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Effectiveness of Group EFT for Transdiagnostic Eating Disorders/Difficulties Within Student Counselling Services.
Sponsor: Canterbury Christ Church University
Summary
What is the purpose of the study? Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) is a therapeutic approach that helps individuals identify, explore, and transform difficult emotions to improve emotional wellbeing and resolve psychological issues. While there is a growing body of evidence for the effectiveness of both individual and group EFT with a range of difficulties, including eating disorders, this has not yet been sufficiently explored within university counselling services. The purpose of this study is to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of a group EFT intervention for students experiencing eating disorders or concerns related to eating, weight, and shape. The study aims to determine whether this type of therapy can be effectively delivered within a university counselling service, and if it could potentially improve participants' mental health and wellbeing.
Official title: Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) to Assess the Feasibility, Acceptability and Preliminary Effectiveness of Group Emotion-focused Therapy (EFT) Intervention for Transdiagnostic Eating Disorders/Difficulties in Student Counselling Services.
Key Details
Gender
All
Age Range
18 Years - Any
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Enrollment
24
Start Date
2025-02-06
Completion Date
2026-10
Last Updated
2025-03-24
Healthy Volunteers
No
Conditions
Interventions
Group Emotion Focused Therapy Intervention
The EFT group intervention: Taming the Inner Critic: Emotion-Focused Group Therapy for Eating and Body Concerns. This group is a 10-12 week (number of participants=8-10 +2 sessions) closed therapy group for students seeking support regarding issues related to eating and/or body concerns. Working one-to-one and within the group, group members will be facilitated to recognise and explore some of the difficult emotions underlying and driving eating and/or body related issues. In particular, the group will focus on 'taming' the inner critic, that part of ourselves that criticises or chastises us for not being good enough. By identifying the critic in ourselves and by witnessing it in others, group members will be better positioned to figure out what they really need from themselves at times of difficulty, and thus better able to access self-compassion and self-assertion. There will be some psychoeducation, both around eating and emotions, but this will be largely in a handout format, with
Treatment as Usual (TAU)
Treatment that would otherwise be offered by the university counselling service (one on one counselling, a group, or signposting to external support).
Locations (1)
Canterbury Christ Church University
Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, United Kingdom