Gudmundsdottir stepping down from INFACT leadership
Esther Helga Gudmundsdottir of Iceland is stepping down from leadership of the INFACT School..
“I have research and writing obligations to fulfill. Once I let go of working in treatment and the INFACT School, I hope to have the energy to get it all on paper,” Gudmundsdottir said.
Gudmundsdottir, a past chairwoman of the Food Addiction Institute, founded the school a decade ago, and began awarding certifications in 2017. More than 130 students from almost 20 countries are now certified Food Addiction professionals as a result.
Esther was an early participant in the ACORN Professional Training Program, which was operated by Phil Werdell, the institute’s founder. A substantial step forward from her own training was that, for INFACT, she affiliated with the European Certification Board, adding institutional endorsement to her students’ diplomas.
“Esther Helga has worked tirelessly educating the public in Iceland and throughout the world about Food Addiction and its treatment, and her contributions to the field cannot be ignored,” said Mary Foushi, ACORN co-founder. “Her legacy will live on through INFACT, the professionals it has trained, and the Food Addicts who’ve been led to recovery.”
Gudmundsdottir announced her decision to the INFACT community last month, expressing the hope that new leadership will emerge. In an interview, she said, “What I hope is that people will step up to continue our mission.”
Gudmundsdottir, a recovering Food Addict herself dedicated to abstinence from binge and trigger foods and behaviors for late-stage Food Addicts, has operated MFM, a treatment center in Iceland that has treated more than 3,000 Food Addicts, since 2006.
In 2014, she organized a conference on Food Addiction in Reykjavik. At the end, participants formed Matarheill, an organization of health professionals advocating for Food Addiction’s inclusion in Iceland’s national healthcare system.