Restoring occupation in eating disorder recovery: A collaborative, contextual approach for occupational therapists (October 27, 2026)

Presented by: Dana Etherington, OT Reg. (Ont.), Psychotherapist Eating disorders significantly disrupt occupational identity (Dark & Carter, 2020) and occupational participation. While symptom reduction is often emphasized in treatment, occupational therapists are uniquely positioned to address the functional, relational, and contextual disruptions that maintain eating disorders.

This webinar will provide you with a practical, evidence-informed framework for integrating eating disorder treatment into occupation-focused, collaborative care. The impact of eating disorders on occupational disruption and on occupational participation will be described, focusing on the impact across micro, meso, and macro contexts. Language and practice shifts to a collaborative practice by co-creating occupation-based goals with clients will be explored. You will leave with assessment tools, intervention strategies, and case-based applications you can implement immediately in practice to restore not just eating but meaningful engagement and participation in life.

You'll learn to:

• Describe how eating disorders impact occupational participation across micro, meso, and macro contexts.
• Apply collaborative relationship-focused approaches and language to shift to reduce shame/power imbalances, aligning with the Competencies for Occupational Therapists in Canada (ACOTRO et al., 2021/2024).
• Identify at least three occupation-based assessment tools appropriate for clients with eating disorders.

Target audience and language

Client age groups

Adolescents (13-19 years old), Adults (20-64 years old)

Areas of practice

Eating & nutritional wellness, Mental health, Psychotherapy, Trauma

Level

Beginner (0-2 years of experience in this specific practice area)

Language

English

Presenter

Dana Etherington, OT Reg. (Ont.), Psychotherapist

Dana is an Occupational Therapist, Psychotherapist and the owner of Cedar Tree Therapy, a private practice in Whitby, Ontario. Dana has nearly a decade of mental health occupational therapy and psychotherapy experience ranging from including inpatient psychiatry, residential, day treatment and outpatient mental health. Dana is a passionate advocate for OT psychotherapists and focuses on the treatment of anxiety, OCD and eating disorders in her practice.