Experiencing eight psychotherapy approaches devoted to eating disorders in a single-day workshop increases insight and motivation to engage in care: a pilot study

Purpose For patients with eating disorders (EDs), early engagement in care is usually considered a positive prognostic factor. The aim of the study was to investigate how a single-day intervention devoted to early, brief, experiential exposure to a variety of psychotherapy approaches might support commitment to change and the decision to engage in care in patients with EDs. Methods One hundred and sixty-nine adult outpatients newly diagnosed with an ED took part in a single-day workshop for groups of up to ten patients, where they experienced eight psychotherapeutic approaches. Motivation to change care and level of insight were assessed at baseline and 10 days after the intervention. Results Motivation and commitment to take active steps toward change (expressed by the “Committed Action” composite score) significantly improved after the intervention ( p