Hunger for Understanding: A Workbook for helping young people to understand and overcome anorexia nervosaISBN: 978-0-470-02128-6
Paperback
184 pages
May 2005
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Alison currently works as Principal Clinical Psychologist at a specialist adolescent mental health service in Leicester. This post has provided her with the opportunity to work clinically with young women suffering from eating disorders.
For the past two years Alison has been part of a multidisciplinary team to review her local service for young people with eating disorders. The review involved researching the evidence base, interviewing previous clients and visiting other specialist units around the country. This has drawn her attention to the need for creative and varied therapeutic techniques (such as psychoeducation, motivational-enhancement and cognitive-behavioural techniques) in the treatment of young people with anorexia.
Sophie Nesbitt developed a special interest in working
with young people with eating disorders while working as a trainee
clinical psychologist. Her doctorate research investigated the role
of exercise as a risk factor in the development and maintenance of
eating disorders. She was also able to work clinically with young
people with eating disorders at an inpatient unit. Much of this
work involved working and communicating effectively with young
people, and she developed a particular interest in the development
of psycho-education information for this client group.
Sophie is currently working in a multidisciplinary outpatient team.
This provides her with the opportunity to work with other types of
disorders, such as developmental disorders and emotional disorders.
However, as part of this post she is also involved in training
other healthcare professionals in generic mental health issues. By
necessity, a large part of this training has focused on raising
awareness of eating disorders within primary care settings.
Sophie is also currently involved in a preliminary research study
aimed at evaluating the Hunger for Understanding workbook.
The main aims of this study are to investigate whether the workbook
improves understanding of anorexia nervosa, increases motivation to
change and enhances the therapeutic relationship. Findings from
this study will be reported in due course.
The Hunger for Understanding workbook was initially
developed as a therapeutic tool that could be used by therapists at
an inpatient service. Often, the young people who are referred to
the service have chronic difficulties with food and weight and have
had a diagnosis of anorexia nervosa for some time.
They tend to be difficult to engage in treatment and therefore the
aim of the workbook was to provide guidance and structure to
therapeutic work. The workbook is based on ideas and techniques
that Alison and Sophie have used in therapeutic work, which were
influenced by their research and training in this area, and most
importantly by talking to patients who have undergone extensive
treatment for anorexia nervosa. Their experience of using the
workbook to date has been very positive and the feedback received
has helped develop and refine the content and structure of the
text.