Treatment manual for anorexia nervosa : a family-based approach

This practical manual offers a step-by-step guide to the treatment of anorexia nervosa in adolescents. Unique in its focus on mobilizing parents and siblings as a resource in treatment, the approach is ideal for short-term treatment and has demonstrated effectiveness in controlled clinical trials. Intervention is divided into three clearly defined phases. Using such innovative methods as a family meal, the clinician first learns strategies for helping families gain immediate control over the adolescent’s eating behaviors. Once the patient accepts parental demands to eat, related family problems are addressed in the second phase. The third and final phase of treatment aims toward getting adolescent development back on track and establishing family relationships that do not revolve around the eating disorder. Featuring detailed guidelines for conducting each family session, the manual is illustrated with extensive clinical transcripts and vignettes.