ABSTRACT
This chapter examines brief marital therapy with couples who are either married or living together, and in which at least one spouse has an eating-disorder diagnosis. The model presented has been used in an institutional setting within the context of the Eating Disorders Day Hospital Program (Piran & Kaplan, 1990), a time-limited, intensive, focused group-therapy program. Different groups in the program focus on specific issues, including body image, nutrition (Kerr & Piran, 1990), and family relations (Shekter-Wolfson & Woodside, 1990). In addition to group therapy, patients are offered family-of-origin therapy, and when the patient is married, marital therapy (Woodside & Shekter-Wolfson, 1991). Although this model was developed for use in the Day Hospital Program, it is equally applicable to a general outpatient clinic or private practice. However, it is also important that the patient be followed medically, which includes monitoring the patients nutritional status.
