Cognitive and Behavioural Therapies for Eating Disorders

Recommended Prerequisites

  It is strongly recommended that students have previously done the following subjects: Psychopathology I, Psychopathology II, Behaviour Modification and Cognitive Models in Clinical Psychology.

Teaching Methods

  In the theoretical classes, the preferred method is lectures accompanied by clinical cases reports. In practical classes, several clinical cases will be presented which will allow students to train their clinical evaluation competencies. Role-play activities with discussions will be regular. The articulation between theoretical and practical classes will allow students to get an accurate idea of the cognitive-behavioral interventions in body-image and eating problems, developing assessment skills, clinical reports practice, case formulation examples and intervention programs training.

Learning Outcomes

(1) Contribute to a better understanding of eating disorder psychopathology, namely clinical features, classification and diagnosis;
(2) To inform about cognitive-behavioral models; and
(3) Develop skills on clinical assessment, diagnosis, clinical cases conceptualization and intervention strategies.

Theoretical skills:
1. To know clinical features, and diagnostic criterion of eating disorders;
2. To promote reflection about the diagnostic issues in eating disorders;
3. To know the theoretical assumptions underlying the cognitive-behavioural model to understand and treat body image disturbance and eating disorders;
4. To know the specific cognitive-behavioural theoretical developments in order to successfully conceptualize and design a treatment program for these cases;

Practical skills:
Developing and training of clinical skills for assessment, clinical formulation and in different interventions strategies and procedures for eating disorders.

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

  Eating disorders:

1. Classification and diagnosis:  Psychopathological and clinical features; diagnostic issues; eating disorders in the DSM-V and the transdiagnostic approach.

3. Epidemiology: The incidence and prevalence of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and eating disorder not otherwise specified;

4. Assessment of body image disturbance and eating disorder psychopathology: Measures, methodology, and implementation.

5. A cognitive-behavioural approach to eating disorders; 

6. Cognitive behaviour therapy for eating disorders

7. Evolutionary approaches to eating psychopathology;

8. Evolutionary psychotherapy: Principles and outline.

Head Lecturer(s)

Cláudia Rute Carlos Ferreira

Assessment Methods

Assessment
Synthesis work: 15.0%
Exam: 85.0%

Bibliography

  Cooper, Z., & Shafran, R. (2008). Cognitive behaviour therapy for eating disorders. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 36(6), 713-722. doi:10.1017/S1352465808004736

Fairburn, C. G. (2008). Cognitive behavior therapy and eating disorders. New York: Guilford Press.

Ferreira, C. (2003). Anorexia nervosa – A expressão visível do invisível: Contributos para a avaliação de atitudes e comportamentos em relação ao peso e à imagem corporal (Dissertação de Mestrado não publicada). Faculdade de Psicologia e de Ciências da Educação da Universidade de Coimbra.

Garner, D. M., & Bemis, K. M. (1982). A cognitive-behavioral approach to anorexia nervosa. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 6(2), 123–150. doi:10.1007/BF01183887

Goss, K., & Gilbert, P. (2002). Eating disorders, shame and pride: A cognitive-behavioural functional analysis. In P. Gilbert & J. Miles (Eds.), Body shame: Conceptualisation, research and treatment (pp. 219–255). New York: Brunner Routledge.