Identifying Education, Training, and Practice Needs of Primary Care Social Workers Treating Eating Disorders

Eating disorders are serious and life-threatening mental health conditions. Often primary care is the first contact for eating disorder clients, but frequently these disorders go undetected or misdiagnosed, delaying treatment and recovery. Primary care social workers are on the frontline of mental health treatment in primary care, and have the potential to play a critical role in early detection and intervention for eating disorders. Yet there is limited research examining their experiences and training needs. This article proposes research, education, practice, and policy recommendations to improve the detection and treatment of eating disorders in primary care.IMPLICATIONS Often eating disorders require interdisciplinary treatment for full recovery, yet may go undetected in primary care settings.Primary care social workers need to be prepared to identify and treat eating disorders in a timely manner.More research is needed to understand primary care social workers’ experiences and training needs related to eating disorder care.