors

Content level: all levels

Learning objectives:

1 . Understand the interplay between eating disorders, weight stigma, and diet culture. Gain insight into how psychological coping mechanisms, societal pressures, and misconceptions about nutrition contribute to harmful narratives around body image and weight.

2. Identify and reflect on personal and professional biases. Recognize and evaluate how weight bias and diet culture have shaped personal beliefs and professional practices.

3. Apply strategies to address weight stigma and diet culture. Implement practical strategies for challenging weight stigma and diet culture in professional contexts, including recognizing when to refer individuals to specialized eating disorder services.

Outline and Agenda:

9:30 - 9:40 | Welcome and Introduction

9:40 - 9:45 | Learning Objectives

9:45 - 10:45 | Section I: Understanding the Interplay

10:45 - 11:00 | Break

11:00 - 11:50 | Section II: Recognizing Implicit Weight Bias in Clinical Practice

11:50 - 12:25 | Section III: Applying Strategies in Practice

12:25 - 12:35 | Action Planning and Integration

12:30 - 12:45 | Q&A and Closing

Course interaction and system requirements:

This live webinar hosted on Zoom is fully interactive. Attendees may ask and answer questions throughout the presentation (using their microphones and/or the chat option). System requirements for Zoom can be viewed at https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362023-System-requirements-for-PC-and-Mac.

Fee and registration:

Cost is $80 for 3 cultural competency / anti-oppression CE credits/hours. Refunds are available for up to seven days prior to the program (this may not include TicketTailor fees). After that, we offer credit that can be applied to a future program. Registration is open until the course is full. In some cases, we will enable a wait list option once the course is full.

Course completion and CE info:

To receive CE credit/hours, participants must log in at the scheduled time, attend the entire program and complete an online evaluation at the end of the program. If you are licensed in Illinois, an additional exam must be requested and completed in order to receive credit for the program.

Certificates will be emailed out within 7 business days following receipt of evaluation.

CE credit is currently available for social workers in all 50 states. Our credits are also accepted for counselors in 49 states (excluding New York). All other professionals (including psychologists and marriage and family therapists) must confirm CE approval with their state board.

Bright Ideas Continuing Education, provider # 1757, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 11/19/2024-11/19/2027. Social workers completing this course receive 3 cultural competency/anti-oppression continuing education credits.

Bright Ideas Continuing Education has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7705. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Bright Ideas Continuing Education is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

Bright Ideas Continuing Education is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0781.

​Bright Ideas Continuing Education is also authorized by the Board of Social Work Examiners in Maryland to provide social work continuing education.

If you have any questions, concerns or special accommodation requests, please contact us at 410-575-3870 or info@brightideasceus.com.