Feasting, Fasting and Eating Disorders in the Jewish Community

This seminar will begin with an examination of the intricate issues that may put Jewish girls and women at risk for developing disordered eating or an eating disorder. Attendees will be able to explore the complexity of eating disorder behaviors, review a clinically relevant screening questionnaire and expand their awareness of how some Jewish observances can influence the development and maintenance of an eating disorder for some individuals.

To address these issues, participants will be provided with opportunities to learn innovative strategies, culled from Jewish rituals and beliefs that challenge eating disorder thoughts and behaviors. Clinical approaches for reducing body shaming, negative self-talk and the quest for perfection will be presented. Special consideration will be given to the power of “inner wisdom” practices to guide all Jewish women in their recovery.

7:30-8 a.m.: Registration and breakfast
8 a.m.-1:15 p.m.: Seminar

Dairy breakfast and snack included. Kosher options available upon request.

Open to all practitioners who treat Jewish clients or would like to learn more.

About the presenters:

Adrienne Ressler, LMSW, CEDS, is vice president of professional development at The Renfrew Center Foundation and has served as senior staff for more than 28 years. Fellow and past-president of the Board of Directors of the International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals (iaedp), she presently chairs iaedp’s Senior Advisory Council. Ressler is the co-founder and former co-chairperson of the Somatic and Somatically Oriented Therapies Special Interest Group of the Academy for Eating Disorders. In 2016, she was selected as the inaugural recipient of Eating Disorder Hope’s Seal of Excellence award for her “empowering work as a body image specialist.” Author of chapters on the use of experiential therapies for eating disorders in three textbooks, her work has also been included in the first Encyclopedia of Body Image and Human Appearance. A frequent contributor to the popular media, she has appeared on “Today” and “Good Morning America Sunday.”

Marjorie C. Feinson, Ph.D., has been a university professor for the past 30 years specializing in women’s mental health. As the professional development specialist for The Renfrew Center Foundation, she conducts educational seminars on a broad spectrum of eating-related issues and is the editor of Perspectives, The Renfrew Center Foundation’s journal for professionals. She facilitates inner wisdom workshops for women in Israel and the U.S. Feinson directed the first community study of disordered eating and domestic abuse among women in Israel. Publications include “Soul Food: Emotional Abuse in Childhood and the Complex Role of Food” (2010), “Disordered Eating & Religious Observance: A Focus on Ultra-Orthodox Jews” (2012) and “Is Religiosity Associated with Less Child Abuse? A Community Study of Ultra-Orthodox and Secular Jewish Women” (2014).

Sarah Bateman, LCSW, has been practicing social work for more than 10 years. As The Renfrew Center’s liaison to the Jewish community, she ensures that individuals with eating disorders in the Jewish community are able to receive culturally sensitive treatment and that their unique religious needs are met. Bateman has a private practice with offices in New York and New Jersey, provides training for professionals and lectures in schools while working to raise awareness and understanding of eating disorders in the Jewish community.

Offering 5 CE credits. Photocopy of student ID must accompany registration form. Students must be enrolled in a post-undergraduate program.

The Renfrew Center Foundation will administer a full refund for cancellations within three weeks of the seminar date. Cancellations less than three weeks before the seminar date will be issued a transferable credit toward a future seminar.

For questions, please contact Melissa Falzarano at 1-877-367-3383 or mfalzarano@renfrewcenter.com.