Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder 1st Edition

With few, if any, RCT studies on the treatment of ARFID to date, this is a helpful empirically-based step-by-step treatment manual for mental health providers targeting weight gain/restoration and increasing variety in the food the individual eats. It uses a variety of exposure techniques (systematic desensitization, interoceptive exposure, graded exposure), psychoeducation, and parent-/self-monitoring. A previous clinician complained that it is written for dietitians and MDs while not addressing psychological problems. Coming from an FBT background, I disagree. The treatment addresses underlying mechanism from a CBT perspective and I love that it includes a therapeutic meal and in-session exposures to feared/disliked foods. It is far different from the days past when therapists treated eating disorders as a symptom of an underlying control issue or hidden psychological injury/need/drive and relied on the MD/dietitian to discuss what they should be eating. Of course, eating disorder treatment should be a team effort. If you are a an adult or parent of a child with ARFID considering this book, I strongly suggest that you find a therapist trained in CBT-AR (adults and youth) or FBT-ARFID (youth treatment) There are too many scary medical complications that can come with eating disorders and it’s very difficult to treat on your own. This book might give adults/parents some insight into their or their child’s ARFID, but it’s NOT written for parents and especially not written for teens/kids to read. Best wishes to all who struggle with ARFID and the providers trying to help them!

This is priceless in helping treat ARFID!

This is easy to understand and extremely informative.

Great read. Helped me as a parent understand my son better and helped me work with him.

For years I have wondered what is wrong with me!! Ever since my childhood I have had bouts of very low appetite, afraid to eat cause every time I would eat I would feel nauseous, eating at odd times compared to everyone else and only wanting to eat “safe” foods. I have lost so much, but I would read up on Anorexia, bulimia, generalized anxiety disorder and depression but none of them fit me completely until I learned about ARFID!!! Now I do have anxiety and depression but that has formed after years of counseling and never knowing what is truly wrong with me. I have just been labeled as MDD with GAD but I would tell them over and over how I felt about food and how I missed eating and enjoying food like a normal person but they would just blow me off. I began to actually feel crazy! Until now, now that I know it is a real disorder and there is hope I feel like I have a voice.

For years he would only eat Honey Nut Cheerios or Chicken McNuggests. Then when he was a teen a family friend gave him a bottle of Tabasco sauce and asked him to try it. Now he'll eat anything as long as it has Tabasco on it.

Brought for working daughters illness. Fascinating book

Love