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.