About the Eating Disorder Training Institute
Meet Our Founders
Dr. Anita Federici PhD, CPsych FAED
Founder & Director, The Centre for Psychology and Emotion Regulation
Co-Developer, MED-DBT
Co-Founder, EDTI
Dr. Federici is an internationally recognized Clinical Psychologist and consultant specializing in eating disorders, personality disorders, and trauma. She is the developer of the MED-DBT framework and has trained thousands of clinicians across North America in evidence-based, compassionate approaches to multidimensional presentations.
A Fellow of the Academy for Eating Disorders (AED) and Adjunct Faculty at York University, Dr. Federici previously served as Co-Chair of the AED Suicide and DBT Special Interest Group and now sits on the AED SIG Oversight Committee.
Known for her dynamic, authentic training style, she bridges clinical science and humanity—helping professionals translate research into scalable, person-centered systems of care. Her work reflects the heart of EDTI: rigorous, relational, and relentlessly hopeful.
Dr. Lucene Wisniewski PhD, FAED
Founder, Center for Evidence-Based Treatment Ohio (CEBT Ohio)
Co-Developer, MED-DBT
Co-Founder, EDTI
Dr. Wisniewski is internationally recognized for her expertise in the treatment of eating disorders and emotion dysregulation. A Fellow and former Board Member of the Academy for Eating Disorders (AED), she has served as Chief Clinical Officer at the Emily Program and Clinical Director of the Cleveland Center for Eating Disorders, one of the first programs to integrate DBT into eating-disorder treatment.
As co-developer of MED-DBT, Dr. Wisniewski has been instrumental in translating DBT’s evidence base into interventions tailored for individuals with multidiagnostic eating-disorder presentations. She is known for her engaging, skill-focused teaching and her ability to make complex concepts clear, accessible, and actionable.
Lucene’s work is guided by the belief that effective care must combine clinical precision with compassion—and that when clinicians are supported, clients can thrive.
Our
Story
Transforming Eating Disorder Care Through Compassion, Science, and Skill
Transforming Eating Disorder Care
The Eating Disorder Training Institute (EDTI) grew out of more than two decades of shared clinical, academic, and implementation work by Dr. Anita Federici and Dr. Lucene Wisniewski, two leaders in the international eating-disorder community.
Drawing from Linehan’s standard DBT model, both recognized the urgent need for a more inclusive, trauma-responsive approach that could serve individuals whose eating disorders coexist with suicidality, self-injury, neurodiversity, and medical instability.
Together, they developed MED-DBT, a principle-driven, multimodal treatment that integrates behavioral science, neuroscience, and compassion-based care. EDTI was established to make that knowledge accessible—to train and support clinicians, programs, and systems seeking to offer care that is both adherent and affirming.
Advancing the Quality and Humanity in Care
The Eating Disorder Training Institute (EDTI) was founded to advance the quality and humanity of care for individuals living with eating disorders and intersecting challenges such as emotion dysregulation, trauma, and other psychiatric or medical conditions.
For too long, clients with multidimensional presentations have been misunderstood—labeled as “treatment resistant” or “unmotivated” when, in fact, our systems of care weren’t designed with their needs in mind. EDTI exists to change that.
Our mission is to bridge research, compassion, and practical application—helping clinicians deliver evidence-based treatment that is scientifically grounded, trauma-informed, and deeply human. Through the frameworks of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and MED-DBT (Multidiagnostic Eating Disorder–DBT), we teach professionals how to stay effective, collaborative, and hopeful in the face of suffering.
Our
Why
To Advance the Quality and Humanity of Care for Individuals Living with Eating Disorders
Our Approach: What Makes Us Different
Eating-Disorder Expertise, DBT Precision
Every EDTI training is built from lived experience treating eating disorders through a DBT lens. We teach with a focus on integration—how to bring behavioral science, medical awareness, and relational work together in one cohesive system.
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