Behaviorial Therapy

In review of other disciplines involved with the treatment of overweight and obesity, take note that psychologists/psychotherapists, nutritionists/dietitians, and physicians all provide care for patients trying to lose weight. Behavioral therapy focuses on changing eating habits and physical activity. These approaches encompass a spectrum of sophistication and may be tailored to the expertise of either a mental health or nutritional therapist.
The Yale Center for Eating and Weight Disorders (YCEWD) at Yale University in New Haven, Conn., specializes in the assessment and treatment of weight problems. A number of their clients suffer from binge eating disorders, which are characterized by ingesting inordinate amounts of calories at one time without any compensatory mechanism (ie, self-induced vomiting, seen in bulimia nervosa). Recurrent binge episodes can cause massive weight gain and lead to other health comorbidities.
The psychologists and advanced clinical psychology doctoral students at YCEWD provide outpatient cognitive behavioral therapy to both individuals and groups of obese binge eaters. Some of the hallmarks of their therapeutic approach include self-monitoring where clients maintain food, mood, and activity records; written homework assignments including emotional and nutritional activities; and behavioral strategies to increase physical activity. Furthermore, they have utilized nutritionists to colead binge eating disorder groups and provide one-on-one counseling.
“Behavioral treatment has been more intensively researched and its effects more thoroughly documented than any other intervention for obesity,” writes G. Terrence Wilson. Behavioral “treatment has been widely disseminated and accepted. [It] has, for some time now, been regarded as a necessary component of any adequate obesity treatment program.”8
In addition to outpatient therapy, inpatient and day-treatment programs exist for patients who need more intense, supervised, and structured healthcare to lose weight. Many of these programs are costly and generally reserved for more affluent people. They may encompass a variety of therapies including—but not limited to— nutrition, exercise, psychological counseling, and pharmacotherapy.