ACT for Anorexia Nervosa

Rhonda M. Merwin, PhD, is Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke University Medical Center. She is Director of the ACT at Duke Program, which conducts training, clinical services, and research in acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and is a core clinical, research, and teaching faculty member at the Duke University School of Medicine. Dr. Merwin’s career has focused on using contextual behavioral science to understand and treat anorexia nervosa and maladaptive eating and weight control among individuals with type 1 diabetes. Dr. Merwin is recognized as an ACT trainer and has collaborated with the Duke Center for Eating Disorders since 2006. Nancy L. Zucker, PhD, is Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke University Medical Center. She is Director of the Duke Center for Eating Disorders and a core clinical, research, and teaching faculty member at the Duke University School of Medicine. Widely published, Dr. Zucker is an author of the American Psychiatric Association's revised practice guidelines for the treatment of eating disorders, currently under development. Dr. Zucker's clinical work and research focus on how to help young people develop a healthy awareness of their bodies’ signals, and learn to match these signals to actions that allow them to flourish. Kelly G. Wilson, PhD, is Professor of Psychology at the University of Mississippi. He is a codeveloper of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). Dr. Wilson is coauthor of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Second Edition, and has published numerous other books, articles, chapters, treatment manuals, and technical reports. Dr. Wilson trains and consults internationally on the design and implementation of behavioral treatments. His work includes the investigation of acceptance, mindfulness, and values-oriented strategies in the treatment of a variety of problems in living, as well as in the basic behavioral science underlying therapeutic change.

Introduction: What is ACT?
1. The Phenomenology and Conceptualization of Anorexia Nervosa from an ACT Perspective
2. Overview, Orienting Clients to Treatment, and Forming a Therapeutic Alliance
3. ACT Case Formulation, Assessment, and Treatment Planning
4. Weight Restoration
5. Working with Parents, Partners, or Other Family Members of Individuals with Anorexia Nervosa
6. Creating a Context for Change
7. Acceptance: Allowing Unwanted Internal Experiences
8. Helping Clients Author and Engage Personal Values
9. Defusing Language and Contacting the Present Moment
10. Sensing the Self
11. Treatment Progress and Termination and Final Thoughts for the Therapist