About CBT-E

CBT-E is a psychological treatment (cognitive behaviour therapy) enhanced for people with an eating disorder. It is primarily an outpatient treatment.  At BANA we provide this treatment for Adults only.

Treatment

There are four stages in CBT-E. The average course of treatment is 20 sessions over 20 weeks, however, dependent on the nature of your eating disorder, treatment may be extended.

CBT-E FAQ’s
StageWeeks in TreatmentNumber of Sessions
Stage 11, 2, 3, 4Initial session, plus seven 2x/week sessions. Sessions include:

  • Psychoeducation
  • Self-monitoring logs
  • Regulate eating
  • Symptom reduction
  • Urge tools
  • Collaborative weighing
Stage 25Usually one weekly session. Sessions include:

  • Review progress & change
  • Plan for stage 3
Stage 36, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14Nine weekly sessions. Sessions include:

  • Body image
  • Intuitive eating
  • Addressing dietary restraint (if applicable)
  • Moods / emotion regulation (if applicable)
  • Improving interpersonal functioning (if applicable)
  • Perfectionism / procrastination (if applicable)
  • Addressing low self-esteem (if applicable)
Stage 416, 18, 20Three bi-weekly sessions. Sessions include:

  • Relapse prevention
  • Problem-solving triggers & set-backs
  • Recovery maintenance plan
  • Phase out treatment procedures (ex: monitoring)
Finally, there is a post-treatment review session 20 weeks after completing treatment.

Weeks in treatment: 1, 2, 3, 4

Number of Sessions: Initial session, plus seven 2x/week sessions

Weeks in treatment: 5

Number of Sessions: Usually one weekly session

Weeks in treatment: 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14

Number of Sessions: Nine weekly sessions

Weeks in treatment: 16, 18, 20

Number of Sessions: Three bi-weekly sessions

Finally, there is a post-treatment review session 20 weeks after completing treatment.

What you should know about CBT-E…

STARTING
THE TREATMENT

  • Cognitive behaviour therapy, or CBT, is the leading evidence-based treatment for adults with an eating disorder.

  • Our data indicates that about two-thirds of people who complete treatment make an excellent response. There is no reason why you should not be in this group so long as you throw yourself into treatment and give it priority.

  • The treatment is a one-to-one talking-type of treatment that primarily focuses on what is keeping the eating problem going. It is therefore mainly concerned with the present and future. It addresses the origins of the problem as needed.

  • The treatment will be tailored to your specific eating problem and your needs. You and your therapist will need to become experts on your eating problem and what is keeping it going.

  • It is important that there are as few breaks in treatment as possible. This is because we want to establish what we call “momentum” in which we work from session to session to break into your eating problem. Breaks in treatment are very disruptive as momentum is lost. It is especially important that there are no breaks in the first six weeks and no longer than two-week breaks thereafter. We need to take this into account when thinking when it would be best for your treatment to start.

CONTINUING
THE TREATMENT

  • On average, each appointment will last just under one hour, with the exception of the initial assessment session which will take about an hour and a half. For everyone’s sake it is important that appointments start and end on time. Your therapist will make sure he or she is ready at the due time and we request that you do the same.

  • You and your therapist will agree upon specific tasks (or “next steps”) for you to undertake between each session. These tasks are very important and will need to be given priority. It is what you do between sessions that will govern to a large extent how much you benefit from treatment.

  • Since you have had the eating problem for quite a while it is important that you make the most of this opportunity to change, otherwise the problem is likely to persist. Treatment will be hard work but it will be worth it. The more you put in, the more you will get out.

Source: Fairburn CG, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and Eating Disorders. Guilford Press, New York, 2008.

STARTING
THE TREATMENT

  • Cognitive behaviour therapy, or CBT, is the leading evidence-based treatment for adults with an eating disorder.

  • Our data indicates that about two-thirds of people who complete treatment make an excellent response. There is no reason why you should not be in this group so long as you throw yourself into treatment and give it priority.

  • The treatment is a one-to-one talking-type of treatment that primarily focuses on what is keeping the eating problem going. It is therefore mainly concerned with the present and future. It addresses the origins of the problem as needed.

  • The treatment will be tailored to your specific eating problem and your needs. You and your therapist will need to become experts on your eating problem and what is keeping it going.

  • It is important that there are as few breaks in treatment as possible. This is because we want to establish what we call “momentum” in which we work from session to session to break into your eating problem. Breaks in treatment are very disruptive as momentum is lost. It is especially important that there are no breaks in the first six weeks and no longer than two-week breaks thereafter. We need to take this into account when thinking when it would be best for your treatment to start.

CONTINUING
THE TREATMENT

  • On average, each appointment will last just under one hour, with the exception of the initial assessment session which will take about an hour and a half. For everyone’s sake it is important that appointments start and end on time. Your therapist will make sure he or she is ready at the due time and we request that you do the same.

  • You and your therapist will agree upon specific tasks (or “next steps”) for you to undertake between each session. These tasks are very important and will need to be given priority. It is what you do between sessions that will govern to a large extent how much you benefit from treatment.

  • Since you have had the eating problem for quite a while it is important that you make the most of this opportunity to change, otherwise the problem is likely to persist. Treatment will be hard work but it will be worth it. The more you put in, the more you will get out.

Source: Fairburn CG, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and Eating Disorders. Guilford Press, New York, 2008.

In partnership with Windsor Essex Community Health Centre – Teen Health, BANA provides a centralized intake service to residents of Windsor-Essex. Intake services are provided free of charge to all ages. By streamlining inquiries and access to treatment, this allows our team to provide continuity in care.