You’ve seen these families in your practice: the child who eats only beige foods, the teen whose texture sensitivities have narrowed their diet to a handful of “safe” items, the parents who’ve tried everything and are exhausted. You suspect ARFID, but where do you even start? And how do you help without becoming another expert telling families what they’re doing wrong?
Join Rebecca Berman, LCSW, MLSP, CEDS-C and Amy Killy, LCSW for this practical 90-minute training that will shift how you approach food avoidance in your practice.
Rebecca is a nationally recognized ARFID specialist, and Amy—one of the first Certified SPACE therapists in the country—serves on the Yale Child Study Center team that provides consultation and supervision for SPACE and SPACE Certification.
You’ll gain diagnostic clarity—learning to distinguish ARFID from eating disorders, sensory processing challenges, and developmentally typical picky eating—and discover why the most effective intervention might not be working with the child at all. Instead, you’ll learn how SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions) can be powerfully adapted to address ARFID by helping parents decrease stress, increase support, and reduce accommodations—all with the goal of fostering their child’s food flexibility.
This isn’t theoretical. Amy has successfully treated over 200 families using SPACE, and Rebecca has spent two decades specializing in eating disorders and ARFID across all levels of care. They’ll give you an overview of this evidence-based approach and share concrete examples of how SPACE principles can be applied to ARFID cases—helping you understand when and how to consider this parent-based model in your own work.
You’ll Leave With:
- Clear diagnostic criteria to differentiate ARFID from other feeding and eating concerns
- Understanding of how parental accommodation keeps ARFID stuck (and why well-meaning interventions often backfire)
- An overview of core SPACE principles adapted specifically for food avoidance
- Insight into what parent-based treatment for ARFID looks like in action
- Clarity on whether SPACE for ARFID might be a good fit for your cases and where to learn more
Whether ARFID cases leave you feeling stuck or you simply want to expand your clinical knowledge, this training will introduce you to a fresh, evidence-informed approach that meets families where they are—and helps them move forward.
Note: SPACE and SPACE for ARFID are comprehensive trainings offered exclusively through Yale Child Study Center. This session provides an introduction to the model and its application to ARFID.