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Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART): An Emerging Tool in Treating Trauma and Eating Disorders

Course Description:

Accelerated Resolution Therapy is an evidencedbased practice that uses eye movements to change the way negative images and memories are stored in the brain. ART is easy to learn and use and has gained considerable attention for its ability to treat the behavioral health symptoms associated with trauma. This presentation will review the core tenants of ART, inclusive of ART development, current research, and training. We will review a pilot training program in ART that was implementedfor an eating disorder population in a treatment setting. This pilot program focused on using ART to address specific traumatic memories for patients with an eating disorder across three different levels of care. Results from pre and posttesting for 28 patients with an eating disorder who were treated with ART will be presented along with select specific cases.

Learning Objectives:

  1. To Identify the core tenants of Accelerated Response Therapy along with research which supports its’ use as an evidencedbased practice for the treatment of trauma
  2. To understand the ART training and implementation experience across an eating disorder treatment continuum (inclusive of Inpatient, Residential, and Clinicbased levels of care) and to review the results of a pilot study
  3. To discuss casespecific cases that support the use of ART as a tool in the treatment of individuals with an eating disorder and a cooccurring trauma.

Rebekah Bardwell Doweyko, M.Ed., LPC, CEDS

Rebekah Bardwell, LPC, CEDSS is the Assistant Vice President of Clinical Operations, Connecticut Region, at Walden Behavioral Care. In this role, Bekah is responsible for program development and clinical, administrative and fiscal oversight of ambulatory clinics in Amherst, MA, Worcester, MA South Windsor, CT, Guilford, CT and our inpatient unit inRockville, CT. Prior to working at Walden, Bekah was an Intensive Care Manager at the Connecticut Behavioral Health Partnership (Value Options, Inc.) in Rocky Hill, CT. She also founded and directed the Intuitive Eating Program (IOP) at Hollywood Pavilion Hospital in Hollywood, FL and held various clinical positions at The Renfrew Center in Coconut Creek, FL. Bekah composed the foreword to the highly acclaimed “Maintaining Recovery from Eating Disorders” selfhelp book by Naomi Feigenbaum and was featured in the Emmy Nominated HBO Documentary “THIN.” Bekah earned her Master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling from Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, FL, is a Licensed Professional Counselor in the State of Connecticut and is a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist.

Robert J. Keane, Ph.D., LICSW

Bio coming soon