Eating disorder therapists' personal eating disorder history and professional ethics: an interpretive description.

This qualitative study sought to explore and understand eating disorder (ED) therapists' perceptions of whether and how their personal ED histories had professional ethical relevance. Analysis of multiple interviews with 11 therapist-participants indicated that they perceived their personal ED histories as having substantial ethical relevance in their day-to-day practice with ED clients. The major categories of ethics experiences that emerged were: boundaries, therapist wellness, helpfulness of personal ED history, and openness regarding therapists' personal ED histories. The findings have practical utility for the education, training, and continuing education of ED-historied practitioners.

Identifying critical competencies for psychotherapeutic practice with eating disordered clients: a Delphi study.

Mental health professionals lack systematic criteria against which to assess their competence to provide psychotherapy to eating disordered clients. In this Delphi study, a multidisciplinary panel of professionals with expertise in eating disorders treatment reached a consensus on essential eating disorders psychotherapy competencies, which included both literature-derived and participant-generated items. Competency domains included specialized knowledge and skills, professional responsibility, and therapist characteristics. An empirically derived, operational definition of minimum competence in psychotherapy for eating disorders was obtained. The essential competencies have utility for practitioners, novice and experienced, who wish to assess and enhance their ethical practice in psychotherapy for eating disorders.