ABSTRACT
In schema therapy (ST), the case conceptualisation integrates multiple complex factors that influence the development and perpetuation of early maladaptive schemas (EMS) and modes that play a role in driving eating problems. Preliminary studies indicate that EMS and modes mediate childhood experiences and both eating and comorbid symptoms, with a range of multiple complex relationships possible. The ST case conceptualisation provides a template which is sufficiently sophisticated to allow a transdiagnostic understanding of an eating disorder (ED) alongside other comorbidities and complex presentations. Rather than treating each diagnosis as a separate entity, the schema approach facilitates the development of an overarching conceptualisation that guides an integrated and nuanced therapeutic treatment plan. This chapter explores possible factors that should be taken into consideration in the development of a ST case conceptualisation for eating disorders, with an emphasis on making meaningful links between schemas, modes and eating symptoms.
