INFACT

The International School for Food Addiction Counseling and Treatment

Learn from the Experts!

Welcome to the INFACT School – the world’s first and only sugar/food addiction counseling training, resulting in professional certification from an accredited certification body. Graduates qualify to receive a Certified Food Addiction Professional (CFAP) certificate from the European Certification Board and a CFAP from the US National Addiction Professional Certification Board.

Our next course begins on September 08th, 2023 – May 2024, and we’re open for applications!

The INFACT School course description:

  • This seven-month training is designed for current or future professionals in addiction, social work, health, obesity, nutrition, physical education, etc.
    It will benefit anyone wishing to increase their knowledge of the root causes of food addiction/compulsive eating and the enduring solution. All graduates will have learned effective counseling and treatment methods to achieve lasting recovery.
  • Over 100 students have graduated since this groundbreaking training was introduced in 2016. INFACT alums are launching their practices and being hired as CERTIFIED Food Addiction Professionals (CFAPs) for leading obesity centers, hospitals, and food addiction treatment centers!
  • The course consists of 170 online virtual sessions (taught in English).  The next training begins on September 8th, 2023 through March 4, 2023. 
    Click here for the complete course AGENDA and SCHEDULE.
  • Each online virtual session lasts four hours (from the US 10 am-2 pm EST). Classes include lectures, hands-on teaching/learning, and active discussion.
  • Sessions are conducted through the online video conferencing site Zoom, with a live meeting format that includes audio and video.
  • Those completing the training are qualified for certification by the European Certification Board (www.ec-board.com) as a Certified Food Addiction Professional (CFAP) and now as well from the US National Addiction Professional Certification Board (www.certbd.org ).
  • Participants have already graduated from the USA, Canada, South America, Australia, England, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, France, Spain, Germany, Hungary, Malta, Israel, Jordan, Dubai, and Iceland.
  • Tuition for the Infact School training is US $ 4.500.-. This price includes 170 hours of online virtual teaching sessions, access to the student platform that includes lectures, the teaching manual, and other materials, and the cost of the first Food Addiction Professional certificate (CFAP) from the European Certification Board.
    We offer a 20% discount if registered and paid by July 2023 and a 10% discount if registered and paid by September 3rd, 2023.
    We offer payment plans for as low as the US $ 350.- per month; please contact us for further information. 
  • Those interested, please email Esther H. Gudmundsdottir at info@infactschool.com for a private application interview.

Why INFACT?

The INFACT training allows you to learn from
eleven of the world’s leading Food Addiction experts.

“No other Food Addiction program offers anything comparable,” explains INFACT’s Director, Esther H. Gudmundsdottir, MSc. “No other programs teach the clinical criteria for Food Addiction counseling and treatment. INFACT is the only school and training accepted for certification by certifying bodies worldwide. We’re the first and only,” adds Gudmundsdottir, who directs Iceland’s MFM Center for Treatment of Food Addiction. “The lineup of teachers and lecturers is a unique blend of pioneers and specialists in this field. Between us, we have over 200 years of combined experience in counseling and treating the disease of Sugar/Food Addiction and expertise in metabolic science.”

INFACT 2022-23 will be taught by a panel of eleven international experts on the forefront of Food Addiction, counseling, treatment, biochemistry, medicine, metabolic science, and nutrition. Online course instructors include Phil Werdell, MA (USA), Vera Tarman, MD (Canada), Marty Lerner, Ph.D. (USA), Guttorm Toverud, Ph.D. (Norway/USA), Theresa Wright, MS (USA), Mary Foushi, CFA (USA), and Esther H. Gudmundsdottir, MSc. (Iceland), plus special guest lecturers Dr. Robert Lustig (USA), and Dr. Nicole Avena (USA).
Our newest additions are Susan, Peirce Thomson, director of Bright line eating; Amanda Leith, director of SHIFT recovery; and Karla Osborn, Registered Therapeutic Counselor.

Click here for more information about INFACT’s expert instructors!

Becoming credentialed with a CFAP certification sets you apart from other service providers as a highly qualified and specialized Certified Food Addiction Professional. Your CFAP certification assures employers, referral sources, clients, and their families that you have met internationally recognized standards of professionalism and ethics. As a certified FAP, you have demonstrated professional competency through comprehensive training, earned qualifications, and first-hand experience verified by a respected, independent evaluator.

Certification by an international consortium of Food Addiction professionals proves that you’ve achieved the professional education and experience necessary to provide trustworthy Sugar/Food addiction counseling, treatment, and recovery services. Moreover, credentialing demonstrates your commitment to continuing education as a requirement for recertification. Nothing else can similarly assure the public that you abide by the highest standards of quality and integrity.

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The INFACT Certified Food Addiction Professional (CFAP) certification course was patterned after the European Certification Board’s (ECB’s) Alcohol and Drug Counselor curriculum, beginning with their requirements and examination for Alcohol and Drug Counselor certification. However, with the ECB’s oversight and approval, INFACT’s curriculum, course work, and examination have been significantly adapted to meet the unique requirements identified in the ECB’s detailed CFAP job analysis.

The result is a specialized Food Addiction Professional curriculum taught by a collection of foremost Sugar/Food Addiction experts. The INFACT curriculum includes first-hand, experiential training tailored to further students’ understanding of Sugar/Food Addiction and the counseling/treatment methods necessary to treat various eating disorders as an addiction effectively. This credentialing and certification process has provided much-needed standardization of the rapidly evolving professional standards of Sugar/Food Addiction counseling and treatment.

The ECB has entrusted INFACT to administer the ECB-approved final examination and attest that, upon graduation, every INFACT student has met all ECB requirements for certification. The ECB has also entrusted INFACT to evaluate each student’s need for clinical supervision of their future FAP work and dictate each student’s requirement for clinical supervision on an individual basis, according to the factors detailed below. As an INFACT student, you can rest assured that upon graduation, you will have already successfully fulfilled all of the ECB’s FAC certification requirements (with the understanding that your future work as a Food Addiction Professional will be performed by several clinical supervision hours INFACT deems appropriate in your specific case.) Please see the Clinical Supervision section below for more information.

The ECB has entrusted INFACT to assess and approve applicants for admission to the course, ensuring that each candidate meets the following ECB requirements. In addition to submitting the online Registration Form, please submit the following items via email to esther@infact.is to complete your application:

  • a written summary of your education and work training history, qualifications, and specializations;
  • a written summary of your 12-step knowledge and participation;
  • and two letters of recommendation.
  • Please be aware that INFACT training is taught in English. Understanding the English language is a requirement for admission.
  • Upon receiving your application, Esther Helga Gudmundsdottir (Director of INFACT) will contact you to arrange an online application interview via Zoom’s online video conferencing roomZoom.

For the online portion of the training, you will need a computer with audio, video capabilities and a stable Internet connection. Active involvement in INFACT’s live, online course is essential, along with the following obligations:

  • weekly submission of assignments and activities;
  • participation in a student group that works together between sessions;
  • presentation of a final project;
  • and the passing of an ECB-approved final examination.

The requirements for INFACT graduation and for ECB certification are one and the same. The ECB has entrusted INFACT to address all ECB certification requirements as part of INFACT training. Thus, if you are admitted to (and graduate from) INFACT, you are automatically qualified for ECB certification. Upon graduation, you will need to submit an application to the ECB for certification; however, the cost of your first-year certificate is included with your INFACT tuition.

ECB certification is granted with the understanding that you will perform your future work as a Food Addiction Counselor according to the number of clinical supervision hours INFACT deems appropriate in your specific case.

INFACT will prepare and assist you in meeting all of these ECB requirements for FAC certification.

  • References: The ECB (and therefore INFACT) requires two references at the time of application. If your application is approved for admission to the course, you have met the ECB’s certification requirement for references.
  • Education: Graduation from INFACT training meets all 300 of the ECB’s educational requirements, including six hours explicitly devoted to counselor ethics.
  • Examination: The ECB has entrusted INFACT to administer the ECB-approved final examination. No further testing will be required when you apply for ECB certification.
  • Code of Ethics: A signed, ECB-approved Code of Ethics agreement for Food Addiction Counseling is required for graduation and certification. Please see the Code of Ethics section for a sample of the agreement.
  • Clinical Supervision: INFACT has been entrusted by the ECB to evaluate each graduate individually regarding the number of clinical supervision hours required, within 1,000 to 6,000 hours. Please see the Clinical Supervision section below for details on the criteria INFACT uses to make this assessment.

Clinical supervision is an important part of counselors’ professional advancement and the development of counseling proficiency. As such, it’s an essential component for ensuring high-quality patient care. The main goals of clinical supervision are to train, educate, support, and guidance counselors. Newer counselors need to have clinical supervisors they can count on for mentoring, leadership, clinical direction, professional training opportunities, and encouragement.

As described in the above section on Graduation/Certification Requirements, INFACT has been entrusted by the ECB to evaluate each graduate individually regarding the number of clinical supervision hours required. INFACT makes this individual determination within 1,000 to 6,000 hours, based on the following ECB-approved criteria.

  • Work Experience: INFACT will consider how each graduate’s past work experience relates to Food Addiction Counseling.
  • Educational Background: INFACT will determine an appropriate level of equivalence for previous, relevant education. For example, an associate´s degree in behavioral science might substitute for 1000 hours of clinical supervision; a bachelor´s degree in behavioral science might substitute for 2000 hours; a master´s degree in behavioral science might substitute for 4000 hours, and so on.
  • 12-Step Knowledge and Experience: INFACT will individually assess each graduate’s knowledge and experience with 12-Step programs of recovery as an additional factor in determining how much clinical supervision of their future FAC work will be needed.
  • Upon certification, graduates may begin practicing as a Food Addiction Professional under clinical supervision. ECB certificates are granted to INFACT students upon graduation to understand that, as new practitioners, they will faithfully fulfill the number of clinical supervision hours assessed by INFACT in their future FAC work.

As described above, a signed, ECB-approved Code of Ethics agreement for Food Addiction Counseling is required for graduation and certification.

 

INFACT Code of Ethics Statement  (Sample)

As a Certified Food Addiction Professional, I recognize that ethical standards are fundamental to my professional practice. I commit to upholding the highest standard of ethical care, free from weight bias, in all my relationships with clients, colleagues, health care professionals, and the public.

The INFACT Code of Ethics was written to govern the conduct of its students and graduates. It is the accepted Standard of Conduct for all Certified Food Addiction Professionals (CFAPs) certified by INFACT.

I agree to abide by this Code of Ethics within my scope of practice as a Certified Food Addiction Professional. I also agree that my actions will be specifically focused on helping clients deal with issues relating to their recovery from Food Addiction.

Name (printed)_____________________________________________________  Signature______________________________________________ Date:_______________________

40 hours of continuing education must be earned every two years to remain eligible for bi-annual ECB recertification.