Introduction to eating disorders and disordered eating
EVENT DATE:
15 April
2026
-
DURATION:
1
day
-
CPD:
BANT, ION
NNA
-
EVENT TYPE:
Live,
Online
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LECTURER:
Emma
Hendricks
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Continue your professional development with our Introduction to eating disorders and disordered eating course
This course introduces practitioners to eating disorders and disordered eating and the fundamentals of working safely, effectively and with confidence to support these clients. It includes recognizing common presentations, understanding key biochemical imbalances, and applying foundational nutritional, behavioral and psychological strategies to promote a positive relationship with food.
Practitioners may struggle to identify eating difficulties early and feel unsure how to adapt traditional nutritional approaches without causing harm, and lack confidence about where their scope of practice ends and specialist support begins
This course will introduce the spectrum of eating disorders and disordered eating, highlight myths and misconceptions and show how these issues commonly present in clinical practice, including through food diaries.
Examples of the questions it will answer include: “How can I recognise when a client may have an undiagnosed eating disorder?”, “What biochemical issues should we consider in long-term restriction or binge–purge patterns?”, “How do I adapt my nutritional approach without reinforcing disordered behaviours?” and “What can I expect from specialist training?”.
Finally, it will outline foundational nutrition strategies, introduce simple psychological and behaviour-change tools within NT scope, and signpost pathways for safe MDT working, supervision and advanced training.
Course details
What will I learn?
- Create impactful programmes to enhance any client’s relationship with food and help them change their health behaviours.
- Apply the latest research findings in your approach to understand the main biochemical and physiological consequences of restriction, binge eating and compensatory behaviours.
- Avoid potential pitfalls such as colluding with the eating disorder, over-restrictive meal plans or working beyond your scope of practice.
- Be confident in supporting clients through eating identification of eating difficulties, clear referral pathways and roots to specialist training.
- Keep your client motivated by using key psychological and behavioural approaches to address challenges with emotional regulation, ambivalence and avoidance all within the nutritional therapy scope.
Full Agenda
Who is this course suitable for?
- Qualified nutritional therapy practitioners
- Nutritionists
- Dieticians
- Naturopaths
- Other qualified healthcare practitioners
- Final year nutrition students will also be welcome
With
Emma Hendricks
Registered Nutritional Therapist
Emma Hendricks is a Registered Nutritional Therapist and (almost) Health Psychologist, and the founder of The Eating Clinic, an online multidisciplinary clinic specialising in eating disorders, disordered eating and body image. She has worked for a decade at the intersection of nutrition, health psychology and behaviour change, supporting clients with complex relationships with food and their body. Emma is currently in the final stage of a Professional Doctorate in Health Psychology at UWE Bristol, where her research focusses on designing and evaluating an intervention to improve disordered eating and body image challenges in men.
Emma Hendricks
Emma Hendricks is a Registered Nutritional Therapist and (almost) Health Psychologist, and the founder of The Eating Clinic, an online multidisciplinary clinic specialising in eating disorders, disordered eating and body image. She has worked for a decade at the intersection of nutrition, health psychology and behaviour change, supporting clients with complex relationships with food and their body. Emma is currently in the final stage of a Professional Doctorate in Health Psychology at UWE Bristol, where her research focusses on designing and evaluating an intervention to improve disordered eating and body image challenges in men. Emma also runs a 6-month advanced practitioner programme, Nutritional Therapy for Eating Disorders, which trains nutritional therapists to work safely, effectively and confidently with eating disorders and disordered eating. She regularly delivers CPD and training providers on topics such as eating disorders, body image, weight stigma and behaviour change, with a strong focus on practical, evidence-based tools that protect clients’ relationship with food and body. Emma is also a specialist advisor in this field and supported BANT with their recent update to the eating disorder professional practice guidelines.
Course information
Cost | £130 |
Dates | Wednesday 15th April 2026, at 10:00am – 4.30pm |
CPD | ION CPD 5 hours, BANT CPD 5 hours, NNA CPD 5 hours |
Study mode | Live online course, with the ability to ask some questions (within set times) |
Materials | PDF of course presentation upon registration |
Recording | Edited recap post course, available to view up to 20 times |
Course timeline
Book course ticket
One-use registration link sent via email
Course materials released week prior to course date
Live course takes place
Edited course recap video released within two to three days post course
On-demand course version released within three weeks post course
Good to know
Bookings
- Please check you have read ION’s FAQs including our cancellation and refund policy before booking
- Click the “BOOK YOUR PLACE / BOOK TICKET” buttons at the top or bottom of this page – you will be taken to our webinar platform ‘Big Marker’ to purchase your ticket
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What should I do if a course is full?
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Registration links and materials
- If you successfully book on a course, you will be automatically sent a link to the course when you register. Please do not share this with anyone. This is set up to only allow entry to the first user that clicks it. Further links cannot be generated.
- Approximately 1 weeks before the course you will be sent an email so that you can access course materials.
- Where indicated in the programme, a recording of the course will be available after the course to view for 60 days
CPD
- Participation in an ION CPD course forms part of a practitioner’s or individual’s ongoing learning. It does not qualify a non-clinically trained practitioner or individual to work in a clinical setting. Individual’s boundaries of safe work, advice or practice are primarily determined by their formal qualifications and related personal insurance.
- ION does not send out certificates for live online courses.
- ION will send an automatic confirmation of attendance providing ION CPD hours when a participant has been present for the duration of the course (as reported via the online platform)
