Virtual | Q3 Chapter Meeting + Presentation
FREE 1-HR CE Included
Date: Friday, September 18, 2026
Time:11:30A Meeting | 12-1P Presentation
Location: Virtual – Registration
Presentation Title | Integrating Parts Work into Eating Disorder Treatment
Speaker | Alyssa Booth, MA LPC
Overview | Eating disorder behaviors rarely show up out of nowhere. Restriction, bingeing, purging, and body checking are usually doing a job. They're protecting something. This session looks at eating disorders through an Internal Family Systems lens, walking through how these behaviors function as protective parts rather than symptoms to eliminate, and what changes clinically when we stop fighting the eating disorder and start getting curious about what it's guarding. We'll cover the basics of the IFS model, how protector and exile dynamics tend to show up in ED presentations specifically, and practical ways to bring this into session — whether IFS is already part of your toolkit or this is your first real introduction to parts work.
Three Objectives |
Recite the basic IFS framework — parts, protectors, exiles, and Self — and how it applies to eating disorder treatment.
Recognize when an eating disorder behavior (restriction, bingeing, purging, body checking) is likely functioning as a protector and identify what it may be protecting.
Demonstrate at least two parts-work techniques for building trust with a protector part, with attention to pacing and contraindications in ED recovery.
Speaker | Alyssa Booth, MA LPC
Bio | Alyssa Booth, MA, LPC, is the owner of The Nourished Mind Counseling & Wellness, a virtual, private-pay group practice serving women, teens, and young adults across Texas. Now in its fifth year, the practice specializes in the treatment of eating disorders, disordered eating, trauma, anxiety, and body image concerns. Alyssa's work with eating disorders began in 2013 during her graduate internship at EDCASA (now Esperanza EDC) in San Antonio and has continued to shape her clinical focus ever since. Her approach is trauma-informed and rooted in a Health at Every Size, Intuitive Eating, and food- and body-inclusive framework, with an emphasis on the somatic and mind-body work that underlies lasting recovery. She works with clients to rebuild trust with their bodies, reduce food-related anxiety, and address the underlying trauma, anxiety, and perfectionism that often drive disordered eating patterns. Alyssa has been presenting to professional audiences since 2017 and currently serves as Secretary for her local IAEDP chapter, supporting continuing education and community among eating disorder professionals.