EDSD Foundations:

Eating Disorders for Sports Dietitians (Step 1)

 

This 2-part workshop is designed specifically for Sports Dietitians who may encounter athletes experiencing low energy availability, disordered eating, or eating disorders. It builds foundational confidence in identifying warning signs, understanding your scope of practice, and responding appropriately within sporting environments.

Grounded in the stepped system of care framework from the National Eating Disorders Collaboration and aligned with the Practice Standards of the Australian and New Zealand Academy for Eating Disorders, this workshop integrates eating disorder literacy with the realities of high-performance sport.

Live, online (and recorded)

Part 1: Tuesday May 19th, 2026; 9am-1pm AEST

Part 2: Tuesday June 2nd 2026 9am-1pm AEST

Learn more and register

📌 Outline:

  • Understand what EDs are, how they can emerge and why athletes are uniquely an at-risk group

  • Clarify your scope and delineate your role within your workplace

  • Identify key opportunities for advocacy in support of the prevention of EDs in the sports setting

  • Recognise orange and red flags as key warning signs

  • Differentiate eating disorders from REDs, and (importantly!) next steps to prioritise athlete care

  • Early warning signs in athletes (including adolescents)

  • Identify medical and psychological signs requiring more immediate escalation

  • How to have difficult but supportive conversations with athletes, coaches and families that can propel next steps of care

  • When and how to refer within a multidisciplinary model

  • Building referral pathways inside and outside sporting organisations

  • Next steps to build your skills


📎 Resources you’ll also take with you include:

  • A REDs vs ED clarification tool

  • Screening and Assessment template

  • Sample communications to members of the inter-disciplinary team

  • Practical conversation scripts that you can utilise with athletes, coaches, PST and others within the support system

  • A "warning signs" checklist, with clear next steps

  • A referral pathway template


**Are you an Australian Sports Dietitian considering the ANZAED Eating Disorder Credential? Great news! This training is in the process of being approved by NEDC for "Introduction to Eating Disorders" which is Step 1 of the 2-Step ED Training Pathway.

This is not an advanced treatment workshop (that's the next step!) - this is a solid, thorough foundations training designed to ensure that Sports Dietitians feel confident, clear, and ethically grounded when concerns arise.


FEES:

SDA Member Price** AUD $245 +GST

Non SDA Member Price AUD $295 +GST, or USD$245 for folks outside Aus/NZ

**SDA Members snag yourself the $50 discount off the non-member price with the code provided in your member newsletter or just reach out to me at themindfuldietitian@gmail.com, I'm happy to hand it over!!

Learn more and register here
 

Your host:

 

Hi! I'm Fiona Sutherland, Advanced Sports Dietitian and your host for this training.

As a combined Sports Dietitian and ED specialist for over 20 years now, I'm passionate about offering accessible opportunities for Sports Dietitians to upskill and feel more confident to play our part in the prevention, early intervention and timely care of athletes who are dealing with any kind of disruption to their food, eating and/or body image.

I’ve spent years working with high performance organisations, teams and athletes and truly, if there’s one thing I wish for - it’s that every Sports Dietitian has foundational knowledge and skills in eating disorders. Not necessarily that every SD is a part of a treatment team, but that we can all play our part in supporting safer sports spaces - not only for athletes but EVERYONE in the space (us included)

I’m really looking forward to this training, and hope to see you there!


 

Some notes:

Would you prefer to do the Foundations Course for general Dietetics rather than for Sports Dietitians? That's available too! Take a look here, and take your pick. The difference is that this course is much more specifically geared towards Sports Dietitians, and work with athletes but if you work with non-athletes too, there'll be plenty here you can translate across to most people you'll be seeing in general practice.

Please feel invited to reach out directly to me at themindfuldietitian@gmail.com with any questions, or just to connect!

Warm wishes,

Fiona