Using Formulation to Navigate Complex Cases (Workshop)

WAEDOCS

About this event

Complex presentations are no longer rare in the eating disorders field. Co-occurring difficulties, 
thorny family dynamics, distorted beliefs about ‘healthy’ eating, medical complications, and shifts 
in our socio-cultural milieu all require clinicians to consider, and be sensitive to, a broad range of 
issues – many of which are not covered at university or in brief trainings on evidence-based 
treatment. When faced with multiple issues, what should we prioritise?

This workshop offers an opportunity to reflect on practice and explore different ways of 
conceptualising complex cases. The discussion will raise questions that support reflection on 
current approaches, with a specific focus on the importance of using a personalised formulation 
as a dynamic “roadmap” for treatment planning. Formulations should be developed 
collaboratively with the patient and evolve over time as the patient and therapist gain a deeper 
understanding of factors that have contributed to the development of, and/or are maintaining, the 
eating disorder.

During the workshop, case vignettes will be presented and examined through the lenses of 
various formulations – both treatment-specific and more general – to clarify potential directions 
and priorities. These will be discussed together and in groups, encouraging all options, including 
left-of-field ideas, brave suggestions, and idiosyncratic solutions, alongside more conventional 
approaches. With no single “right” answer, the workshop will create space to consider both outof-the-box thinking and more traditional clinical strategies.