Who is providing what type of psychotherapy to eating disorder clients? A survey

Little is known about the psychotherapies delivered to eating-disordered clients by community therapists. We sought to describe the education and training of psychotherapists working with eating-disordered clients, the psychotherapeutic approaches used, and the reasons for use.

Eligible Calgary clinicians were identified and asked to complete a 25-item telephone interview.

The response rate was 74%. Educational backgrounds and fields of specialization of clinicians who completed the survey (n = 52) varied widely, as did the psychotherapies used. The most common primary therapeutic orientations of respondents were eclectic therapy (50%), cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT; 33%), and addiction-based therapy (6%). Most clinicians (87%) reported frequently using CBT techniques with eating-disordered clients. The reasons given for using primary therapeutic approaches varied by clinicians' preferred therapeutic approach and education level.

Clinicians generally choose to tailor treatment to individual needs rather than base decisions on the level of empirical support. These findings have implications for dissemination of empirically supported psychotherapies.