Esther Helga Gudmundsdottir MSc. Director of INFACT, from Iceland.
Esther Helga Gudmundsdottir is a pioneer in the field of food addiction treatment. Once an opera singer and opera teacher, Esther was battling food addiction for most of her adult life until she discovered a twelve step program that changed her life.
Once in recovery, she opened one of the first food addiction treatment programs in the world. The MFM program in Iceland has treated many people, some of them had tried multiple diets and even surgery in an attempt to live a healthier life. Esther’s program gives them hope and the tools to achieve long term recovery. Based on the twelve steps of Alcoholic Anonymous, their success rate long term is much higher than any other medical intervention.
Once in recovery, she opened one of the first food addiction treatment programs in the world. The After establishing the treatment center, Esther realized that not only the patients needed help with food addiction but also the professionals. She then founded the International School For Food Addiction Counseling And Treatment (INFACT), an international training program for any type of professional willing to learn about food addiction and how to help those suffering with it. The seven months online course, Food Addiction Professional Certification Primary Course, is open to all and it provides an excellent evidence-based knowledge on Food Addiction diagnosis and treatment. The list of lecturers is very impressive, from Nicole Avena to Robert Lustig (author of Metabolical) to experienced counselors on the field of food addiction like Phil Werdell. At the end of the course, attendees receive a Food Addiction Professional Certificate from the European Certification Board.
On top of this impressive curriculum, Esther is the Executive Director and Chair of the Food Addiction Institute (FAI), an independent, non-profit organization whose mission is to support the healing of all food addicts, founded in 2005.
Esther’s credentials include;
- Master of Managing Health Services.
- IC&RC and European Certification Board Certified in Addiction Counseling, Food Addiction and Clinical Supervision and an ACORN Food Addiction Professional.
- Clinical Hypnotherapist Dip.CH., CPTF, ST Cert.
- Specialty: Treatment for Food Addiction/Codependency/ Addictions.
- Chair of the Food Addiction Institute;
- Founder and Director of the INFACT School (International School for Food Addiction Counseling and Treatment),
- Founder and Director of the MFM Food Addiction Treatment Center in Iceland.
