Evidence-Based Treatment (EBT)
Historically, counseling and psychotherapy have, until recently, been considered a “soft science”. While, intuitively, we know it helps to talk through our issues or problems with someone who is considered an “expert”, it was never fully understood how or why it works. While we still have a long way to go in our understanding of psychology, psychological and neuroscience have advanced our understanding of what types of treatments consistently result in positive treatment outcomes.
What is Evidence Based Treatment?
The field of evidence-based treatment, or EBT, emerged from the merging of “practicing medicine” with the rigor and replication required of the hard sciences. The medical sciences searched for treatment protocols that consistently lead to positive patient outcomes.
In the field of psychology, a scientific movement toward identifying EBTs began in the 1980’s and is now considered the “gold standard” of clinical research. If a treatment is considered evidence-based, that means that the following standards have been met:
Consistent evidence conducted with the highest standards of research, using a control group versus treatment group to measure outcomes.
The study was conducted with clinicians who have been similarly trained to the highest levels of clinical expertise.
Participants of these studies were chosen based on research criteria that attempted to filter any variable that might detract from measuring the effectiveness of the treatment.
The results have been replicated in various settings with diverse populations.
A treatment is not considered evidence-based until all these criteria have been met and shown to consistently produce positive treatment outcomes.
Eating Disorders and EBT
Currently, only a few treatment methods have held up against the rigorous criteria of EBTs. For Bulimia Nervosa (BN) and Binge Eating Disorder (BED), Eating disorder specific Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT-ED) has consistently led to positive outcomes, particularly in adult populations.
For young adolescents who struggle with Anorexia Nervosa, finding effective treatments that are evidence-based has been particularly challenging. One treatment, coming of structural family therapy, emerged as the only evidence based treatment that has held up to rigorous studies. Family Based Treatment, or FBT, has shown the most positive outcomes over the past twenty years and is now considered the gold standard for treatment of young adolescents with Anorexia Nervosa. Emerging evidence is also showing that FBT is also helpful for other eating disorders, specifically Avoidant and Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) and Bulimia Nervosa.
The Smith Counseling Group is a collective of professionals who specialize in the treatment of eating disorders, as well as other co-morbidities, such as trauma and mood disorders. We have gone through rigorous training regiments to become experts in the fields of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Eating Disorders (CBT-ED) and Family Based Treatment (FBT).