Utilization of empirically supported psychotherapy treatments for individuals with eating disorders: A survey of psychologists

Abstract

Objective The purpose of this study was to assess the primary methods used by psychotherapists in treating individuals with eating disorders and to determine the extent to which certain empirically supported psychotherapies (i.e., cognitive behavioral therapy [CBT] and interpersonal psychotherapy [IPT]) are used in clinical settings. Method Surveys developed for this study were sent to 500 psychologists randomly selected from a list of all licensed doctoral‐level psychologists in an upper midwestern state. Results Despite the findings that CBT techniques were reported to be frequently used, most respondents identified something other than CBT or IPT as their primary theoretical approach. In addition, the majority of repondents indicated not having received training in the use of manual‐based, empirically supported treatment approaches for working with individuals with eating disorders, although most reported a desire to obtain such training. Conclusions Although commonly referred to as the “treatments of choice” in research literature, manual‐based, empirically supported approaches to working with individuals with eating disorders has not received adequate dissemination. © 2000 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 27: 230–237, 2000.

Who is Providing what Type of Psychotherapy to Eating Disorder Clients? A Survey

“…Surveys of clinicians regarding EST use with eating-disordered clients have focused on psychologists (Haas & Clopton, 2003;Mussell et al, 2000) or academic medical center affiliates (McAlpine et al, 2004). We know little about the frequency of use of, or attitudes about, psychotherapies by the range of other community therapists working with those with eating disorders, such as social workers, nurses, and paraprofessional counselors, who have varying training and values (Garfield & Bergin, 1994).…”

“…In addition, sampling problems may have affected the reliability of results obtained in previous research. Surveys of clinicians have had low to moderate response rates, ranging from 20% to 55% (Haas & Clopton, 2003;McAlpine et al, 2004;Mussell et al, 2000). Particularly when response rates are low, results may be biased if nonrespondents differ from respondents in important ways (Gore-Felton, Koopman, Bridges, Thoresen, & Spiegel, 2002).…”

“…We developed a 25-item interview by adapting and expanding a survey used by Mussell et al (2000). Six CEDEN members reviewed a draft of the interview.…”

“…Only one third of psychologists in one survey reported their primary treatment approach with eating-disordered clients was CBT (Mussell et al, 2000). Seventeen percent of psychologists in another survey indicated that they ''definitely'' used an empirically validated treatment with eating-disordered clients (Haas & Clopton, 2003).…”

The dissemination and implementation of psychological treatments: Problems and solutions

“…If we take the example of the eating disorders, a specific form of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) has been the leading evidencebased treatment for bulimia nervosa for at least two decades, yet there is good evidence that it is not widely practiced. 2,3 Similar findings exist for other mental health problems and, indeed, across the whole of medicine. It is for this reason there is a burgeoning interest in how to improve the dissemination and implementation of evidence-based treatments.…”