How to Become a Feeding Therapist

There is no one path to becoming a feeding therapist. Every feeding therapist has had a different story of how they specialized in feeding. A therapist that is interested in feeding can either become skilled or certified. Becoming skilled includes no credentials, and learning is all self-taught or from a current feeding therapist. Becoming a certified feeding therapist includes credentials by taking a series of classes that allow the therapist to acquire advanced knowledge of feeding therapy practices. In order to become a confident feeding therapist, it is recommended that both occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants search for feeding therapy mentors, observe feeding therapy sessions, actively treat a feeding therapy session with supervision/feedback, read books, and take as many CEU/webinars as possible. The following resources are recommended courses, readings, and steps to becoming certified!

Recommended Self-Education

• Pediatric Feeding Disorders on Summit Professional Education

• Food Chaining Book by Fraker, C., Fishbein, M., Cox, S., & Walbert, L.

• Infant and Child Feeding and Swallowing: Occupational Therapy Assessment and Intervention by Sherna Marcus & Suzanna Breton

• Anxious eaters, anxious mealtimes: Practical and compassionate strategies for mealtime peace by Marsha Dunn Klein

• Pre-Feeding Skills: A Comprehensive Resource For Mealtime (Second-Edition) by Suzanne Evans Morris & Marsha Dunn Klein

• Feeding Matters

How to become a certified feeding therapist?

• When an occupational therapist becomes certified, they will have the credentials SCFES, which stands for Specialty Certification in Feeding, Eating, and Swallowing (SCFES) (Feeding Matters, n.d.)

• Steps:

  • https://www.feedthepeds.com/

    • OR

  • https://sosapproachtofeeding.com/sos-certification/

References

Basco, K. K. (n.d.). Pediatric feeding disorders - summit professional education. Summit

Education. https://summit-education.com/course/CFEEKB.1/pediatric-feeding-

disorders#VIDEO/ONDEMAND.CFEEKB.1

Feeding matters. (n.d.). Feeding skill. https://www.feedingmatters.org/what-is-pfd/feeding-

skill/

Fraker, C., Fishbein, M., Cox, S., Walbert, L. (2007, November 2). Food chaining: The proven

6-step plan to stop picky eating, solve feeding problems, and expand your child’s diet.

Hachette Books.

Klein, M. D. (2019, November 8). Anxious eaters, anxious mealtimes: Practical and

compassionate strategies for mealtime peace. Archway Publishing.

Marcus, S., & Breton, S. (Eds.). (2022). Infant and child feeding and swallowing: Occupational

therapy assessment and intervention (2nd ed.) AOTA Press.

Morris, S. M., & Klein M. D. (2000, January 1). Pre-feeding skills: A comprehensive resource

for mealtime development. Pro-ed International Publisher.