Training | Understanding Eating Difficulties

Price

Original price: £45 per person

Date

Tuesday, 13 October 2026

Meet Your Tutor

Jo Baker

For many years Jo worked as a therapist within the Psychological Wellbeing department at the University of Derby, where she dealt with an extensive and varied caseload. She also co-ordinated the university’s Psycho-education Team, whose work was nationally recognised as best practice. She now works in private practice offering therapy and supervision. Alongside her psychotherapy role she offers services to the wider Higher Education sector to support universities to take a ‘whole university approach’ to mental health.

She has previously worked as a volunteer for BEAT and other local eating disorder charities and brings with her a wealth of experience of working with eating difficulties both in private practice and in university settings.

Over the last 12 years, Jo has also delivered training to many sectors, including aviation, design, distribution, education, healthcare and retail. She is a qualified yoga teacher with a particular interest in its application for various aspects on mental health and wellbeing.

She teaches on Part 1, 2 and 3 of the Human Givens Diploma, and is a Registered Member of the Human Givens Institute. She holds a Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA), an advanced level of professional standing that evidences expertise in teaching and learning in higher education and is an assessor for the University Mental Health Charter.

Description

Dispelling several myths, this evidence-based live online event explains why anyone can experience problems around food, the impact of eating difficulties, symptoms to look out for, the importance of early intervention, how best to help and support – and more.

Increasing numbers of people have difficulties around food and eating but miss out on help because they don’t have a clinical diagnosis – this online training event is designed to increase awareness of the importance of early intervention to provide better support and help with recovery.

Why Take This Course

An estimated 1.25 million people are affected by eating disorders in the UK – but there are many, many more who may not meet diagnostic criteria or simply don’t get the help they need.

Absolutely anyone can be affected by eating difficulties; all ages, all body sizes, all genders, all races, and disordered eating can take many forms. It sits on a spectrum between what might be considered ‘normal eating’ and an eating disorder and may include symptoms and behaviours of eating disorders, but at a lesser frequency or lower level of severity. Eating difficulties don’t just affect the person involved but also their families and friends too, who often feel frightened, confused, and powerless to help.

The aim of this live, evidence-based, online training with Jo Baker, a highly experienced psychotherapist who has volunteered for BEAT and other eating disorder charities, is to give you a greater understanding of eating difficulties as well as eating disorders and body image. You’ll explore the signs and symptoms, and the effects they have on an individual as well as developing new skills around effective communication with someone who is struggling. It will dispel some of the myths around eating difficulties and also help you find ways of calming yourself in moments of overwhelm to ensure you can be as supportive and helpful as you’d like to be.

What You Will Learn

• Why early support is important
• How to react if you think someone is struggling around food – including what not to say and do
• The potential physical and psychological harm that disordered eating can cause
• The function of food in mental health
• The common myths around eating difficulties and problems with food
• A greater understanding of eating disorders and subclinical disordered eating behaviours – their signs and symptoms
• Increased knowledge of the physical impact and social effects of having an eating disorder
• New skills around communication – how to approach the subject of eating difficulties or food avoidance
• Why it is important not to focus on food
• A deeper understanding of ‘body image’ and perception and how media and society impact people’s body image and perception
• A greater understanding of the male experience of eating difficulties and the unique barriers men may face in accessing treatment
• New support and communication skills to offer help to anyone struggling with their mental health, body image and eating disorders
• What exercise addiction is, and its relationship to eating difficulties
• The impact of gym and diet culture on our mental health, body dissatisfaction and the signs and symptoms of muscle dysmorphia
• Effective ways to look after yourself – managing stress, anxiety and worry for the household
• How and when to seek professional help

This Course is Relevant to a Range of Disordered Eating Behaviours Including:

• Restrictive eating
• Compulsive eating
• Irregular eating
• Inflexible eating
• Avoiding a type of food or food group
• Self-induced vomiting
• Laxative, diuretic, enema misuse
• Supplement misuse
• Clinical eating disorders

Who is This Training Suitable For:

• Psychotherapists, counsellors and any other mental health and welfare professionals who want to gain a better understanding of eating difficulties, their symptoms and impact so they can support families with a member who is experiencing eating difficulties
• Parents, other family members and/or carers of people who are experiencing eating difficulties
• Teachers, school counsellors, mental health and wellbeing leads, pastoral care team, educational psychologists
• Anyone working with people who needs to know how best to help someone who shares with you that they are struggling with food and/or eating
• Anyone interested for personal reasons

Course Programme

The ‘Understanding Eating Difficulties’ course starts at 9.15am and runs until 1.30pm (GMT).

• 9.15am
Join the Zoom meeting

• 9.30am
Understanding eating disorders and subclinical disordered eating behaviours

• 10.45am
Comfort break and discussion

• 10.55am
Understanding body image, perception and influential narratives

• 12.00pm
Comfort break and discussion

• 12.10pm
How to approach eating difficulties and be most helpful

• 1.30pm
Course ends

Important Note

This live online CPD training event is an awareness raising course, providing you with evidence-based information, facts and effective communication skills. It does not qualify you to work with eating disorders.

Accreditation

This course has been independently accredited by the internationally recognised CPD Standards Office for 4 hours of CPD training.

On completion of this training you’ll receive CPD certificates from the College and the CPD Standards Office.

Bonus Recording

The event is recorded so you will also get a recording for 4 weeks afterwards to maximise your learning. If you can’t make this date you can buy the recording by booking a place, or register to Human Givens Services and they’ll let you know if they run another one.