Integrative Group Treatment for Bulimia Nervosa

Eating disorders are but one of many specific pathological responses to the pressures of the modern world. In group therapy, patients battling bulimia nervosa can learn from one another how to heal the emotional wounds that have put their health in jeopardy. Group therapy addresses the four etiologies of eating disorders by teaching the sociocultural context, discussing both the psychological and familial constellation of each member, and providing a forum to address the physiological aspects of the disorder by discussing the benefits of or disappointments in medications.The only eating-disorder treatment manual for group application available, this book presents an integrative treatment model bringing together psychoeducational, cognitive behavioral, relational, experiential, and interpersonal methods. The introduction begins with a detailed discussion of bulimia's cultural roots as well as its epidemiology and etiology, moves to a survey of available treatments, and concludes with a rationale for use of the integrative group method.Following chapters provide instructions for leading a time-limited therapy group for bulimic patients, including a discussion of screening procedures for prospective members and a guide for processing group dynamics. These precede the core of the book: step-by-step descriptions of the twelve structured therapy sessions. Interspersed throughout are group reading assignments and reflective essays.

Helen Riess is a psychiatrist in the Eating Disorders Unit and director of education for psychotherapy supervision at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.