Lucene Wisniewski, Ph.D., FAED, is an internationally recognized leader in eating disorder treatment and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), with almost 30 years of clinical, research and training experience. An Adjunct Assistant Professor of Psychological Sciences at Case Western Reserve University, Dr. Wisniewski has taught hundreds of workshops and continuing education seminars around the world and has authored numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals and invited book chapters.
Dr. Wisniewski has pioneered the use of DBT in the treatment of multi-diagnostic eating disorders (MED) and is a sought-after authority on this empirically founded method of treatment, providing consultation and training to clinics around the globe. She is the co-author of the MED-DBT Treatment Manual, entitled Treating Eating Disorders with DBT: The MED-DBT Protocol, and published in 2026 by Guilford Press.
Dr. Wisniewski has earned some of the highest awards and accreditations in the field. She has been elected fellow by the Academy for Eating Disorders (AED), where she has served on the board of directors and as the co-chair of the borderline personality disorder special interest group. In 2013 the AED awarded Dr. Wisniewski the Outstanding Clinician Award to acknowledge her leadership in the field and her commitment to providing the best solutions for those with eating disorders. In 2023, she was recognized as Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) Champion for her exceptional dedication, influence, and social impact through the promotion of evidence-based psychological interventions. In 2024 Dr. Wisniewski was honored with the Fulbright Specialist Award, through which she served at Comenzar de Nuevo AC, a non-profit eating disorder facility in Monterrey, Mexico. Most recently, Dr. Wisniewski won the 2025 Cindy Sanderson Educator Award at the 30th annual International Society for the Improvement and Teaching of Dialectical Behavior Therapy Conference (ISITDBT).
Dr. Wisniewski is the founder and Chief Clinical Officer of the Center for Evidence Based Treatment (www.cebtohio.com), which offers therapy, training, and consultation in evidence-based approaches to mental health conditions via traditional and teletherapy platforms.
2026, 14 July: iaedp Foundation Webinar: The Moving Target of What to Focus on When Your Patient’s Eating Disorder Is One of Several Problems
The work of professionals who treat clients diagnosed with an eating disorder (ED) and significant other comorbidities such as depression, anxiety, suicidality, or BPD can be complicated. First and foremost, multi-diagnostic ED clients can be ambivalent about treatment and recovery. Professionals are often in the position of having to “sell” the treatment we believe is needed to individuals who often have not been helped by multiple previous interventions. Furthermore, EDs can be life threatening illnesses and professionals may become unclear about priorities when attempting to help a client w...Read moreho has more than one life-threatening condition: e.g., what if my client is self-harming and is medically unstable – which do I deal with first? The work of the ED professional is further complicated by behaviors that can interfere with the treatment delivery. Behaviors such as angry outbursts, failure to complete homework, lying, water-loading, and cancelling sessions are considered therapy-interfering behaviors (TIBs) and can interfere with clients’ abilities to benefit from treatment, remain in treatment, or both. Finally, the professional’s own burn out and frustrations can interfere with treatment, as well.
Mulitdiagnostic Eating Disorder-Dialectical Behavior Therapy (MED-DBT), provides a clear and systematic model for dealing with ambivalent, multiple-problem cases, as well as life-threatening, and therapy-interfering behaviors.
In this one-hour long workshop participants will be exposed to MED-DBT theory and practice. The current presentation will describe how a MED-DBT treatment model can effectively and comprehensively address eating disorder issues and their comorbidities across the DBT targets. Particular attention will be given to how to conceptualize and organize patient behavior in terms of priorities, and how to identify and address therapy-interfering behaviors on the part of the patient and therapist. Less...
Learning Objectives
- Describe how to categorize ED behaviors in the context of Targets I, II and III.
- Identify patient and therapist behaviors (eating disordered and otherwise) that interfere with treatment.
- Conceptualize clients using MED-DBT dialectical dilemmas.
- Teach clients how biotemperament interacts with invalidating environments to cause and maintain complex ED symptoms.
- Formulate strategies to address suicidality, non-suicidal self-injury and TIB’s in and outside of session.
- Troubleshoot common challenges to MED-DBT diary cards.
Tuesday, July 14, 2026
Live Interactive Webinar
01:00 PM EDT - 02:00 PM EDT
$4.00
- $30.00
EARN 1 CE Credit Hours
Click Here to Register
Click Here to Register
About the speaker
Lucene Wisniewski, Ph.D., FAED
Agenda
1:00pm - 2:00 pmOverview of workshop objectives and MED-DBT model
• Theoretical Foundations
• Review of DBT targeting hierarchy and MED-DBT adaptations
• Case Conceptualization and Prioritization
• Mapping client behaviors onto Targets I-III
Q&A and Summary : Addressing audience challenges, summary of key takeaways