Letter from the President
Michele Tamarkin, LMFT It’s been a fabulous two years since the launching of iaedp Los Angeles! I began as a very “enthusiastic” Vice President and had a wonderful mentorship by Carolyn Costin, who has now passed the gavel on to me. I have seen our membership double and the eating disorder pro-fessional community in Los Angeles come together to be educated and network. I feel extremely fortunate to have this opportunity to be President of the LA Chapter. For the next 2 years I am excited and devoted to enhancing the professional pathways of our eating disorder community. I believe iaedp LA gives us all a great platform to work together and continue striving toward our mutual goals: raising awareness, education, professional networking and of course having fun! This idea of “FUN” will definitely be a part of all our events, you’ll see, I’m still working on my “cheerleading jumps”! This year we have some AMAZING LA events! So keep an eye out for our quarterly beachside (yes new location!) meetings starting on February 20th (read on in this Newsletter for more detailed information). I also want to introduce the people who have actually helped to make iaedp LA successful, our board: Lisa Hoffort, - Vice President, Christina Weiss - Education Chair, Greta Angert -Treasurer, Diahann Klein - Marketing Chair, Erin Conley - Secretary, Kristen Caron - Media Chair, Dawn Delgado - Membership Chair and Carolyn Costin - Immediate Past President and who has also decided to stay on as our Newsletter Chair. Thanks everyone for your continual time, efforts and support! We bid a farewell and a big Thank You to those rotating off the Board, Kim Wyman, Rachel Levi and Kurt Garbe. On another Very Important Note, in a few weeks on February 23rd through March 1st we will be celebrating National Eating Disorder Awareness Week (NEDAW). Many of you may not know that NEDAW has been held nationally since 1987, and is America’s largest eating disorder outreach effort. During NEDAW, health care providers, family members, students, and eating disorder professionals work to educate people of all ages about the importance of promoting positive body image and discouraging eating disorder behaviors. Why does it go unnoticed to most of America? A good question! We must strive for greater public awareness. And if “CHANGE” is in the air, then let’s make a change in the area of a very prominent emotional and physical issue affecting millions of woman and men daily! With this said, all four Southern California Chapters of iaedp have joined forces for our 2nd Annual SoCal Spectacular “Sailing into the Sunset Cruise & Benefit Dinner”. This entertaining and educational ED National Aware-ness event will be on Saturday, March 7, 2009, a three and half hour harbor cruise from 6 to 9:30 p.m. on the yacht named appropriately Endless Dreams in Long Beach, California. Please go to www.iaedpsocal.com for all the details!
Well, I think that’s about it for now. Once again thanks for your ongoing community sup-port and I look forward to seeing you all soon!
Warm Wishes for a Healthy & Happy 2009,
Michele Tamarkin
A Call for Newsletter Articles
Carolyn Costin, Los Angeles Chapter
Welcome again to our local Los Angeles IAEDP Newsletter. Established in 1985, the International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals (IAEDP) is well recognized today for its excellence in providing first-quality education and high-level training standards to an international multidisciplinary group of various healthcare treatment providers and helping professions, who treat the full spectrum of eating disorder problems. The goal of the local Chapters is to promote networking and treatment collaboration among professionals treating eating disorders in their own area. Additionally, each Chapter is interested in promoting the development of the “next gen-eration” of treatment providers. After completing my term as the first President of our local Los Angeles chapter, and passing the gavel to Michele Tamarkin, I have agreed to take on the newsletter. Our goal is to keep you informed of our local events and continue to keep us connected to each other and to eating disorder noteworthy events in our area. I will be looking for contributors as always and you can contact me at iaedpla@gmail.com if you have any ideas for a short article you would like me to include. I will be asking at our events so be prepared! I love this new assignment because it will keep me connected to all of you. There are many exciting events coming up, hope to see you all there……. Carolyn Costin, MFT
Quarterly Event
Our first 2009 quarterly event will be:
Current Trends in Psychopharmacology & Nutritional Therapies for Eating Disorder Treatment PANELISTS:
Terry Eagan, MD, Yariv Rothman, DC, LVN, QME and Diana Lipson-Burge, RD DATE: Friday, February 20, 2009
11:30-1:30 p.m.
 LOCATION:
17 North Venice Blvd., Venice Beach, CA 90291 *** Validated parking is across the street at the 42 N. Venice Blvd. parking structure ***
COST: $10 Members & $15 Non Members
No charge for students!
Lunch hosted by:
Mirasol & Reasons @ BHC Hospital
Schedule At-a-Glance
11:30 -12:00 p.m. Registration & Introductions
12:00 -1:00 p.m. Panel Discussion
1:00 - 1:30 p.m. Announcements and Networking
Attendees will receive:
• An opportunity to network with colleagues
• Current information on eating disorders treatment from leading professionals
• A platform for mentorship and opportunities HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!
Symposium 2009 Highlights • iaedp Symposium 2009 offers two pre-conference trainings on Wednesday, March 4, 2009 (require additional fees). • On Thursday morning and afternoon there will be a total of six 3 hour intensive sessions (in-cluded in registration fees). • The iaedp Symposium 2009 Grand Opening begins at 5 p.m. Thursday with a Networking Re-ception followed by an Awards Banquet and Keynote Session • This keynote features iaedp Board of Directors President Adrienne Ressler, LMSW, CEDS, and inspirational author and international coach M.J. Ryan who is one of the creators of the New York Times bestselling Random Acts of Kindness series and the author of The Happi-ness Makeover (finalist in the 2005 Books for Better Living award), This Year I Will…Attitudes of Gratitude, The Power of Patience, Trusting Yourself, The Giving Heart, and 365 Health and Happiness Boosters, among other titles. Altogether, there are 1.75 million copies of her titles in print. Dubbed “an expert in human fulfillment,” she specializes in coaching high perform-ance executives, entrepreneurs, and leadership teams around the world. She is a member of the International Coaching Federation. • Friday's events include two keynote sessions, 8 90-minute workshops, a networking reception, and no host dinner group signups. • Saturday's events include one keynote session, 12 90-minute workshops, and an opportunity to attend the LA iaedp Chapter's Cruise and Dinner event. • Sunday offers one keynote session and four 90-minute workshops. www.iaedp.com
Sailing into the Sunset
with iaedp
A Benefit Dinner to honor National Eating Disorders Awareness Please join the Southern California Chapters of iaedp as we come together to celebrate National Eating Disorder Awareness and raise funds for profes-sional education and treatment scholarships. This will be an evening filled with Art, Entertainment, Documentaries and special guest appearances ex-ploring the issues around Eating Disorders, Body Image and the Media. $60 per person; $45 for iaedp Members and conference attendees. iaedp SoCal Endless Dreams Benefit Dinner Cruise
Rainbow Harbor
100 E Shoreline Dr
Long Beach, CA 90802 Seating is limited so please RSVP by February 20, 2009
Christina Weiss – 562.457.7373 or iaedpla@gmail.com We are looking for support of this fundraising benefit via donation items for the silent auction and raffle. Please contact Christina Weiss or Michele Tamarkin
 Filmmaker Darryl Roberts goes on a two year journey to examine America’s new obsession: physical perfection. In America the Beautiful, we learn secrets, confessions, and strikingly harsh realities as Roberts unearths the origins and deadly risks of our nation’s quest for physical perfection. To find out what has America’s pre-teens standing in line for their turn on “I Want a Famous Face", and its adults on “Extreme Makeover,” Roberts dives deep into America's cul-ture of fear, consumption, and idolatry for all things external; he seeks answers from celebrities, media, academia, as well as everyday Americans.
America the Beautiful is a MUST SEE film. This is a film where you will feel someone fighting back...against the media, the plastic surgery industry, the modeling world, the cosmetic industry and all the forces that tell females, “You aren’t good enough,” and “It’s what’s on the outside that counts.” Bring your family, bring your clients, bring your friends. This is the Super-size Me and Fahrenheit 911 of the Eating Disorder world. If you ever wanted to be a part of a movement to heal body image disturbance, this is it. Carolyn Costin has been working with producer Darryl Roberts to get this film to the masses. She is sponsoring the event and will host a Q&A.
Two Special ScreeningsCSUN CAMPUS
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
2:00 p.m.
Student Union Building
For more info call:
Alison Taurel 310-457-9958
Sponsored by Carolyn Costin and
The Monte Nido Treatment Center UCSB CAMPUS
Saturday, February 21, 2009
2:00 p.m.
Isla Vista Theater
For more info call:
Joanna Hill 805-893-4163
Intervention
by Maureen Felker
The phone rings at 8:15 am. A bright, cheerful voice on the other end says, “Hi! I’ve been given your name as someone who helps with Intervention. Can you tell me about your service?” I ask the woman to tell me a little about the person in her life who needs help. The woman’s voice grows softer and more solemn. “My daughter is 23. She eats only egg whites and lettuce during the day, and a small circle of tuna fish with fruit at night. Sometimes she skips the tuna. She spends two hours every morning on the treadmill and then walks around all day like a zombie. She has no friends, doesn’t work or go to school. I know she needs help but when I talk to her about it, she gets angry and shuts herself off in her room. What should we do? She keeps saying that she’s an adult and we should mind our own business.” I ask the woman her daughter’s weight. “She’s 5’6” and 71 pounds.” The woman now begins to cry softly. “My husband thinks she is dying.”
A mother’s instinct is to love, comfort and support her children. A father’s need is to provide and watch over those he loves. How do parents mind their own business when the foundation of their purpose in life is to care for their children, making sure that they are protected, safe and well?
While eating disorders destroy not only the physiological, emotional, and mental health of the afflicted individual, they shatter the sanity and stability of the entire family as well. A horrifying sense of helplessness and hopelessness permeates every moment of the family’s confusion, and unrelenting worry that the person will not survive. How do you break through the cocoon of denial, which defends the intractable eating rituals, games and restrictions so carefully reinforced to ward off the raging internal conflicts which the person dare not face nor reveal. In solution- a perfect distraction- a cool, calculated, complex web to insulate and isolate the person from insecurity, self-criticism, imperfec-tion, and painful interpersonal connection. Lost faith in others, unrealized dreams, ach-ing disappointment, the fear of challenge can all be deferred to a later time in life. Main-taining an eating disorder is busy work indeed and must be attended to with a fervent focus every moment of every day. The family watches in horror and disbelief. With little information and even less understanding of the dynamics in eating disorders, they try with all sincerity to get the person to eat, or to refrain from throwing food back up. “She’ll never go to a treatment program,” families say. “She won’t even go to a doctor or psychologist. Besides, we’ve tried for years one by one to get her help. Why would an Intervention make a difference?”
There are two things true in every situation when someone is in trouble. First, as peo-ple, when we are in trouble, we always know- no one has to tell us. Second, when we are in trouble, we always know that we need help. Are we going to raise out hand and say, “Today is a good day fro treatment.” No we are not. In the earlier stages of the disease process, we may ask for help because it is less threatening to do so when things are not too bad. However, the greater the disease progression, the greater the denial. We told ourselves early on that we could fix things. We found that we could not. We tried harder, did better, focused more heavily, concentrated….to no avail. To admit that we need help the worse things become, is to admit that we are failures, stupid, un-able, incompetent. So we train those around us to refrain from challenging, and are grateful when they tire of their efforts and stop asking, or go away.
Families are baffled when inpatient or residential treatment is proposed by a profes-sional because the person in trouble has rejected less intense outpatient options. Sometimes the person has said to families, “Nothing will help….no one can help me….” When a person’s needs are so paramount, the thought of seeing someone once or twice a week seems futile. The person reflects that is she could not help herself, why would a stranger somehow know the person better than she? The afflicted individual knows herself better that anyone- her problems, her secrets, her conflicts, her history. The belief that there is no help available is the real suffering that the person truly ex-periences, yet women and men have told me that they believed that one day something would happen, a miracle of sorts, which would make it all go away. The person who re-jects outpatient options intuitively knows that a more comprehensive, all-encompassing approach is perhaps the only possible solution to their dilemma. For many with an eat-ing disorder, outpatient treatment is too low a level of care. Inpatient or residential pro-vides safety, security, and 24 hour assistance for the individual who cannot function in an unsupervised environment. Residential treatment also allows the person relief from the stresses and obligations at home, which may trigger and perpetuate their eating disorder.
The person with disordered eating has learned to manipulate those around him or her so families collapse in frustration and impotence to do anything, which will help. A structured family Intervention unites all who are concerned, supporting one another, all grounded with the same intent, all together on the same day, at the same time, saying the same thing. Family Intervention helps not only the person in need, but the family as well. An Intervention is a carefully planned, loving confrontation of the individual’s eat-ing disorder by the person’s family and friends. It is conducted in a calm, caring, sup-portive, and informative atmosphere that eliminated accusations and shame which are roadblocks to accepting help for one’s eating disorder. The goal of the Intervention is for the person to accept help and enter treatment and recovery. The Intervention also provides relief for the family who have felt defeated by the disease. By accepting the caring expressions of concern by those present, the individual is able to take action. If the family has the courage to come forward, the afflicted individual will have the courage to accept help. All Interventions are successful because a positive crisis is created and the concerns of the loved ones are expressed. The miracle of recovery is often the very thing that the person suffering from an eating disorder has been hoping for and waiting for.
Maureen Felker, Intervention Specialist
310-497-5123 |
In This Issue:
From the President
-Michele Tamarkin
Quarterly Event
iaedp Symposium 2009
“Sailing into the Sunset” Benefit
America the
Beautiful Screening
Intervention by Maureen Felker
The 2009 iaedp Los Angeles Board:
Michele Tamarkin
President
Lisa Hoffort
Vice President
Greta Angert
Treasurer
Erin Conley
Secretary Chair, Mentor Pgm.
Kristen Caron
Media Relations
Diahann Klien
Chair, Marketing
Christina Weiss
Chair, Education
Carolyn Costin
Immediate Past President
Newsletter Chair
Dawn Delgado
Chair, Membership
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