Start a Chapter in Your State!
Benefits
Support and networking with other eating disorder professionals in your area.
Peer supervision: Have someone to talk to about difficult cases. iaedp has a group of approved supervisors who have met certain criterion to receive that recognition.
Buddy referral system: Members can refer clients to one another for groups or other services they do not provide.
Receive newsletters from iaedp.
Chapter events are listed on website.
How to Start
You may want to begin with having lunch at a restaurant with friends you already know, measuring the interest, and making goals for the group and plan how to proceed.
Get list from iaedp of members in your location. (1-800-800-8126).
Contact treatment centers, hospitals, schools, for facility to meet and to help with mailings, brochures, flyers. They may even do a mailing to their mailing lists for you.
Contact state professional organizations-Psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, licensed professional counselors, marriage and family counselors, nutritionists, art and movement therapists to let them know of your new organization. They might even put a public service announcement about your meetings in their newsletters.
Your first task as a group should be to select a President, President Elect, Treasurer, and Secretary. iaedp National recommends 2 year terms for continuity. The President at the end of the term becomes the Immediate Past President. This format will help to keep your group strong and viable.
Hold monthly board meetings. It is suggested that you start out with quarterly membership meetings which are approximately 1.5 hours long and include a 1 hour presentation with the balance of the time spent in networking.
Speakers
Authors, well-respected speakers from the area, panels discussing a particular topic. (You will be surprised the wisdom of your own members.)
You might also offer to speak which will helps others to know your strengths for referrals.
After a few quarterly meetings you might want to plan a conference with a locally well known speaker. Contact a treatment center, hospital, school, community center to hold the conference. Contact different professional organizations and ask them to put a notice of your conference in their newsletter. Send out emails or flyers regarding the time, place, speakers, cost. Ask conference attendees to get involved with your local chapter of iaedp.
Start a Speakers Bureau from your membership. Each time a member speaks to a group, pass out the information on your chapter listing the certified people in your area to let the group know of eating disorder specialists. (More referrals)
Send information about your chapter listing certified members to schools, hospitals, treatment centers, all professional therapy organizations so when the organization needs to know eating disorder professionals, your name will be listed. (More referrals)
Get speakers from your location with different specialties: Psychiatrists, Psychologists, Social Workers, Licensed Professional Counselors, Marriage Counselors, School Counselors, Nutritionists, Art and Movement Therapists
Learn from one another: Have a meeting devoted to case studies: Where difficult cases can be discussed. (This can be done instead of a speaker or on a separate date.)
Allow time at each meeting for networking: (Encourage people to bring flyers about their groups or programs) Get to know one another so you can refer to one another!
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