About this course

Learning Objectives

• Identify three unique challenges faced by individuals in ED recovery in midlife and beyond.
• Identify five practical tools and interventions they can utilize with ED clients in midlife and beyond.
• Discuss the importance of community in ED recovery throughout the lifespan and be given free resources to share with their clients to help them cultivate an inclusive, developmentally appropriate community.

Learning Levels

• All levels
• Intermediate

Course Instructor(s)

• 

  Kate Funk, LMFT, EDS-C

  Kate Funk (she/her) is a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT), a certified eating disorder specialist and consultant (CEDS-C), and an adjunct professor of psychology at Jefferson University. Kate runs a virtual private practice specializing in the treatment of eating disorders and comorbid trauma and ADHD, in the states of NJ, PA, and TX. With over thirteen years of experience treating eating disorders in treatment centers and outpatient care, Kate serves as the lead co-facilitator at the Alliance for Eating Disorders' LGBTQ+ and Midlife and Beyond support groups, is a founding chapter president of IAEDP NJ, and has held numerous volunteer positions supporting the advocacy and treatment of eating disorders. With her own lived experience recovering from an eating disorder, she has dedicated her career to the treatment and understanding of these conditions. Kate has trained at some of the country’s top eating disorder institutions and conferences, provided clinical support to treatment centers nationwide, and has an endless passion for helping people recover.

• 

  Johanna Kandel

  Founder of The Alliance for Eating Disorders

  Johanna Kandel is a nationally recognized leader, advocate, and expert in the field of eating disorders. As Founder and CEO of the National Alliance for Eating Disorders, she has dedicated over two decades to expanding access to care, education, and support for individuals and families nationwide. After recovering from her own decade-long battle with eating disorders, Johanna transformed her lived experience into purpose by founding The Alliance in 2000, now the leading national nonprofit providing referrals, support groups, and advocacy across all 50 states. A trusted voice in mental health policy, she has worked with lawmakers on Capitol Hill, participated in the first-ever White House Eating Disorders Roundtable, and served on the federal Interdepartmental Serious Mental Illness Coordinating Committee. Johanna is also Treasurer of the Eating Disorders Coalition, author of Life Beyond Your Eating Disorder, and a frequent media contributor featured in The Today Show, The New York Times, and Wall Street Journal. A fierce champion for change, she continues to drive national conversations on eating disorders with compassion, innovation, and an unwavering commitment to saving lives.

• 

  Sandee Nebel, LCSW, CEDS-C

  Sandee Nebel, MS, LMHC, LPC, LCMHC, LPC-MHSP, CEDS-C is a licensed psychotherapist, author, speaker, and the founder of White Picket Fence Counseling Center and the Better Body Esteem™ program. Licensed in multiple states, she brings 20 years of training and experience in the field of eating disorders and co-occurring conditions. Sandee is a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist and Consultant (CEDS-C) through the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals (iaedp™), and a co-facilitator of the Mid-Life and Beyond weekly support group for the National Alliance for Eating Disorders.

  Sandee is a registered yoga teacher with a lifelong passion for mind-body practices, which she weaves into her integrative therapeutic approach. Her work focuses on helping individuals reconnect with inner resources, develop self-compassion, and heal through creative tools such as therapeutic journaling, guided imagery, and body-based interventions. She is a Master Certified Practitioner in Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART), an evidence-based modality for resolving trauma, anxiety, and other mental health challenges.

  She is the author of The Weekly Nourishment Journal (2023) and facilitates therapeutic journaling classes virtually and at residential treatment centers. Sandee resides in Princeton, New Jersey and practices in Pennington, New Jersey, and in the virtual space.www.sandeenebel.com

• 

  Chevese Turner, BA, Author, Activist

  Chevese Turner is a distinguished leader and internationally recognized activist whose work lies at the intersections of eating disorders, weight stigma, and body justice. She currently serves as President of the Institute for Contemporary Eating Disorder Education (ICEE) and Chief Executive Officer of the Body Equity Alliance. Turner is also the co-founder of Weight Stigma Awareness Week, a global initiative dedicated to increasing understanding and challenging the harms of anti-fat biases that lead to weight stigma. Earlier in her career, she founded the Binge Eating Disorder Association (BEDA), an organization instrumental in advancing recognition and legitimacy for a long-overlooked diagnosis. Throughout her career, she has remained dedicated to driving systemic transformation toward equitable, weight-inclusive, and trauma-informed care for all individuals.

References

• Fernández‐Aranda, F., Treasure, J., Paslakis, G., Agüera, Z., Giménez, M., Granero, R., ... & Jiménez‐Murcia, S. (2021). The impact of duration of illness on treatment nonresponse and drop‐out: Exploring the relevance of enduring eating disorder concept. European Eating Disorders Review, 29(3), 499-513. https://doi.org/10.1002/erv.2822
• Lampe, N. M. (2024). Life Course Eating Disorder Recovery on the Margins. Aging Invisibly: Championing Diversity in Scholarship on Growing Older with Chronic Illness, 13, 156. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004708136_009
• Maine, M., & Kelly, J. (2016). Pursuing perfection: Eating disorders, body myths, and women at midlife and beyond. Routledge.
• Mulchandani, M., Shetty, N., Conrad, A., Muir, P., & Mah, B. (2021). Treatment of eating disorders in older people: a systematic review. Systematic Reviews, 10(1), 275. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-021-01823-1
• Santomauro, D. F., Melen, S., Mitchison, D., Vos, T., Whiteford, H., & Ferrari, A. J. (2021). The hidden burden of eating disorders: an extension of estimates from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. The Lancet Psychiatry, 8(4), 320-328. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2215-0366(21)00040-7