The majority of individuals with eating disorders also experience symptoms of anxiety, depression, post-traumatic reactions, and/or obsessive-compulsive disorders. Most research-supported treatments for eating disorders, however, do not integrate interventions for these co-occurring conditions in a unified way.
The Renfrew Unified Treatment for Eating Disorders and Comorbidity was developed to help people who struggle with any type of eating disorder as well as intense emotions like anxiety, sadness, anger, and guilt. Eating disorders include symptoms such as efforts to restrict eating, binge eating or overeating, and compulsive or unhealthy efforts to lose weight, alongside strong, distressing feelings about the importance of shape, weight, or eating control. The goal of this Workbook, which is designed to accompany the companion Therapist Guide, is to help people overcome their individual eating and emotional issues using a common set of scientifically tested tools. The steps and exercises in this book are intended to help readers identify and better understand how eating and emotional issues interact, to address some of the core thoughts and behaviors that underpin both eating and emotional disorders, and to develop new flexibility and capacity in areas of life that have been affected. The strategies included in this book are based on common principles found in existing empirically supported psychological treatments, and have been extensively tested in research studies. The research to support these interventions is included in the companion Therapist Guide.
