BITE: Brief Individual Treatment for Eating disorders
What is the eating disorder trial?
This research will trial an eating disorder therapy (CBT-T) to support employees to overcome symptoms of eating disorders that may include binge eating, restrictive eating or compensatory behaviours to get “rid” of food (e.g. vomiting or laxative use).
CBT-T has already been shown to be effective within health settings, and we would now like to find out how helpful it could be within non-health settings, such as the workplace).
Benefits for participants include access up to 10 weekly therapy sessions via remote video call (45-60 mins each) and two follow-up appointments with a trained therapist, supporting you to understand your relationship with food and the situations that trigger unhelpful emotions, resulting in improved mood, energy and productivity levels. We also hope to see benefits for employers and the wider community in terms of reduced time off sick and improved productivity.
You'll be contributing to important research to help understand if the workplace is a feasible location to recruit and deliver therapy for employees with eating disorders - potentially reaching more people and overcoming issues of waiting lists for treatment.
If you are an employee in the Midlands and have concerns about your eating and body image, the research team would be interested in hearing from you. We are aiming to recruit 40 participants to the trial. You do not have to have an eating disorder diagnosis to take part.
What is involved and how long will it take to complete?
The eating disorder trial uses cognitive behavioural therapy to support you to:
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Get into a regular, healthy eating routine and tackle anxiety
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Change beliefs about food
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Learn to tackle the emotions that drive eating problems
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Normalise body image and strengthen body acceptance
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Learn how to stay well.
In order to determine your eligibility for this trial, you'll be asked to complete a set of seven screening questions. Following this, you will be asked to attend a short video call session with one of our therapists to assess your safety and confirm your eligibility for the trial. If your screening responses show that this trial is not suitable for you, we will provide you with links to other resources that you may find useful to look after your mental health.
If eligible, you will be given further details and a trial consent form. You will then be invited to book your first therapy session.
Sessions will take no longer than one hour per week, although you will also be required to complete some tasks in between your therapy sessions.
As well as accessing your therapy sessions and completing tasks, we will ask you to complete some questionnaires. We will use the results to see if taking part has had an impact on how you are feeling, and how long that impact lasts. Questionnaires will be completed at the start, during and after the therapy is completed, and again after one month and three months has passed.
The data gathered will enable us to see the difference taking part in the trial has made to your eating habits and mood. We will also ask you to keep a food diary throughout your participation in the trial. This diary will allow us to understand how you are eating, and will form a key part of the conversations you will have with the therapist.