It's not surprising that the relationship between the dietitian and an eating disorder client feels complicated. Our traditional educational track teaches motivational interviewing and stages of change, but rarely addresses the mental distress of hearing our clients' stories, watching their struggles, and managing our own reactions.

Have you felt frustrated or curiously agitated after your client left a session? Have you worried about a client to the point that it interferes with your sleep and disrupts your work-life balance? Have cascading emotions that result from working with higher acuity clients led to compassion-fatigue and emotional burnout?

Research shows that working with eating disordered individuals increases the likelihood of hidden relationship traps of countertransference between client and dietitian. If not recognized and repaired, these experiences open the door for a relationship between client and dietitian that resembles codependence.

We will explore the four types of countertransference within the therapeutic setting and identify the signs using case studies and role-play. Attendees will recognize warning signs of co-dependency and create strategies to constructively reset the therapeutic relationship. These new skills will equip attendees with a heightened awareness of potential relationship traps and increased confidence in their interventions with clients with eating disorders.