The Professional Counselor | Volume 14, Issue 2 213 attitudes toward treating EDs, revealing challenges related to the lack of specialized graduate training. Among surveyed respondents, only 25.7% reported that their programs offered a specialized course on EDs, while approximately half of the sample (41.3%) divulged that their program dedicated only 1–5 hours of ED-related instruction throughout the curricula. Furthermore, one participant indicated that ED education is “rarely more than one lecture at the master’s level” (Labarta et al., 2023, p. 21). This is particularly concerning as research shows that trainees are not only very likely to encounter a client battling an ED at some point in their professional career (Levitt, 2006) but are also going to be less prepared and effective in treating such clients without specialized ED training in graduate programs (Biang et al., 2024; Labarta et al., 2023). As a result of this lack of ED education, scholars have noted negative implications for helping professions, contributing to clinician incompetence, increased burnout, and diminished self-efficacy when working with ED clients (Labarta et al., 2023; Levitt, 2006; Thompson-Brenner et al., 2012). Clinician competence is a necessary vehicle to not only promote individual accountability but to also ensure the integrity of the broader counseling profession. However, holistic competency development is threatened without adequate, targeted ED training, increasing the likelihood that counselors-intraining (CITs) will encounter recurring treatment failures when working with clients struggling with an ED (Williams & Haverkamp, 2010). Williams and Haverkamp (2010) echoed this sentiment, stating that the field risks the occurrence of “iatrogenesis . . . particularly when the practitioner has a poor understanding of EDs, the negative reactions that eating disordered clients can evoke in the clinician are not managed, and/or there are specific types of process and relationship errors made in therapy” (p. 92). For example, although a school counselor may not serve as the primary treatment provider for an adolescent with bulimia nervosa, their understanding of warning signs and symptoms, supportive collaboration with students and families, and knowledge of specialized community referrals are invaluable to the counseling process (Carney & Scott, 2012). As such, counselor educators must assist CITs with developing essential competencies for treating EDs during graduate training programs, ultimately working toward bridging this gap and improving the quality of care. Addressing the deficit of multicultural research in the field of EDs is of paramount importance, as it directly impacts the practice and education of counselors. Accrediting and professional bodies expect counselor educators to impart multicultural knowledge and skills to CITs, including a focus on diverse cultural and social identities (American Counseling Association [ACA], 2014; Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs [CACREP], 2023). Furthermore, Levitt (2006) emphasized that the significant consequences and growing prevalence of EDs across diverse cultural groups necessitate that clinicians “gain exposure to the etiology, manifestation, and treatment of eating disorders within multiple contexts” (p. 95). This assertion underscores the critical need for a more inclusive and culturally competent approach to assessing, treating, and educating about EDs, emphasizing the urgency of addressing the existing gaps in research. Ultimately, the absence of targeted ED research and training, notably conceptualization and assessment strategies, poses ethical concerns for safeguarding clients’ welfare, rendering trainees ill-equipped to address milder presentations of these disorders, let alone complex cases with more severe symptoms, such as heightened suicidality, enduring medical complications, and acute psychological distress (Kärkkäinen et al., 2018). Research concerning client experiences is also imperative when assessing education and training needs for effective ED treatment. Babb et al. (2022) conducted a meta-synthesis of qualitative research on ED clients’ experiences in ED treatment, illuminating important themes on clinicians’ roles in supporting clients. Several clients reported that some staff perpetuated stereotypes about EDs (e.g., viewing the client as an illness versus a person) and tried to fit clients into specific theoretical frameworks. Clients attributed this lack of awareness and sensitivity to the providers’ lack of specialized training in
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