Sunday, March 8, 2009: 11:00 AM-12:30 PM
Casablanca (Westin Long Beach)
In this workshop, participants will learn about the concept of mentalizing and how it can be applied in eating disorder treatment to enhance patients’ interpersonal effectiveness and capacity for empathy with self and others. Among others, Finn Skaarderuud and Kathryn Zerbe are raising awareness that eating disorder patients need to have a conscious understanding of the meaning of their eating disorder behavior. Mentalizing provides the time and space within the therapeutic relationship to strengthen adaptive defenses, explore issues of attachment and build new ego strengths. An interactive demonstration of mentalizing exercises will be presented with the participation of attendees.
Title: Practicing Mentalizing to Address Core Issues in Eating Disorders Treatment
Proposal Type: 90 minute workshop
Brochure Description: In this workshop, participants will learn about the concept of mentalizing and how it can be applied in eating disorder treatment to enhance patients’ interpersonal effectiveness and capacity for empathy with self and others. Among others, Finn Skaarderuud and Kathryn Zerbe are raising awareness that eating disorder patients need to have a conscious understanding of the meaning of their eating disorder behavior. Mentalizing provides the time and space within the therapeutic relationship to strengthen adaptive defenses, explore issues of attachment and build new ego strengths. An interactive demonstration of mentalizing exercises will be presented with the participation of attendees.
Has this workshop been presented before?: No
Have you presented at an IAEDP symposium before?: No
Objectives: 1. Define the theory of mentalizing.
2. Explain it's applicability to eating disorder treatment.
3. Utilize concrete techniques to enhance patients' capacity for mentalizing.
Method: Combination of didactic and experiential
References: Allen, JG and Fonagy, P. Handbook of Mentalization-Based Treatment. Chichester, UK: Wiley & sons, 2006.
Skarderud, F and Zachrisson, HD. Eating One's Words, Part I. European Eating Disorders Review, 15, 163-174: 2007.
Zerbe, K. Integrated Treatment of Eating Disorders: Beyond the Body Betrayed. New York: W.W. Norton & Co. 2008.
Patients with eating disorders have often been described as being out of touch with themselves or lacking a sense of self (Reindl, 2001). They have learned to ignore their hunger and numb thier emotions. Research has indicated that people with eating disorders have high rates of alexithymia, the inability to identify and name feelings. (Cochrane, Brewerton et.al., 1992). They are often so preoccupied with concerns about weight and eating that they have lost touch with their values and goals in life. They are socially isolated and have a great difficulty initiating and maintaining relationships. Research has shown that teaching people to mentalize is an effective way to help people learn to keep their "mind in mind" and learn to attend to their own thoughts and feelings. This process allows people to interpret behavior based on mental states such as desires, beliefs and feelings. (Allen and Fonagy, 2008). Mentalizing can be significant in helping patients regulate interpersonal distance or attachment, emotional self regulation, and arousal control essential to the individual's development of social coginition. (Bleiberg, 2008). Learning to be more receptive to the thoughts and feelings of others becomes crucial in building interpersonal effectiveness. The most obvious benefit of mentalizing is being able to engage in fufilling relationships with others and create healthy emotional attachments. Helping patients to mentalize can be playful and is built on curiosity and openness. (Allen and Fonagy, 2006). The relationship of the patient and therapist is the cornerstone of this work. Mentalizing can also be effectively taught and practiced in groups. In the workshop, the theory of mentalizing will be described and various exercises used in group treatment at The Menninger Clinic will be interactively demonstrated. Empathic listening, replaying difficult interactions, anticipatory role playing and observing nonverbal interactions are examples of some of the mentalizing activities that will be reviewed. (The Menninger Clinic 2008).
Primary Presenter:
Theresa Fassihi, Ph.D.
Dr. Theresa Fassihi is the clinical psychologist with the Eating Disorders Program at The Menninger Clinic. She received her undergraduate degree from Stanford University and her Ph.D. from the University of Tulsa. She uses an integrative treatment approach that includes dialectical behavior therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy and mentalizing, with a special interest in treating body image disturbance. She is conducting research on the benefit of positive psychology interventions for inpatients. She is currently developing a web-based assessment battery for assessing long-term outcomes in patients. She makes presentations regularly on treatment of eating disorders.
Co-Presenter:
Janice Poplack, LCSW
Janice Poplack, LCSW is Director of the Social Work Discipline and a Primary Clinician on the Eating Disorders unit (EDP) for the Menninger Clinic in Houston, TX. Ms. Poplack earned her MSSW for the Graduate School of Social Work at Columbia University. Ms. Poplack received post graduate training at the D.C. Institute of Mental Hygiene. She has served as Assistant Director of Admission at the Catholic University School of Social Service and Clinical Director and Senior Program Director of The Women’s Home in Houston. Ms Poplack joined the Menninger Clinic in 2003 and has worked exclusively on EDP since 2005.
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