Instructor:  Mary Anne Cohen, LCSW, will teach this course.  She is the director of The New York Center for Eating Disorders and the author of four books on the treatment of eating disorders. She has been teaching, supervising, and writing about the treatment of eating disorders for over 50 years. 

This course will discuss the following concepts:

1. Understanding the historical overview of cultural attitudes toward fat/overweight in art and the media from the 1600s to the present day, and how this affects our patients’ self-image. (slide presentation)

2. Recognizing whether weight loss medications are just another diet which reinforces the false belief that weight loss is the only way to feel good about one’s self.

3. Assessing who may be a candidate for Ozempic and who is not.

4. Understanding whether there is a role for these medications if someone has an eating disorder.

5. Since Ozempic quells the need to binge, how do we help patients navigate difficult emotions that may arise when they are no longer using food for comfort and escape?

Learning Objectives:
Participants will:

1. Understand how the media has fueled perpetual body dissatisfaction and promoted the “value” of intentional weight loss.

2. Understand the controversial nature of weight loss medications.

3. Determine how to make an individualized, comprehensive assessment for each patient.

4. How to prepare patients for the emotions that may arise when they are not using food to self-medicate.

5. Recognize how the movements of body positivity, HAES (Health at Every Size), fat activism may be integrated with Ozempic.

Location: This course will meet online on a secure videoconferencing platform in a live interactive format.

Teaching Method: The instructor will guide the discussion to identify the controversial nature of these medications as well as their benefits. Participants will present cases of patients who are on or considering Ozempic.

CEU Contact Hours:  The course will provide 2 CE contact hours.

Fee and Payment Policy: The course fee is $50 and is non-refundable. The student must attend this full session to receive a certificate of completion.

Mary Anne Cohen, LCSW is director of The New York Center for Eating Disorders and author of four books on the treatment of “emotional eating.” She is the professional book reviewer for EDReferral.com, hosted her own radio show on eating disorders on AM and FM radio, and has appeared on national television as an expert on eating disorders.