On Demand

Trauma and Feeding

Supporting Families At Mealtime with a Trauma- Informed Lens

with Karen Dilfer, OTR/L, and Stephanie Cohen, M.A., CCC-SLP, CLC

UPDATED MARCH 2025


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Course Description

Traumatic experiences can have a significant impact on a child’s development and a parent’s confidence and well-being. Many families who have children with feeding challenges have experienced trauma in the past or are attempting to manage feeding situations that feel chronically stressful.

This  webinar will help practitioners who support children with feeding needs identify signs of trauma in children and parents and implement trauma-informed practices in the context of feeding therapy. This session also highlights specific practices to buffer stress, prevent further trauma from occurring, and maximize a child’s developmental gains. Specifically, participants will be presented with strategies to enhance their ability to build strong relationships between the professionals on the team, with parents, and between parents and their children. A strong focus on identification of individualized areas of strength and need with consideration of a family's unique experience, as well as empowerment of parents and caregivers throughout the assessment and therapeutic process, will be part of this presentation. Short case examples and reflection questions will engage participants in applying concepts.

You will learn to:

1. Define trauma and PTSD, including identification of symptoms of PTSD.

2. Understand how specific medical events related to feeding have the potential to be traumatic

3. Identify signs of trauma in patients and serve as a buffer to prevent future trauma

4. Understand how to avoid trauma in feeding therapy

5. Prevent burn-out when working with patients who have experienced trauma

What Past Students Have To Say:

  • "Both presenters were very knowledgeable and professional. The information presented was extremely useful and provided specific ideas/steps to implement into practice immediately. Great work!"

  • "The presentation went right to the point. It clearly emphazised the connection and the importance between emotions and feeding."

  • "I like how you address the issue from a multi-disciplinary perspective. I work in EI on a feeding team and it's not easy to find educational information that is helpful from multiple angles of an issue."

CEU Info

Certificates of attendance will be issued once this course has been fully viewed and 100% has been obtained on quiz. This course fulfills ASHA’s Professional Development Hour requirements, which do not require prior ASHA approval (learn more about ASHA’s guidelines here). For Occupational Therapy practitioners, please check your specific state licensing board to determine how this activity applies to your state’s OT CEU guidelines.

Audience

This intermediate level course is appropriate for occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, physical therapists, assistants, educators, early intervention providers, parents/caregivers, and other professionals (social workers, nurses, registered dietitians, etc.) working with children with feeding challenges. Please contact us at [email protected]  with any needs regarding accommodations.


Instructors

Founder and Senior Instructor Stephanie Cohen, M.A., CCC-SLP, CLC

Stephanie Cohen is a speech-language pathologist and lactation counselor in private practice who has worked with children with complex medical needs and their families for more than 20 years. Stephanie has advanced training in feeding and swallowing disorders; she specializes in working with the 0-3 population and is passionate about helping families of children with feeding and swallowing disorders find ways to make mealtimes more successful and enjoyable. Stephanie has a bachelor of arts and a master of science degree from Northwestern University. She is a credentialed evaluator and provider in IL Early Intervention. Stephanie speaks about a variety of topics, including typical and atypical feeding development, responsive feeding, and trauma-informed feeding assessment and treatment. She enjoys mentoring, collaborating, and teaching. Stephanie also shares information and insight for families and professionals on Instagram (@Learntotalkwithme) and Tiktok (@Learntotalkwithme). She is the author of two board books, My First Learn-to-Talk Book and My First Learn-to-Talk Book: Things That Go (Sourcebooks). Stephanie lives in Northbrook with her husband, three children, and two dogs.

Founder and Senior Instructor Karen Dilfer, MS, OTR/L

Karen Dilfer is an occupational therapist, feeding specialist, and food enthusiast. She has a strong pediatric background and loves to help children with motor, sensory, and mealtime challenges. A Chicago native, Karen enjoys discovering new restaurants and cooking with friends and family. She is a founding member of the Chicago Feeding Group, a non profit organization that seeks to support parents and professions who work with children who struggle to eat. Karen was recently featured in the Chicago Tribune. Karen has a bachelor of science degree from Calvin College and a master’s of science degree from Washington University in St. Louis. She is Neurodevelopmental Treatment (NDT) trained and has also completed post-graduate education in Sensory Integration. Karen trained under Marsha Dunn Klein at Mealtime Connections, LLC, in Tucson, Arizona. Karen is a contributing member to the Get Permission team and regularly teaches Get Permission workshops and webinars. She maintains a private practice and actively treats children with feeding challenges. You can learn more about her work here: www.eatwithkaren.com.

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Available Now On Demand

Cancellations

Cancellations must be in writing and will incur a $25 fee. We are unable to give refunds if more than 10% of the course has been viewed. If the Get Permission Institute or speaker should need to cancel, course fees will be refunded or transferred to another course at the discretion of the participant.