ABSTRACT
Since the early 2000s, the landscape for eating disorder treatment of children and adolescents has gradually shifted from a focus on individual to family-based intervention. This shift has been based on two key findings. First, interpersonal factors have been found to play an important role in illness persistence (Arcelus, Haslam, Farrow, & Meyer, 2013; Goddard et al., 2011). Second, including family members in the treatment of adolescents with eating disorders has improved outcome (Lock, 2015). Whereas marked shifts in the care of adolescent patients have yielded positive benefits, typical treatment for adults with eating disorders has remained individual therapy and outcomes, which are modest at best, have stagnated (Berkman et al., 2006; Brown & Keel, 2012). To help improve outcome and recovery rates for adults with eating disorders, we created couple-based interventions that incorporate the partner into treatment in a developmentally appropriate and evidence-informed manner. In this chapter, we survey the empirical literature supporting the treatment of adults in a couple context and describe our existing and emerging couple-based interventions for eating disorders.
