Background: Despite decades of accumulated clinical and empirical information and experience regarding the treatment of eating disorders, at enormous costs and with global implications, the field has yet to reach consensus on the definition of recovery. This workshop will interactively explore personal, professional and familial perspectives on what constitutes recovery.
Outline
I. Introduction:
1. Speakers will introduce themselves, highlighting the various roles and perspectives that they bring to bear on the topic of ED recovery (personal recovery, familial recovery, researchers, clinicians, private practitioner, residential treatment director).
2. Overview of the topics to be covered and the desire for active participant engagement throughout the workshop.
II. Recovery Kaleidoscope:
1. Personal recovery and practicing as a recovered professional (McGilley)
2. Father’s perspective (Berrett)
3. Experiential activity related to the theme of personal/familial recovery (Both presenters)
4. Research/practice gap: Quantitative vs. Qualitative literature (McGilley)
5. Description of the AED Professionals & Recovery SIG workgroup’s research exploring a holistic consensus definition of ED recovery (McGilley)
6. Recovery holistically considered: Including capacity for intimacy with self and others, establishing a coherent sense of self, and experiencing oneself as part of a larger whole (i.e. a spiritual shift) in the definition of full recovery (Both presenters)
7. Therapist/Patient gap: Practice based evidence: Review of research indicating therapists are generally poor predictors of patient’s recovery status. Use of OQ 45 to bridge the therapist/patient gap and improve outcomes (Berrett)
8. Experiential Exercise exploring: participant’s definitions of recovery; views on whether being fully recovered is possible; whether each ED diagnosis requires its own recovery definition and whether we need separate empirical and clinically oriented definitions; and perspectives on recovered professionals working in the field (Both presenters)
Despite decades of accumulated clinical and empirical information and expertise regarding the treatment of eating disorders (ED), at enormous costs and with global implications, the field has yet to reach consensus on the definition of recovery. While there is extensive outcome research, it almost exclusively focuses on the physical aspects of ED recovery, and the subject populations studied are not representative of the full diversity and complexity of ED patients. For example, EDNOS is the most common ED, but these patients are typically excluded from research protocols. The qualitative literature on recovery has expanded the frame and our understanding of the deeper demands of the process—embodiment, relational courage, sexual comfort, self-love, identity development and a spiritual shift to name a few. Integration of these empirical findings has yet to occur, and many other voices, including those of family members, males, children, mid-life sufferers, BED and dual diagnosis patients still need to be heard.
This interactive workshop will look through the recovery kaleidoscope, thoughtfully examining what we’ve learned from research, practice, personal and familial experience. Current research underway by one of the speakers with an AED workgroup focused on assessing and developing a consensus definition will be reviewed. We will also borrow from the larger psychotherapy outcome literature looking at data from Mike Lambert and others on the OQ 45 which reveals that therapists are poor predictors of how our patients are really doing, emphasizing the value of objective feedback regularly during the treatment and recovery process. Participants will engage in experiential activities designed to explore their own definitions of eating disorder recovery, whether they feel being fully recovered is possible, whether recovery needs to be differentially defined by diagnosis and/or by setting (e.g. a research vs a clinical definition), whether and when recovered therapists should practice in the field, and much more.
Beth Hartman McGilley PhD, FAED, is a psychologist in private practice in Wichita, Kansas, specializing in the treatment of eating and related disorders, body image, athletes and sports performance, trauma, and grief. A Fellow of the Academy for Eating Disorders, Dr. McGilley has practiced psychotherapy for over 30 years in addition to writing, lecturing, supervising, and directing an inpatient eating-disorders program. She is an editor for Eating Disorders: The Journal of Treatment and Prevention, and co-editor of Treatment of Eating Disorders: Bridging the Research-Practice Gap with Margo Maine and Doug Bunnell.
Dr. Berrett is a Psychologist, CEO, and Co-founder of Center for Change, which provides intensive treatment programs for eating disorders and co-existing mental, emotional, and addictive illness. He is the co-author of several books and book chapters including the APA bestseller “Spiritual Approaches in the Treatment of Women with Eating Disorders.” He has also co-authored many peer review professional journal articles. He is a nationally known clinical trainer and speaker. Dr. Berrett has dedicated his professional life to helping young people navigate life’s journey with wisdom and self respect.
