Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Eating Disorders in Primary Care Settings

Course overview

Course Description This course presents research findings regarding the efficacy of CBT for eating disorders in primary care settings. It also includes an analysis of the number of sessions needed for optimal results. This course is based upon material published in the White Rose University Consortium, Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience and is available as an open access article through PubMed. Abstract Objective This study aimed to determine whether cognitive behavioral therapy CBT for eating disorders can be effective in a routine, primary care clinical setting, and to assess dose response. Methods The participants were 47 patients who commenced treatment with a publicly funded primary care eating disorder service. They attended 7 to 33 sessions of individual CBT, using an evidence based approach. Routine measures were collected pre and post therapy. Results Three quarters of the patients completed treatment. Using intention to treat analysis multiple imputation, the patients showed substantial improvements in eating attitudes, bulimic behaviors, and depression. However, there was no association between the level of improvement and the length of therapy past the 8th to the 12th session. Discussion The level of effectiveness shown here is comparable to that previously demonstrated by more specialist services in secondary and tertiary care. The non linear association between the number of sessions and recovery highlights the importance of early change, across the eating disorders. This course on the efficacy of CBT with eating disorders is designed for social workers, professional counselors, psychologists, and nurses, who do clinical work. This course is appropriate for beginning, intermediate and advanced level practitioners who wish to develop their knowledge of the efficacy of CBT with eating disorders. It may also be useful for licensed clinicians who require clinical continuing education courses for license renewal. The course is based on a journal article which includes research. It contains statistical analysis and data that some clinicians enjoy reading and others do not. A major benefit of reading research based articles for continuing education is they provide practitioners with the latest findings in their field. Authors Rose, Waller Learning Objectives: This course will provide the practitioner with detailed information regarding the efficacy of CBT for eating disorders. Specifically, a professional will: Recognize the impact the number of CBT sessions has on eating attitudes Identify the changes in bulimic behaviors that occur with CBT Explain the importance of early treatment intervention Citation: Rose, C. Waller, G. 2017. Cognitive behavioral therapy for eating disorders in primary care settings: Does it work, and does a greater dose make it more effective?. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 5012, 1350 1355