ARFID is complex. Supporting it requires more than one lens.

Sensory differences, anxiety, neurodivergence, nutritional risk, medical factors, feeding experiences, family dynamics and the wider environment can all shape a person’s relationship with food.

These areas are often assessed and treated separately. The ARFID Empowerment Model™ brings them together.

The programme provides an integrated, manualised framework for assessment, formulation and treatment.

It helps clinicians understand what may be contributing to and maintaining a person’s eating difficulties. It also supports them to identify what needs attention first, and where support, accommodation or capacity building may be most helpful.

Rather than applying the same intervention to every person, the model supports individualised care. The focus is on understanding what is happening for that person and what meaningful progress looks like for them. Neurodiversity-affirming practice, trauma-informed care and responsive feeding principles are woven throughout assessment and intervention.

This Programme Will Help You:

• Develop a comprehensive and individualised understanding of ARFID presentations.

• Bring nutritional, medical, psychological, sensory, neurodevelopmental, relational and environmental information together into a meaningful formulation.

• Recognise nutritional, medical and psychosocial risk and identify appropriate referral pathways.

• Understand how neurodivergence, sensory processing, interoception, executive functioning, masking and burnout can affect eating.

• Apply responsive feeding and trauma-informed principles within ARFID care.

• Recognise the impact of pressure, coercion, shame and previous feeding experiences.

• Support nourishment while balancing nutritional, psychological, sensory and relational needs.

• Identify when accommodations may reduce barriers, support nourishment and improve quality of life.

• Support caregivers and wider systems without blame.

• Develop collaborative goals based on what matters to the individual.

• Use food exploration and exposure in ways that remain responsive, collaborative and consent-based.

• Recognise when exposure may be useful — and when accommodation or another form of support may be more appropriate.

• Measure meaningful progress beyond food variety alone.

• Apply a structured clinical framework while continuing to individualise care.

  
  

The ARFID Empowerment Model™

The model is organised around five interconnected phases:

Phase 1: Assessment, Formulation and Risk- Developing a whole-person understanding of the presentation and identifying immediate priorities.

Phase 2: Felt Safety, Regulation and Relationships- Reducing pressure, understanding experiences around food and creating the conditions in which change may become possible.

Phase 3: Nutrition and Nourishment- Supporting nutritional adequacy, growth and physical safety.

Phase 4: Acceptance, Mindset and Capacity Building- Supporting autonomy, confidence and meaningful change through collaborative, individually matched approaches.

Phase 5: Accommodations, Integration and Life- Supporting long-term accommodations, self-advocacy and meaningful participation in everyday life.

The overarching aim is to support individuals and families to move towards:

Safety. Nourishment. Growth. Acceptance. Autonomy. Meaningful participation in life.

Practical Tools You Can Use in Clinical Practice

The ARFID Empowerment Model™ is designed to be applied in practice.

Alongside the live teaching, participants will receive a comprehensive printable manual and access to an online resource hub containing clinical tools, worksheets and templates.

The tools are designed to provide structure while allowing care to remain individualised.

Who Is This Programme For?

This programme is primarily designed for health professionals supporting children, adolescents and young adults with ARFID and selective or restricted eating.

This may include:

Dietitians

Psychologists

Occupational Therapists

Speech-Language Therapists

Medical Professionals

Nurses

Psychotherapists

Social Workers

Counsellors

Eating Disorder and Feeding Clinicians

The programme is dietitian-led and designed for multidisciplinary practice.

Many of the principles and tools can also be adapted for adult practice.

Course Delivery

• 8 Weekly Live Online Sessions. The founding cohort will commence in the week of 14 September 2026 and run for eight weeks.

• All Sessions Recorded. All live sessions will be recorded, with 12 months’ access to the recordings.

• Comprehensive Manual and Resource Hub. Participants will receive a printable course manual and 12 months’ access to the online resource hub, including clinical tools, worksheets, templates and additional course resources.

• Interactive and Applied. Sessions will include clinical examples, case formulation, discussion and opportunities to apply the model in practice.

Programme Investment

Early Bird- NZD $1,295

Standard Registration- NZD $1,495

Payment Plan- 4 × NZD $395

A limited number of reduced-fee places will be considered individually. Please get in touch if cost would otherwise prevent you from participating.

Join the Founding Cohort

The first live cohort of The ARFID Empowerment Model™ begins in the week of 14 September 2026.

Places will be limited to support interaction, discussion and clinical application.