EDPEN Institute Spring 2027

Co-chaired by Dr. Zach Appenzeller, Psy.D and Katherine Grubiak, RDN and Lauren Muhlheim, Psy.D., FAED, CEDS-C and Asha Davidson, MD, MPH and Shelly Bar, MD and Kristina Schwerin, MD

Spring 2027 EDPEN Institute Presents 

Structured Recovery™: Equipping Providers with a Clear Process to Support Faster, Stronger Healing Through the Core Principles of Family-Based Treatment Adapted Across the Lifespan

  • 2-Day In-Person Training
  • April 16-17th 2027
  • DoubleTree Irvine Spectrum
  • Orange County, California 
Eating disorders are often identified in healthcare settings where providers recognize the
illness but may not have a clear, practical framework for knowing what to do next.
Structured Recovery™ was developed to bridge that gap.

Grounded in the evidence-based principles that make Family-Based Treatment (FBT) effective, Structured Recovery™ provides a clear, structured process for supporting eating disorder recovery across the lifespan. Rather than teaching FBT as a protocol limited to one diagnosis or age group, this training focuses on the core principles of recovery and how they can be thoughtfully adapted to meet the developmental needs and circumstances of each patient.

Through a practical five-step framework, providers will learn how to:
  • Prioritize medical safety and timely clinical decision-making
  • Determine appropriate levels of care using established clinical guidelines
  • Initiate nutritional rehabilitation to support physiological and cognitive recovery
  • Establish clear behavioral management strategies to interrupt eating disorder behaviors
  • Engage families, caregivers, and other support persons as part of the recovery process
  • Build coordinated multidisciplinary treatment teams
  • Maintain a structured, data-informed pathway toward recovery

This training is for you if you are:

A Provider New to Eating Disorder Treatment
Gain a clear, practical foundation for understanding eating disorder recovery and knowing what to do next; from treatment priorities and nutritional rehabilitation to engaging caregivers and creating a structured pathway toward recovery.

An Eating Disorder Specialist Who Want to Strengthen Their FBT-Informed Approach
If you are already treating eating disorders, adding FBT-informed care to your skillset is imperative as an evidence-based treatment. Deepen your understanding of the core principles that make FBT effective and learn how to strengthen and adapt FBT-informed care across diagnoses, developmental stages, and the lifespan.

Frontline Healthcare Providers
Learn how to confidently respond when an eating disorder is identified. This training provides a practical process for initiating appropriate care and support while specialty treatment may not be immediately available.

Why Structured Recovery™?
Eating disorders are complex, but treatment cannot always wait.
The pathway toward recovery begins with restoring the brain and body through adequate nutrition while addressing eating disorder behaviors and engaging the people and systems that can support healing.

Structured Recovery™ equips providers, whether new to eating disorder treatment, experienced specialists, or frontline healthcare professionals, with a practical, evidence-based process for helping more patients receive effective care sooner.

Target Audience
Psychologist, Social Worker, Counselor, Marriage & Family Therapist, Nurse, Dietitian, Physician, Dietetic Technician, Physician Assistant
Format
In-Person Event

Registration Includes

  • Lunch, snacks, and refreshments daily
  • Access to all training materials for 1 year through the CE-Go platform 
  • Ample opportunity to meet other providers, network, and plant seeds to establish regional ED care teams
  • All providers are trained together in this unique, multidisciplinary, interactive, transformative space. 
  • Discounted $189 hotel room/nightly rate at the DoubleTree Hotel by Hilton, Irvine Spectrum

Speakers

Featured speakers
Portrait of Dr. Zach Appenzeller, Psy.D
Dr. Zach Appenzeller, Psy.D
Co-Director, Texas Institute for Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies

Dr. Appenzeller is a Licensed Psychologist and Co-Director of the Texas Institute for Cognitive & Behavioral Therapies (CBTTexas) where he specializes in the evidence-based treatments of eating disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), anxiet...

Portrait of Katherine Grubiak, RDN
Katherine Grubiak, RDN
Director of Clinical Education at EDPEN, Founder of Nutrition Illumination

Katherine Grubiak, RDN graduated from the Coordinated Program in Dietetics at The University of Texas at Austin. She first pursued a career in public health nutrition in San Diego and Los Angeles with a maternal-child focus. It was in the same underpri...

Portrait of Lauren Muhlheim, Psy.D., FAED, CEDS-C
Lauren Muhlheim, Psy.D., FAED, CEDS-C
Psychologist and Owner at Eating Disorder Therapy LA

Lauren Muhlheim, Psy.D., FAED, CEDS is a psychologist, fellow of the Academy for Eating Disorders (AED), and certified eating disorder specialist (CEDS) and approved supervisor for the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals (IAEDP)....

Portrait of Asha Davidson, MD, MPH
Asha Davidson, MD, MPH
Medical Director at UT Health Houston Center for Eating Disorders

Dr. Davidson is a double board–certified adolescent medicine physician who specializes in the care of teens and young adults with eating disorders. She has expertise in co-managing anxiety, depression, and other health conditions and provides a weight-...

Portrait of Shelly Bar, MD
Shelly Bar, MD
Certified Internal Medicine and Adolescent Medicine Specialist

Dr. Bar is a highly qualified and experienced physician with double board certification in Internal Medicine and Adolescent Medicine. Dr. Bar completed her Fellowship at Stanford Medical Center and worked as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine a...

Portrait of Kristina Schwerin, MD
Kristina Schwerin, MD
Medical Director, Align Treatment

Dr. Kristina Schwerin is a child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist with over 15 years of experience providing psychiatric care and psychotherapy to individuals and families across the lifespan. She has practiced in a wide range of healthcare settings...

Agenda

8:15 AM – 8:45 AM

Translating Evidence into Practice with Structured Recovery™

Dr. Zach Appenzeller, Psy.D

Session 0.5 CE
8:45 AM – 9:45 AM

The Impact of Restriction and Unreliable Food Intake on the Brain

Kristina Schwerin, MD

Session 1 CE
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM

Medical Safety, Determining Level of Care

Asha Davidson, MD, MPH

Session 1 CE
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Building The Intervention Plan: The Agreement, The Allies, The Fuel, The Finish Line

Katherine Grubiak, RDN · Lauren Muhlheim, Psy.D., FAED, CEDS-C

Session 1 CE
8:00 AM – 8:45 AM

Networking & Collaborative Case Group Formation

Breakout 0.8 CE
8:45 AM – 10:00 AM

How to Identify Treatment Priorities in the Present Moment including the Use of Medications to Support Eating

Lauren Muhlheim, Psy.D., FAED, CEDS-C · Katherine Grubiak, RDN · Shelly Bar, MD

Session 1.3 CE
10:15 AM – 11:15 AM

What Would the Team Do? Collaborative Clinical Decision-Making

Asha Davidson, MD, MPH · Katherine Grubiak, RDN · Lauren Muhlheim, Psy.D., FAED, CEDS-C · Shelly Bar, MD · Dr. Zach Appenzeller, Psy.D

Workshop 1 CE
11:15 AM – 12:15 PM

“In the Room” - Building Confidence in Your Communication Style with Patients and Families throughout Treatment

Dr. Zach Appenzeller, Psy.D

Session 1 CE
View full agenda · 12 sessions

Venue & getting there

DoubleTree Hotel Irvine Spectrum
90 Pacifica · Irvine, CA, 92618
Get directions

CE Info

12.5
Maximum CE credit hours

Across 12 sessions over 2 days.

Reserve your seat

From $199 – $499 · Friday, Apr 16, 2027 – Sat, Apr 17 · In-Person Event

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$199 – $499
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