Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Binge Eating and Bulimia

by Debra L. Safer, Christy F. Telch, Eunice Y. Chen

This groundbreaking book gives clinicians a new set of tools for helping people overcome binge-eating disorder and bulimia. It presents an adaptation of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) developed expressly for this population. The treatment is unique in approaching disordered eating as a problem of emotional dysregulation. Featuring vivid case examples and 32 reproducibles, the book shows how to put an end to binge eating and purging by teaching clients more adaptive ways to manage painful emotions. Step-by-step guidelines are provided for implementing DBT skills training in mindfulness, emotion regulation, and distress tolerance, including a specially tailored skill, mindful eating. Purchasers get access to a Web page where they can download and print the reproducible handouts and forms in a convenient 8 1/2" x 11" size.

See also the related self-help guide, The DBT Solution for Emotional Eating , by Debra L. Safer, Sarah Adler, and Philip C. Masson, ideal for client recommendation.

Genres: Psychology, Mental Health, Science, Self Help

244 pages, Hardcover

First published May 20, 2009

Reviews

[Frrobins · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a counselor in private practice, and I got this book after a few clients revealed a binge eating pattern of behavior after working with them on other issues. There are a few things I wish I had known before I bought this book. First, it is really geared towards group therapy. While the exercises and format can be scaled down to working with individual clients, there were also paragraphs of text of what to say to a group that just were tedious since I don't plan to start a therapy group for people with binge eating disorders and my therapeutic style involves more about the science of how to structure questions than talking at a client. I also wish I had known that this was for people who binge as a result of difficulty with regulating their emotions. Of my clients who report a binge eating pattern, I found that half would benefit from the exercises in this book. This is definitely geared more towards people who specialize in binge eating disorder than towards a clinician wanting to get more background and to research more ways to help clients that she is currently treating for other disorders.

Those caveats aside, this had a lot of good information and exercises and a lot of good material about applying the DBT model to emotional regulation that, frankly, can also be applied in areas outside of binge eating. I also like that you can download the worksheets from a website and print them out.

I would recommend to clinicians who specialize in eating disorders, group therapy, DBT. For clinicians who don't specialize in any of the above a different resource may be better suited for your needs.

[juicyD · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not a clinician but i liked reading this from a clinicians perspective as it helped me realize how to moderate my impulses.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing resource for clinicians