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EDO and Structural Dissociation

CE Hours 1.5

About this course

There is a growing movement to raise awareness about structural dissociation in the mental health field and in the public consciousness. Structural dissociation, which refers to the experience of more than one personality state within the self, is a well studied dissociative phenomenon that is highly adaptive for individuals experiencing extreme trauma. It encompasses a spectrum of symptoms that can manifest in diagnoses like Dissociative Identity Disorder, OSDD, Borderline Personality Disorder, and even severe cases of C-PTSD. As awareness of this unique experience builds in both the professional and public realms, many mental health providers are looking for guidance and information on how to identify the presence of structural dissociation and address it through their treatment approaches. This is of particular relevance to the world of eating disorder treatment. Individuals who experience multiple personality states face unique challenges in the eating disorder recovery process. The presence of structural dissociation can go unnoticed, and clients can be misdiagnosed with psychosis, bipolar disorders, or be seen as treatment resistant.This further complicates the already challenging journey of recovery. Therapists, dietitians, psychiatrists, and medical doctors who specialize in eating disorders often receive little training in this area, and may be unsure of how to work with individuals whose memory, eating disorder symptoms, and feelings about recovery can change rapidly due to fluctuation in personality states. This panel aims to assemble subject matter experts who can provide tangible, practical strategies for working with individuals in this intersection. Participants should emerge with a clear understanding of what structural dissociation is, how it differs from the common experience of internal dissonance and from other trauma related disorders, and how to identify when an individual would benefit from targeted screening. Participants will also be able to identify practical ways to support clients with structural dissociation, addressing challenges like memory gapping, disorientation to present, polarized views of food and body between self states, and the difficulty of maintaining meal plans and other behavioral strategies as personality states shift. The panel will include both dietitians and psychotherapists to speak to the specifics of intervention for each field, as well as to discuss the role of the multidisciplinary team in treatment for this population.

Learning Objectives

  • List three indicators a client should also be screened for structural dissociation, and will be able to identify the differentiating factors between structural dissociation and other trauma related disorders.
  • Identify five unique challenges that clients with separate personality states may experience in the treatment of disordered eating, and discuss how these challenges can be addressed through clinical goal setting.
  • List at least three innovative interventions for this population, and describe how existing dietetic and psychotherapeutic interventions can be modified to address this clinical intersection.

Learning Levels

  • All levels

Course Instructor(s)

  • Hayley Miller, LPCC, CEDS-C, RD, CDN

    Hayley Miller, LPCC, RD, CEDS-C is a licensed therapist and registered dietitian in private practice in Los Angeles. Hayley is passionate about helping people with eating disorders, trauma, and dissociative disorders and raising awareness of how these issues co-occur. Hayley provides psychotherapy and nutritional counseling services in her practice. She is careful to work with a team and not create a dual relationship with clients to find the focus for the work. Having a Bachelor's Degree in Nutrition and Dietetics from Marywood University and a Master's Degree in Clinical and Counseling Psychology from Chestnut Hill College, Hayley uses both of her degrees to treat clients holistically.

  • Christina Weiss, LMFT, MPHC

    Christina Weiss, LMFT, MPH-C is a licensed therapist and public health communicator with over 20 years of experience in trauma healing and eating disorder recovery. She integrates trauma-informed care across addiction and eating disorder treatment, drawing from her work with leading experts in the field and her clinical experience across all levels of care.

    She holds dual master’s degrees in Public Health Communications from USC and Clinical Psychology from Antioch, with additional training in attachment and psychodynamic theory at the Tavistock Institute in London. Christina is certified in Somatic Experiencing, EMDR, and Somatic Parts Work, and has completed advanced training in Internal Family Systems, including a 2024 retreat with Dr. Richard Schwartz and is Level II Certified in the Treatment of Complex PTSD and Dissociation through the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD). Her practice is also deeply informed by Janina Fisher’s Trauma-Informed Stabilization Model.

    Christina serves as Clinical Director of a structured outpatient program for eating disorder recovery in Palos Verdes Estates, bridging the gap between higher levels of care and traditional therapy. She leads with a commitment to integrative care, client autonomy and choice, relational healing, and collaborative practices. She also serves on the Eating Disorder Special Interest Group Board for the ISSTD and remains actively engaged in ongoing training and consultation.

  • Sarah Chipps, PsyD

    Sarah Chipps, PsyD is a licensed psychologist (NY 20206, CA 33600, CO 4865) and the cofounder of Well Behavioral Health. She is trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Somatic Experiencing, Cognitive Processing Therapy, EMDR, Comprehensive Resource Model, and hypnosis. All of these modalities inform her work. Dr. Chipps specializes in the treatment of eating disorders and trauma.

  • Annie Goldsmith, RD

    Annie Goldsmith, RD, LDN holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Rochester in Brain and Cognitive Sciences and attended Winthrop University for her graduate coursework in human nutrition. Her educational and professional trajectory has always been guided by a strong curiosity about the ways our biology and psychology interact to inform our human experience. Annie worked in neuroscience research labs at New York University and Davidson College before pursuing a career in nutrition. She has experience treating eating disorders at the PHP, IOP, and outpatient levels of care. She opened her outpatient group practice, Second Breakfast Nutrition, in 2015.

    Annie's practice is rooted in a foundational belief in the inherent worthiness of all bodies. She centers weight inclusive, social justice oriented, and trauma informed frameworks in her approach to eating disorder care and recovery. Annie became interested in somatically oriented and trauma-informed approaches to nutrition therapy in 2018, when she began training with the Embodied Recovery Institute (ERI). She is currently a faculty member with ERI and works to train fellow clinicians in the Embodied Recovery paradigm.

    Annie has presented on trauma and dissociation informed eating disorder care at multiple professional conferences. She is a professional member of the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD) and currently holds a position on the executive committee of the Eating Disorders Special Interest Group within ISSTD. For the last 5 years the clinical focus of Annie's work has been supporting those who struggle with co-occurring eating disorders and Dissociative Identity Disorder, as well as supervising dietitians who treat this population. Annie is passionate about advocating for her clients and raising awareness about dissociation-informed eating disorder treatment, and is excited to bring this topic to IAEDP.

References

  • Brewerton, T. D., Perlman, M. M., Gavidia, I., & Suro, G. (2024). The treatment of dissociative identity disorder in an eating disorder residential treatment setting. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 57(2), 450-457. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.24106
  • Longo, P., Panero, M., Amodeo, L., Demarchi, M., Abbate‐Daga, G., & Marzola, E. (2021). Psychoform and somatoform dissociation in anorexia nervosa: A systematic review. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 28(2), 295-312. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpp.2517
  • Longo, P., Marzola, E., Martini, M., Amodeo, L., & Abbate-Daga, G. (2023). Anorexia nervosa and somatoform dissociation: a neglected body-centered perspective. Journal of Trauma & Dissociation, 24(1), 141-156. https://doi.org/10.1080/15299732.2022.2119631

CE Process Info

Content

  • Recording
    1 parts
    • EDO and Structural Dissociation
EDO and Structural Dissociation
You Have Completed This course
$32
You are enrolled
  • CE Hours
    1.5
  • Type
    Self-Paced
  • Publication Date
    Feb 15th, 2026

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