This treatment guide equips therapists with the necessary tools to implement the leading recommended treatment for eating disorders, "enhanced" cognitive behavior therapy (CBT-E), in a group format.
Group CBT-E is a structured treatment designed to help patients make critical changes to their eating, dieting, and other eating disorder symptoms. It aims to engage patients in identifying and addressing over-evaluation of shape and weight, managing stressful events and emotions without eating disorder behaviors, and developing relapse prevention skills. The treatment guide includes detailed session agendas and outlines, practical tips, advice on addressing sensitive topics, and numerous reproducible handouts that patients can personalize for their treatment needs. Group CBT-E empowers patients to actively engage in their recovery journey and emphasizes the valuable support found in group therapy settings, where shared experiences foster learning, encouragement, and a sense of understanding. The treatment’s structured and individualized approach not only enhances patient outcomes, but also boosts therapist confidence.
This book is a vital resource for therapists seeking clear guidance on implementing CBT-E in group format. Its practical components, such as clinical examples, therapist insights, patient handouts, and detailed CBT-E formulation guidance, are useful for all CBT-E therapists.
Table of Contents:
1. An Introduction to This Book 2. Eating Disorders and Enhanced Cognitive Behavior Therapy 3. Pre-treatment Assessment and Contraindications to Starting Outpatient Group CBT-E 4. Group CBT-E: Overview and Treatment Structure 5. Group CBT-E: Elements and Therapist Characteristics
Group CBT-E Sessions Stage One: Achieving Early Change 6. Group Session 1: Introductions, Personalized Formulations, and Self-Monitoring 7. Group Session 2: Personalized Formulation and Self-Monitoring Review and Regular Eating 8. Group Session 3: Regular Eating and Alternative Activities 9. Group Session 4 Regular Eating, Urge Tolerating, and Feelings of Fullness Stage Two: Reviewing Progress 10. Group Session 5: Progress Review Stage Three: Maintaining Mechanisms 11. Group Session 6 : Dieting Behaviors and Diet-related Rules 12. Group Session 7: The Over-evaluation of Shape and Weight and Its Consequences 13. Group Session 8: Body Shape and Weight Checking – Part I: Education, Evaluation, and Behavior Change 14. Group Session 9: Body Shape and Weight Checking – Part II: Reflection Checking, Body Comparisons, and Social Media Body Checking 15. Group Session 10: Body Shape and Weight Avoidance 16. Group Session 11: Stage Three Check-in and Body Dissatisfaction Spikes 17. Group Session 12: Events, Emotions, and Eating Stage Four: Ending Well 18. Group Session 13: Historical Review of Eating Disorder Behaviors and Thoughts 19. Group Session 14: Relapse Prevention and Ending Treatment Appendices Index
About the Author :
Suzanne Bailey-Straebler, PhD, PMH-BC, is the Clinical Director of the Center for Eating Disorders Partial Hospital Program and Outpatient Specialty Clinic at Weill Cornell Medicine, New York Presbyterian Hospital.
Laura Sproch, PhD, CED-S, is a clinical psychologist who specializes in the treatment of eating disorders through her work as a therapist, supervisor, researcher, and administrator.
Review :
“An invaluable resource for clinicians wishing to make evidence-based treatment accessible to patients in a wide range of settings. Drs Bailey-Straebler and Sproch provide a well written, easy to use, detailed guide to the use of one of the best evidence-supported treatments for eating disorders, CBT-E, in group format.”
Zafra Cooper, DPhil, DClinPsych, Professor of Psychiatry (Adjunct), Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, US; Professor Emeritus of Clinical Psychology, Department of Psychiatry, Oxford University, UK
“This book is a crucial resource for clinicians and researchers working with eating disorders. It introduces, for the first time, the implementation of 'enhanced cognitive behavior therapy' (CBT-E) adapted for group delivery. The text provides comprehensive guidance on adapting group CBT sequentially for outpatient treatment and modularly/non-sequentially for higher levels of care. Including therapist insight boxes and approximately 70 handouts—comprising worksheets for patients and informational sheets—this book equips therapists to deliver the treatment well and address challenges they might face. I am eager to recommend this exceptional resource to all my students and colleagues.”
Riccardo Dalle Grave, MD, Director, Department of Eating and Weight Disorders, Villa Garda Hospital Garda (VR), Italy
“Drs. Bailey-Straebler and Sproch’s treatment guide for Group CBT-E make it possible for the evidence-based CBT-E to be delivered effectively in treatment programs that rely on group-based interventions. The manual is well written, user-friendly and has already become an essential resource for clinicians who want to assure that eating disorder group treatments offer effective recovery-focused strategies.”
Evelyn Attia, MD, Suzanne Crosby Murphy Professor of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center; Director, Center for Eating Disorders New York Presbyterian Hospital, US
