Call for Proposals

Conference Goals

Help individuals, family members, treatment professionals, health educators, social workers and activists to connect and share useful and supportive information that can be transformed into action or recovery.
Familiarize attendees with the latest developments in the field of eating disorders
Build awareness about the realities of the illness and tear down its associated stigmas by educating attendees and in turn the media, policymakers and opinion leaders.
Provide a national convening to promote inclusiveness, enthusiasm, energy, optimism and a vision of genuine hope for all conference attendees.

Presentations must support the goals of the conference. Priority will be given to proposals that demonstrate an interactive presentation style and emphasize action as opposed to purely theoretical lectures. Workshop sessions are 75 minutes.

Guidelines

Preference will be given to proposals that clearly support the theme of the conference:
“Building Bridges To Recovery”

The theme suggests:

Building bridges to recovery for those affected by eating disorders by taking action to remove barriers that interfere with access to care, insurance coverage, research funding, etc.
Defining recovery in broad terms
Taking personal and community action such as: speaking out publicly to address body image issues in the media and fashion industry that have a deleterious affect on individuals; addressing self-care issues; helping to create awareness within industries, schools, athletic programs, and communities regarding eating disorders
Strategies to help sustain recovery for individuals
Assisting individuals’ network of family, friends and others who support them

NEDA is currently seeking workshop presenters in the following areas:

1. Family Basic Track – Resources and support for families and individuals affected by eating disorders whether new to the illness or not. The committee will accept proposals for beginning and advanced informational workshops. Please indicate the level, beginning or advanced, on which the proposal will be focused. Parents and other family members are encouraged to present. Preference will be given to presentations that incorporate treatment professionals or others partnering with family members.

Examples include:
An eating disorder? Could this be happening to my family?
How to help your loved one negotiate recovery
Basic parenting/communication and attunement skills
Coping skills and support for spouses/partners of patients
Working with the treatment team
Advocating for the care your loved one needs
Creating a healthy dynamic in family based treatment
Self-care while caring for a loved one with an eating disorder
Creating circles of support
Maintaining hope
What does recovery look like?
Surviving insurance challenges
Turning your experience into advocacy for self and others
How to decide what type of treatment? How to identify best fit and when?

2. Treatment Track - New and innovative treatment practices and research outcomes, and best practices in the treatment of eating disorders therapies are included.

Examples include:
Evidenced-based therapies
Binge Eating Disorder
Working with the treatment team and the family
What’s different about treating an eating disorder?
Treating women 30 and beyond with eating disorders.
Treating athletes with eating disorders
What Recovery looks like
Adjunctive, Expressive and Non-traditional therapies
Treating very young children (5-10 years old)

3. Special Issues New and innovative topics concerning non-traditional eating disorders issues. This is designed for treatment providers looking to expand their skills for treating eating disorders and individuals seeking to expand their knowledge of special issues.

Examples include:
Eating disorders in boys and men
A Spouses and Partners of those with an eating disorder
Healthy living for all sizes and body types
Treating eating disorders within identity communities
Body image and masculinity issues for men
Treating eating disorders for survivors of trauma
Intersection of body ideal, consumerism, and eating disorders

4. Educators/Outreach Track – Original and empirically supported approaches to eating disorders prevention, education, activism and outreach in school and community settings.

Examples include:
Eating Disorders awareness education in the middle school environment
Involving the sports and athletics communities in prevention and awareness
Media literacy education programs for youth
High School peer to peer education programs
Information for K-12 educators on managing risks in the academic community including creating policies and procedures for:

Early identification and intervention
Supporting students in recovery: coordinating with the treatment team

Adults partnering with youth for awareness programs and events
Promoting Eating Disorders education and awareness in the Workplace
Starting National Eating Disorders Awareness Week efforts
New or unique ideas for National Eating Disorders Awareness Week Participants
How to reach diverse groups (age, race, gender, etc.) with your message
Helping those in recovery get involved in educating/mentoring others

5. Co-occurring Medical and Psychiatric Conditions Track -This track will focus on treatment for common co-morbid medical and psychiatric conditions seen in individuals with eating disorders.

Examples include:
Substance abuse
Personality Disorders
OCD
Diabetes
Anxiety Disorders
Depression
PTSD
Osteoporosis
Self-injurious behaviors
Trauma
Sexual/physical abuse
Diabulimia
EDNOS

Call for Proposals Instructions

Proposals MUST include all of the following to be considered by the Conference Committee:
1. Proposed session title
2. Presenter(s) full name, degree, address, phone number and email – please provide a second contact name, phone number and e-mail address in the event you are unavailable.
3. Presenter(s) biographical sketch: Attach a description of your professional experience in the following order: current title and affiliation; relevant publications; relevant organizations; private practice location and area of expertise (100 words maximum; no exceptions).
4. Presentation Experience: Provide a list of professional presentations you have done within the past two years. Please inform us if you already have presented this workshop to another eating disorders conference in 2010.
5. A detailed description of the presentation content, including suggested audience (beginning or advanced) - max 300 words
6. A brief summary of presentation to be used in the conference program - max 50 words
7. Three measurable goals/objectives of the presentation
8. Audiovisual needs
9. A brief description of handouts

Deadlines

Submissions must be received by 11:59pm PST on Monday, February 15, 2010.

Individuals will be notified by April 15, 2010 regarding their status.

Mailed submissions will not be accepted.

Workshop Speaker Compensation

Selected workshops will receive one waived conference registration per workshop presentation whether there are single or multiple presenters. Presenters are responsible for their own travel and lodging expenses.

For more information, or if you have any questions, please contact Susie Roman via email at sroman@nationaleatingdisorders.org or call 206.382.3587, ext. 18.