CBT for the treatment of eating disorders is based on five core principles.  The first is that the self-worth of the individual with an eating disorder is overly determined by weight, shape, and appearance.  People with eating disorders are acutely sensitive to minute changes in weight, shape, and appearance.  This is related to societal values concerning appearance and weight.  The second principle is that people with eating disorders overvalue weight and shape to compensate for feelings of low self-esteem.  The pursuit of thinness is then the pursuit of enhanced self-esteem.  Because most sufferers are not able to achieve their self-imposed ideal, their self-esteem often diminishes and they use increasingly extreme efforts to achieve their weight and shape ideals.  Third, people with eating disorders attempt to self-regulate their emotional world and manage stressful interpersonal situations, at least in part with food.  Thus, CBT focuses on affect regulation and interpersonal issues.

The fourth principle is the eating disorders are multidetermined, and different factors can predispose, precipitate, and perpetuate an eating disorder.  The fifth and final principle is that the symptoms of the eating disorder are also significant on their own and require focused attention.  They directly affect emotional, behavioral, and cognitive processes.

Feel free to call me to discuss further. I am experienced and trained in a variety of treatment methods.  Contact a licensed mental health professional or your family doctor if you have concerns about an eating disorder. Prairie Owl Psychology & Counselling is waiting to help with all your Edmonton psychologist needs, call Today.  Prairie Owl Psychology & Counselling is waiting to help with all your Edmonton psychologist needs, call Today.  Looking for a psychologist Edmonton, think Prairie Owl Psychology & Counselling. Edmonton psychologists are ready to help with all your counselling Edmonton needs.