16. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for the Eating Disorders: Getting off to a Flying Start

Summary

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a relatively well-established treatment for the eating disorders (EDs). The best chance of making CBT for the EDs effective is to do it properly from the beginning, where ‘properly’ is defined by both technique and clinician's stance. This chapter is about how clinicians can structure and direct the first half dozen sessions of treatment to ensure that therapy goes well, whatever eating profile the client has. It begins with the therapeutic stance that the clinician can adopt, then details what makes for a good first session, before proceeding to the structure and content of the next five sessions. Throughout treatment, clinicians require clear and close supervision. However, that supervision is particularly important at this early stage, to ensure that the clinician stays on track and addresses the key tasks of therapy, as outlined in the rest of this chapter.