OUR TREATMENT APPROACH TO EATING DISORDER CARE

Enhanced Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT-e) is a 20-session treatment approach informed by traditional CBT and used specifically for folks struggling with eating disorders. It is trans-diagnostic, that is, it is suitable for the treatment of all types of eating disorders. At Change Creates Change, we can use a manualized CBT-e approach if that is the most appropriate treatment option for a client’s unique circumstances and needs. Using CBT-e, we focus on creating a toolbox with skills that can be used when eating disorder thoughts arise. Similarly, there is CBT-t, which comprises 10-sessions.

However, CBT-e/t is not the right fit for everyone. Alternatively, our team may integrate general CBT strategies such as psychoeducation, self-exploration and monitoring, behaviour experiments, and more.

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, often referred to as DBT, is a treatment modality that helps folks accept their thoughts, feelings and behaviours and learn the tools needed to change them. At Change Creates Change, our team integrates DBT skills into sessions to help our clients improve distress tolerance, emotion regulation and mindfulness, in addition to challenging cognitive distortions.

Eating disorder behaviours are often maladaptive coping mechanisms, or ineffective coping mechanisms, to external and internal stressors. DBT skills help our clients and their loved ones become better prepared for the challenges of eating disorder recovery. As you get further along in eating disorder recovery, our goal is that DBT skills can become more effective coping strategies for daily stressors and replace the maladaptive coping skills of the eating disorder.

Emotion-Focused Family Therapy (EFFT) was initially created to support folks living with eating disorders, but it has since expanded to support general mental health concerns as well. A main difference between EFFT and other modalities is that it engages loved ones in eating disorder recovery. Loved ones spend more time with the client than the care team does, so they play a pivotal role in eating disorder recovery. The goal is not to increase caregiver burden, but actually decrease it by providing the loved with the necessary tools to appropriately support their loved one while preventing burnout. Keep in mind, loved ones are not always parents/caregivers. They can also be spouses/partners, adult siblings, friends, pastors, etc.

At Change Creates Change, we recognize that not everyone has the support of their loved ones through their eating disorder recovery. We work with our clients to adapt our treatment approaches to their unique circumstances, sometimes incorporating skills from several therapeutic modalities.