Exposure Therapy for Eating Disorders: Helping Clients Face Fears, 4.0 CE
May 22nd, 2026 from 12:00-4:00PM ET on Zoom
Presented by Cheri A. Levinson, PhD & Irina Vanzhula, PhD
Evidence for the effectiveness of exposure therapy for eating disorders are growing. In this hands-on
workshop we will first describe the anxiety-avoidance cycle and discuss several different types of
exposures for eating disorders, including imaginal exposure for fear of weight gain, body exposures, food
exposures, and social exposures. The second half of the workshop will involve interactive practice and
discussion of how to implement exposure, including discussion of common barriers that may be
encountered.
*We will include exposure practices, including developing a hierarchy and practicing implementation of
exposure. (1.5 hours)
Skill Level: Intermediate
Workshop Objectives
Based on the content of this workshop, attendees will be able to...
- Describe and explain the high overlap of anxiety, OCD, PTSD and eating disorders.
- Describe appropriate assessment of eating disorders.
- Apply several different types of exposure interventions for eating disorders.
- Explain with how to help eating disorder clients’ face their fears using exposure based principals.
About the Presenters
Dr. Cheri Levinson is a Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and in the
Department of Pediatrics, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology at the University of
Louisville and Director of the Eating Anxiety Treatment (EAT) lab. She is also the Founder of the Louisville
Center for Eating Disorders, which is the only eating disorder specialty clinic in the state of KY, where she
treats patients, and supervises and trains other clinicians and students in evidence-based treatments for
eating disorders. Currently Dr. Levinson is Chair of the KY Eating Disorder Council, which is a state
sponsored council charged with improving eating disorder treatment and access to treatment in KY.
Dr. Levinson’s research focuses on building new treatments for eating disorders, primarily using new
technologies. To do this work she uses advanced analytics and technologies, such as individual network
analysis, ecological momentary assessment, and wearable sensor technologies. Dr. Levinson has
published more than 200 peer-reviewed manuscripts and chapters and four books, including two
upcoming books on Evidence-Based Personalized Treatment. Dr. Levinson has been the primary
investigator on several national grants and awards (7 currently funded grants from the National Institute of
Mental Health), including four active clinical trials tested exposure therapy and personalized treatments
for eating disorders. She has received several awards for her work including the 2023 Society for Science
of Clinical Psychology Early Research 2023 SSCP Susan Nolen-Hoeksema Early Career Award, 2021
Association for Psychological Science Rising Star Award, 2020 American Psychological Association Theo
Blau Award, and the Academy for Eating Disorders 2015 Outstanding Scientific Contribution Award.
Dr. Levinson’s clinical works focuses on the treatment of adults, adolescents, and children with eating
disorders. She specializes in the treatment of comorbid disorders (eating disorders, OCD and anxiety
disorders) using empirically supported cognitive-behavioral techniques. Dr. Levinson has worked in all
levels of eating disorder care, including outpatient, partial-hospitalization, residential, and inpatient care.
Before moving home to Louisville, Dr. Levinson trained at the University of North Carolina Center of
Excellence in Eating Disorders (CEED). While at CEED, she trained in cognitive behavioral therapies,
dialectical behavior therapy, family based therapy for adolescents with anorexia nervosa, acceptance and
commitment therapy, and mindfulness therapies for eating disorders. Dr. Levinson was a post-doctoral
fellow at the Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry, where she
developed technology based treatments for eating disorders. She completed her clinical internship at the
University of North Carolina School of Medicine. She received her Master’s and Doctoral degrees in the
psychology department at Washington University in St. Louis. She completed her undergraduate degree in
psychology and history at the University of Kentucky.
Dr. Irina Vanzhula is an Assistant Research Professor in the EAT Lab in the Department of Psychological and
Brain Sciences at the University of Louisville and a licensed psychologist. She graduated with her doctoral
degree in clinical psychology from the University of Louisville. She was the recipient of the Guy Stevenson
Award for Excellence in Graduate Studies and the Philanthropic Educational Organization (P .E.O.) Scholar
Award. Dr. Vanzhula completed her predoctoral internship at the University of Chicago School of Medicine
and a 2-year postdoctoral fellowship at the Eating Disorders Program at Johns Hopkins School of
Medicine. Prior to returning to the EAT Lab, Dr. Vanzhula worked as an Assistant Research Professor at the
Center for the Advancement of Research on Eating Behaviors (CARE Lab) at the University of Kansas. Dr.
Vanzhula has been appointed as a Presidential Research Scholar with the Louisville Center for Clinical and
Translational Research Center.
Dr. Vanzhula’s research focuses on improving treatments for individuals with eating disorders by
leveraging technology and cutting-edge methodology. Specifically, Dr. Vanzhula’s projects aim to 1)
Develop adjunct interventions (such as meal support) that fill the gaps in existing treatment, 2) Adapt
effective treatments for other comorbid conditions to the treatment of EDs (such as exposure and
response prevention, mindfulness), and 3) Use novel statistical methodology (such as network analysis
and machine learning) to identify personalized treatment targets.
Audience:
This workshop is appropriate for Psychologists, Social Workers, Other Mental Health Professionals.
Registration
Cancellation Policy
Cancellations received on/before May 21st, 2026 will receive a 90% refund. No refunds are available after May 21st, 2026. All refund requests must be in writing to KPA, 8004 Lyndon Centre Way, Suite 202, Louisville, KY 40222 or [email protected].
CE Credits/Attendance
This program has been approved for 4.0 CE credits by the Kentucky Psychological Association (KPA).
It is important to note that APA continuing education rules require that KPA only give credit to those who attend the entire workshop. Those who login more than 15 minutes after the scheduled start time or leave before the workshop is completed will not receive CE credit. Partial credit may not be given.
Psychologists:
KPA is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. KPA maintains responsibility for this program and its content. KPA is also an approved sponsor for the Kentucky Board of Examiners of Psychology.
Social Workers & Art Therapists:
KPA is an approved sponsor for the Kentucky Board of Social Work, the Kentucky Board of Professional Art Therapists. (Provider #1004)
Pastoral Counselors:
KPA is approved to offer Continuing Education to Pastoral Counselors as stated in 201 KAR 38:070, Section 3(1)(b) as an approved KBEP provider.
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