CP Research Corner: Graded Body Image Exposure

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Written By MELISSA GERSON, LCSW

Kathryn Trottier, PhD1,2* Jacqueline C. Carter, D Phil3 Danielle E. MacDonald, MA1,4 Traci McFarlane, PhD1,2,4 Marion P. Olmsted, PhD1,2

Adjunctive Graded Body Image Exposure for Eating Disorders: A Randomized Controlled Initial Trial in Clinical Practice

CBT is widely accepted as a gold standard intervention in the treatment of bulimia nervosa. One aspect of CBT for ED, Graded Body Image Exposure, is considered a key component of CBT for ED. In patient’s with BN, body checking and body avoidance are direct behavioral expressions of the overvaluation of weight and/or shape. The effectiveness of graded body image is unknown. A recent study published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders aimed to identify the feasibility and initial effectiveness of this exposure to a sample of patients in partial remission from an eating disorder. Results demonstrated that graded body image exposure did, in fact, demonstrate large improvement in body avoidance (Body avoidance is believed to contribute to the maintenance of EDs) which led to improvements in overvaluation of shape 5 months post-treatment.

 References: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25139056

MELISSA GERSON, LCSW

Melissa Gerson is the founder of Columbus Park Center for Eating Disorders in New York City. Over the last 20-plus years, she has trained in just about every evidence-based eating disorder treatment available to individuals with eating disorders: a dizzying list of acronyms including CBT-E, CBT-AR, DBT, FBT, IPT, SSCM, FBI and more.

Among Melissa’s most important achievements has been a certification as a Family-Based Treatment provider; with her mastery of this potent and life-changing (and life-saving!) modality, she’s treated hundreds of young people successfully and continues to maintain a small caseload of FBT clients as she also focuses on leadership and management roles at Columbus Park.

Since founding Columbus Park in 2008, Melissa has trained multiple generations of eating disorder professionals and has dedicated her time to a combination of clinical practice, writing, and presenting.

https://www.columbuspark.com
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