This is the first book to present a roadmap for tailoring acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) to the serious, complex challenges of anorexia nervosa (AN). Leading authorities describe interventions grounded in ACT core processes--Defusion, Acceptance, Attention to the Present Moment, Self-Awareness, Values, and Committed Action. Guidance is provided for conducting functional assessments with adolescents and adults and working toward individualized treatment goals, starting with weight restoration. The book also discusses ways to engage parents and other family members in treatment. It features therapist scripts, sample dialogues, case examples, and reproducible forms and handouts. The large-size format facilitates photocopying; purchasers also get access to a Web page where they can download and print the reproducible materials.
A Process-Focused Guide to Treating Eating Disorders with ACT At some point in clinical practice, most therapists will encounter a client suffering with an eating disorder, but many are uncertain of how to treat these issues. Because eating disorders are rooted in secrecy and reinforced by our culture's dangerous obsession with thinness, sufferers are likely to experience significant health complications before they receive the help they need. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Eating Disorders presents a thorough conceptual foundation along with a complete protocol therapists can use to target the rigidity and perfectionism at the core of most eating disorders. Using this protocol, therapists can help clients overcome anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, and other types of disordered eating. This professional guide offers a review of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) as a theoretical orientation and presents case conceptualizations that illuminate the ACT process. Then, it provides session-by-session guidance for training and tracking present-moment focus, cognitive defusion, experiential acceptance, transcendent self-awareness, chosen values, and committed action-the six behavioral components that underlie ACT and allow clients to radically change their relationship to food and to their bodies. Both clinicians who already use ACT in their practices and those who have no prior familiarity with this revolutionary approach will find this resource essential to the effective assessment and treatment of all types of eating disorders.
Statistics suggests that as many as 2.5 percent of American women suffer from anorexia; of these, further research indicates that one in ten of these will die from the disorder. This is the only book available that addresses the particular needs of anorexics with the techniques of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), a revolutionary new psychotherapy. The authors of this book are pioneering researchers in the field of ACT, with numerous research articles to their credit Despite ever-widening media attention and public awareness of the problem, American women continue to suffer from anorexia nervosa in greater numbers than ever before. This severe psychophysiological condition-characterized by an abnormal fear of becoming obese, a persistent unwillingness to eat, and severe compulsion to lose weight-is particularly difficult to treat, often because the victims are unwilling to seek help. The Anorexia Workbook demonstrates that efforts to control and stop anorexia may do more harm than good. Instead of focusing efforts on judging impulses associated with the disorder as 'bad' or 'negative,' this approach encourages sufferers to mindfully observe these feelings without reacting to them in a self-destructive way. Guided by this more compassionate, more receptive frame of mind, the book coaches you to employ various acceptance-based coping strategies. Structured in a logical, step-by-step progression of exercises, the workbook first focuses on providing you with a new understanding of anorexia and the ways you might have already tried to control the problem. Then the book progresses through techniques that teach how to use mindfulness to deal with out-of-control thoughts and feelings, how to identify choices that lead to better heath and quality of life, and how to redirect the energy formerly spent on weight loss into actions that will heal the body and mind. Although this book is written specifically as self-help for anorexia sufferers, it includes a clear and informative chapter on when you need to seek professional treatment as well as advice on what to look for in a therapist.
Despite ongoing criticism of strict beauty ideals, cosmetic surgeons and diet pill manufacturers continue to thrive and tolerance for body flaws seems to lessen every day. More and more people have begun to internalize a need for physical perfection. And the psychological distress that accompanies body image dissatisfaction leaves many individuals in a long-term struggle. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Body Image Dissatisfaction is a manual for practitioners seeking to help clients let go of self-judgment and preoccupation with body image. Mindfulness and acceptance approaches target the underlying anxiety and perfectionism that keep many trapped in destructive relationships with their bodies. This book presents a clear plan for showing clients how to clarify their values to help broaden their lives and refocus on what is most meaningful and vital to them. It presents a clear ACT protocol, complete with sample scripts, therapy exercises, case studies, and worksheets, for treating body image dissatisfaction. You'll learn from a wide range of clinical examples of body image dissatisfaction, some of which explore manifestations in medical populations. The treatment protocol in this book can be effectively applied to both men and women, across a wide age range.
Disordered eating, negative body image, and problems with weight have become an epidemic—and research shows that traditional treatments are not always effective. This professional resource offers proven-effective interventions using mindfulness and acceptance for treating clients with disordered eating, body image, or weight issues—and for whom other treatments have failed. Millions of people in the United States suffer from eating disorders, and dissatisfaction with weight and body type—even in individuals whose weight is considered normal—is similarly widespread. In addition, more than half of Americans could benefit from healthy weight loss. Unfortunately, not all people with eating disorders or weight concerns respond to traditional therapeutic interventions; many continue to suffer significant symptoms even after treatment. What these clients need is an integrated therapeutic approach that will prove effective in the long run—like the scientifically backed methods in this much-needed clinical guide. Edited by Ann F. Haynos, Jason Lillis, Evan M. Forman, and Meghan L. Butryn; and with contributors including Kay Segal, Debra Safer, and Hugo Alberts; Mindfulness and Acceptance for Treating Eating Disorders and Weight Concerns is the first professional resource to incorporate a variety of proven-effective acceptance- and mindfulness-based approaches—such as acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT)—into the treatment of persistent disordered eating, body image issues, and weight problems. With these evidence-based interventions, you’ll be ready to help your clients move beyond their problems with disordered eating, body dissatisfaction, and weight management once and for all.
If you are an ACT practitioner or mental health professional, this eagerly awaited resource is an essential addition to your professional library. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is an evidence-based therapy that has been successful in treating a variety of psychological issues, such anxiety, depression, substance abuse, trauma, eating disorders, and more. In contrast to other treatment options, ACT has proven extremely effective in helping clients who are “stuck” in unhealthy thought patterns by encouraging them align their values with their thoughts and actions. However, the ACT model is complex, and it’s not always easy to use. Traditionally, ACT is delivered with a focus around six core processes that are often referred to as the hexaflex: cognitive defusion, acceptance, contact with the present moment, observing the self, values, and committed action. Each of these core processes serves a specific function, but they are often made more complex than needed in both theory and in practice. So what if there was a way to simplify ACT in your sessions with clients? Edited by clinical psychologists and popular ACT workshop leaders Kevin L. Polk and Benjamin Schoendorff, The ACT Matrix fuses the six core principles of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) into a simplified, easy-to-apply approach that focuses on client actions and behavior as workable or unworkable, rather than good or bad. Most importantly, you’ll learn how this innovative approach can be used to deliver ACT more effectively in a variety of settings and contexts, even when clients are resistant or unmotivated to participate. This is the first book to utilize the ACT Matrix model, and it is a must-read for any ACT practitioner looking to streamline his or her therapeutic approach.
Now in its second edition, this established text provides the practical information needed to treat patients with anorexia nervosa and related eating disorders. It is suitable for all health care professionals involved in eating disorder management, with special information provided for general practitioners, nurses, family carers and nutritionists.
It should not surprise us that so many are finding unique value in the experiential techniques. The fact that eating-disordered patients adopt physical and often complex metaphoric means of expressing their emotional pain suggests the difficulty we are likely to encounter in asking them to articulate the inarticulable. In moving to spatial, kinesthetic, and symbolic expression, we are, in a sense, agreeing to speak the patient's language rather than our own. Given the very nature of eating disorders, many clinicians are finding that experiential methods are particularly applicable for treating patients who suffer from them. Providing a valuable new tool for practitioners, EXPERIENTIAL THERAPIES FOR EATING DISORDERS is the first text to focus solely on the application of expressive therapies and experiential techniques to the treatment of anorexia nervosa and bulimia. Each chapter of this innovative work systematically reviews a single experiential treatment approach. Among these are * guided imagery * hypnosis * structured eating * family sculpting * psychodrama and gestalt therapy * dance/movement therapy * art therapy * music therapy * and metaphor/poetry therapy. Throughout, important clinical issues that often accompany eating disorders also are addressed, including such topics as self-awareness, self-esteem, autonomy, identity, impulse regulation, affect modulation, body image, and interpersonal relationships. Countertransferential issues are examined, and areas needing further exploration such as father's role in the development of eating disorders, the hypnotizability of eating disordered patients, and the role of family in the treatment process are delineated. The contributing authors, experienced practitioners from a variety of disciplines, systematically establish the theoretical framework of each treatment approach, fully describe specific techniques, and then consider their practical applications in both inpatient and outpatient settings--providing numerous case examples for illustration. They also offer helpful recommendations for incorporating these techniques into ongoing treatment plans. EXPERIENTIAL THERAPIES FOR EATING DISORDERS--a valuable clinical resource for psychologists, psychiatrists, and all mental health professionals called on to treat patients suffering from anorexia and bulimia nervosa. This innovative work illustrates the use of guided imagery, hypnosis, structured eating, family sculpting, psychodrama and gestalt therapy, and dance/movement, art, music, and metaphor/poetry therapy in the treatment of anorexia and bulimia nervosa. Systematically presented are the theoretical framework of each treatment approach, specific techniques, and their practical applications illustrated by numerous case examples. All professionals who treat clients with eating disorders will find this volume a most valuable clinical resource.
For five decades, negative body image has been a major focus of study due to its association with psychological and social morbidity, including eating disorders. However, more recently the body image construct has broadened to include positive ways of living in the body, enabling greater understanding of embodied well-being, as well as protective factors and interventions to guide the prevention and treatment of eating disorders. Handbook of Positive Body Image and Embodiment is the first comprehensive, research-based resource to address the breadth of innovative theoretical concepts and related practices concerning positive ways of living in the body, including positive body image and embodiment. Presenting 37 chapters by world-renowned experts in body image and eating behaviors, this state-of-the-art collection delineates constructs of positive body image and embodiment, as well as social environments (such as families, peers, schools, media, and the Internet) and therapeutic processes that can enhance them. Constructs examined include positive embodiment, body appreciation, body functionality, body image flexibility, broad conceptualization of beauty, intuitive eating, and attuned sexuality. Also discussed are protective factors, such as environments that promote body acceptance, personal safety, diversity, and activism, and a resistant stance towards objectification, media images, and restrictive feminine ideals. The handbook also explores how therapeutic interventions (including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Dissonance, and many more) and public health and policy initiatives can inform scholarly, clinical, and prevention-based work in the field of eating disorders.
This book is the first to address what really happens behind closed doors during eating disorders treatment, as most writing has only addressed theoretical approaches and behavioral strategies. The field has long needed a book that describes the heart of the matter: the therapeutic interventions and interactions that comprise life-changing treatment for this life-threatening disorder. In response to this need, the authors have created a book that reflects the individual therapeutic skills and the collective wisdom of senior clinicians, all of whom have years of experience treating anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder. Intended to be a deeply thoughtful and instructive volume, Effective Clinical Practice in the Treatment of Eating Disorders: The Heart of the Matter demonstrates the depth, complexity, and impact of the therapeutic process. In particular, the book articulates and explores essential points of information, issues, insights and unresolved questions about eating disorders treatment. Effective Clinical Practice in the Treatment of Eating Disorders describes and explicates important treatment issues and themes in a nuanced, highly contextualized and qualitative manner. The book offers a significant reference for both novice and seasoned therapists, and it includes specific information that will serve to inform and mentor future generations of eating disorders clinicians.
