Eating Disorders Resources

CBT conference in Manchester, July 2010

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 17:41:18 +0000

The British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP) will hold their annual conference next year in Manchester from 20-23 July 2010. Outline info is available from the conference website. The eating disorders and impulse control stream of the conference has always been very strong - this year we had a keynote and pre-conference workshop by Kelly Vitousek and we have another exciting keynote speaker pencilled in for next year. As convener of the eating disorder and impulse control stream I’m keen to hear from those of you who’d like to present work at the conference. This could be a short paper presenting research, or a workshop or case conference focused around more clinical issues. Do contact me by email if you are thinking of submitting something and I’d be happy to advise. You can also submit online via the conference website until 11th Jan 2010.

Press release from Binge Eating Disorder Association re fashion industry

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 17:38:10 +0000

In the past few weeks, fashion industry professionals have been challenging ultra-thin images of beauty. Among them are London knitwear designer Mark Fast, who chose size 12 and 14 models to showcase his form-fitting dresses at London’s Fashion Week show, and senior booker for Verbmodels Matan Uziel, whose company has adopted a new global guideline prohibiting use of models or actors who are either excessively slim or promote “unhealthy” slimness. In addition, Brigitte, a top-selling women’s fashion magazine in Germany, barred professional models from its pages in favor of “real women.” In response to which clothing designer Karl Lagerfeld commented, “Nobody wants to see a round woman.” During the same time period, Ralph Lauren fired model Filipa Hamilton for being “too fat,” even though her weight was in the anorexic range.

BEDA advocates for individuals with all eating disorders, from those who are underweight to those who are overweight.

“We see the shame, distress, depression, anxiety, and pain that result from eating disorders,” states Chevese Turner, BEDA chief executive officer. “Individuals and our society at large are affected, and we believe it is vitally important for fashion industry leaders to commit to promoting healthier images of women and men enjoying fashion and a broader definition of beauty. While we appreciate the fashion industry’s talent, we must also realize that it has a tremendous influence on our culture. We must understand that including realistic shapes and sizes helps counter the body dissatisfaction, illness, and even death that is a reality for those who are predisposed to and struggling with eating disorders. We must protest the messages based on body size and shape that undermine the self worth of girls and women, and boys and men worldwide.

“On behalf of BEDA and the Academy for Eating Disorders, I congratulate the courageous fashion industry professionals who challenge the belief that the only way to be beautiful is to be thin,” Turner continues. “BEDA urges people around the world to support those who dare to defy the unhealthy standard of “rail-thin” beauty; we encourage you to use your purchasing power and your voice to make change happen and save lives.”

Binge Eating Disorder Association (BEDA) is a national organization focusing on the need to increase prevention, diagnosis, and treatment for binge eating disorder. Through education, outreach and support, and resources, BEDA is committed to facilitating awareness, quality of care, and recovery for those who live and those who work with binge eating disorder. For more information, visit www.bedaonline.com.

Behaviour Research & Therapy Special Issue on CBT

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:47:02 +0000

The upcoming issue of Behaviour Research and Therapy is a special issue on the science and implementation of cognitive behaviour therapy, edited by Roz Shafran. It includes articles by David Clark and colleagues on IAPT, Gavin Andrews and Nickolai Titov on disseminating evidence based therapies and a foreword by Jack Rachman.

Eating disorder provision patchy across UK

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:52:01 +0000

Just came across this article on access to ED treatment across the UK in Health Service Journal. It a bit old but I think the issues still stand: access to specialist services are incredibly patchy depending on where you live, and many services are not offering treatment based on NICE guidelines.

Pro ana websites in the media

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 08:53:23 +0000

Woke up this morning to the excellent John Morgan from the Yorkshire Centre for EDs talking about pro ana websites on Today. He was pointing out that organisations concerned about harm done by children via the internet should also be concerned about pro ana sites in that they encourage extreme weight loss behaviours in vulnerable young people. This was followed by a phone in on radio 5 on the same topic.

CBT sessions for eating disorders in London

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 23:39:14 +0000

I currently have some free slots to see clients with eating disorders (and also other difficulties such as anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress) in my private practice. This is based very near Kings Cross station in central London.

I am a Chartered Clinical Psychologist with extensive experience in eating disorders and I work using a primarily cognitive behavioural approach. For more information please email me

US Congress passes Mental Health Parity bill:great news for people with EDs

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 15:17:12 +0000

I’ve just heard from Kitty Westin at the Eating Disorders Coalition that this legislation has been passed. For more on what it means for ED sufferers in the US, have a look at the press release on the eating disorders coalition website

Good balanced summary of mindfulness approaches in New York Times

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 20:16:09 +0000

It’s a few months old, but this article on Mindfulness and its application to therapy approaches in the New York Times is worth a read. It’s a good balanced description written for the lay person but not ‘dumbed down’ or one-sided like so much mass media science writing.

Two day workshop on Trandiagnostic CBT, Reading UK

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 10:36:02 +0000

The Charlie Waller Institute is presenting a two day workshop by Professor Christopher Fairburn on Transdiagnostic CBT for Eating Disorders. This will take place in Reading on the 26th and 27th November 2008. Cost is £225.
For more details visit the Charlie Waller Institute website or email cwi@reading.ac.uk

Think yourself healthy?

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 10:34:17 +0000

Fun article from Ben Goldacre’s excellent blog about the power of the placebo effect.

Anorexia treatment trial in London

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 12:23:27 +0000

If you’ve had anorexia for more than 7 years, you may be eligible to take part in this London based treatment trial. It’s a multi-centre trial taking place in the UK and Australia. For more info visit the website or email the trial research assistant, Amy Brown, ambrown@sgul.ac.uk

Evening slots available for CBT in central London

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 21:16:42 +0000

I currently have a couple of slots available to see people who would like to work on their eating difficulties using a cognitive behavioural approach. I see clients near Kings Cross in central London. If you’re interested in hearing more about the way I work, please email me

BABCP conference, Edinburgh

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 12:52:03 +0000

I had a great, if very busy, time at the BABCP conference in Edinburgh. It was fantastically well attended (I think around 1000 people) and there was a real buzz. As well as the excellent (ahem) eating disorder and impulse control stream, there were a number of events about new developments in Increasing Access to Psychological Therapies and some excellent keynotes. I was very impressed by Chris Williams’ (who developed the excellent Living Life to the Full website) stand at the Exhibition. Chris and colleagues have been working on some very nicely designed and simple but effective Low Intensity Support Materials in the form of booklets covering some of the core issues in CBT. These include ‘I can’t be bothered doing anything’, ‘I’m not good enough’ and ‘The things you do that mess you up’. For more about the booklets, see the Five Areas website

Dove Self-Esteem Fund

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 15:45:13 +0000

I’m really enjoying the latest resources on Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty site - lots to share with with my clients here. I especially enjoyed the short film archive, which includes a great example of how a model is prepared and photoshopped for a billboard advert. And make sure you have a play with their interactive games, including ‘Playing with Beauty’ where you can use a slider to transform normal women into the proportions of a toy doll.

7th National Conference on Adolescent Eating Disorders

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 15:23:01 +0000

This regular annual conference, now in its 7th year, will be held on Tuesday 9 December 2008 in Cambridge, UK. More details from the Royal College of Psychiatrists website