About this course
Nutrition is often the first intervention-or "medicine"-used in eating disorder (ED) treatment, regardless of diagnosis or therapeutic approach. Emerging evidence shows that individuals with EDs frequently have neurodivergent responses to feeding and eating-related experiences and decision-making. These differences underscore the need for dietitians to be active, informed members of the multidisciplinary team, with a working understanding of the treatment model in use. Temperament Based Therapy with Support (TBT-S) was developed in response to advances in neuroscience, genetics, and trait-based research that illuminated how these factors interact to shape temperament in individuals with EDs. TBT-S offers a strength-based approach that helps adolescent and adult clients, along with their supports, understand how temperament influences eating behavior and recovery. Recently, the TBT-S model has been applied specifically to nutrition therapy guiding dietitians to deliver individualized nutrition care that works with the client's temperament and honors their unique presentation, cultural identity, lived experience, and life context. TBT-S draws on cutting-edge neuroscience research highlighting altered interoception, disrupted reward sensitivity, and decision-making differences commonly found in people with EDs. These differences influence not only how individuals respond to hunger and fullness, but also how they experience food-related decisions, social eating, and meal structure. A temperament-informed nutrition approach acknowledges these realities and aims to reduce friction by tailoring interventions to support core neurobiological traits. Additionally, research has identified trait patterns across eating disorder diagnoses, reinforcing the value of trait-informed nutrition care. TBT-S offers a structured framework through which dietitians can respond to these traits with targeted interventions. For example, individuals with high anxiety and low cognitive flexibility may require a nutrition approach that reduces being overwhelmed and supports predictability. Clients receiving nutrition care grounded in the TBT-S model consistently report feeling more understood, validated and demonstrate increased motivation to engage in change. As one client shared: "I don't have to change who I am to reduce my eating disorder symptoms. Instead, I can be the best me." This workshop-designed for dietitians with advanced skills and substantial experience in eating disorder care-will introduce the core principles of TBT-S through case examples with the opportunity to practice a TBT-S nutrition intervention. Participants will explore how nutrition care aligned with temperament can lessen the struggle to engage in recovery-oriented eating. This session will emphasize nutrition strategies informed by neuroscience and temperament research evidence, which empathically assist providers in delivering individualized, trait-aligned care. While nutrition-focused, this session is also relevant to all clinicians interested in applying trait-informed approaches within interdisciplinary teams. This session, "Eating Disorder Nutrition Rewired", invites temperament to the table and embodies the evolution of eating disorder care-pairing evidence-based strategies with empathic, trait-informed approaches that support lasting change.
