Understanding how therapy works for the eating disorders

About the Project

Clinicians and researchers have suggested a number of factors that influence the outcome of psychological treatment for the eating disorders. Those factors have been suggested to include the therapeutic techniques involved, the personality of the patient, the working alliance, early behavioural change, sudden symptom reduction, and the personality and delivery style of the therapist. This PhD will address a subset of those factors, in order to develop recommendations about improving evidence-based treatments. The research will involve: the validation of a novel measure of outcomes; appraisal of factors that do (or do not) drive or influence clinical improvement; and developing profiles of patients who are likely to respond to different therapeutic factors.