How do Psychological Treatments Work? Investigating the mediators of action of CBT and IPT in the treatment of eating disorders

How do psychological treatments work? Investigating mediators of change, Behaviour Research and Therapy, Volume 47, Issue 1, January 2009, Pages 1-5

Rebecca Murphy^{a, ,} , Zafra Cooper^a, Steven D. Hollon^b and Christopher G. Fairburn^a

^aDepartment of Psychiatry, Oxford University, Warneford Hospital, Oxford OX3 7JX, UK

^bDepartment of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37240, USA

Abstract:

Little is known about how psychological treatments work. Research on treatment-induced mediators of change may be of help in identifying potential causal mechanisms through which they operate. Outcome-focused randomised controlled trials provide an excellent opportunity for such work. However, certain conceptual and practical difficulties arise when studying psychological treatments, most especially deciding how best to conceptualise the treatment concerned and how to accommodate the fact that most psychological treatments are implemented flexibly. In this paper, these difficulties are discussed, and strategies and procedures for overcoming them are described.

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