Client Perspectives of Psychotherapy for Eating Disorders in Community Practice Settings

Abstract

This qualitative study explores client experiences to further understand psychotherapy for the treatment of eating disorders in community practice settings. Eight participants shared their experiences of individual psychotherapy, where eating disorders were the primary focus, during minimally-structured and open-ended interviews. Data were analyzed using interpretive phenomenological analysis. Analysis resulted in 20 themes representing what participants described as meaningful in their experience of therapy. These themes are organized in five broader thematic categories: Goals and Expectations of Therapy, Therapist Way of Being, Session Process, Eating Disorder Specific Interventions, and Non-Eating Disorder Specific Interventions. Each thematic category and theme is described in detail, including verbatim quotes from participant accounts, and depicting points of agreement or divergence among participant experiences. The constructivist orientation, principles of hermeneutic phenomenology, and helpful factors design forefront participant perspectives and allow for elucidation of nuances in which therapy and therapeutic interventions unfold. The findings reinforce and expand upon scholarly literature, including ways that participants find it helpful when therapists consider the client’s context, but also value direction provided by therapists who have eating disorder expertise. Implications of the study for research, practice, and training are discussed.