Table 3 The sessions involving parents in CBT-E for adolescents with eating disorders

Assessment and preparation phase

• Joint patient and parent sessions When: At the end of the individual interview with the adolescent

• Duration: about 15 min

• Goals: Provide the parents with information concerning their child’s eating disorder, the difference between the disease model and CBT-E psychological model of eating disorder, the nature of CBT-E, their role in the treatment, and how they can help their child to address the pros and cons of starting CBT-E

Treatment phase

Parent-only session

• When: First week of treatment. Other sessions can be arranged during a family crisis or extreme difficulty during mealtimes

• Duration: 50 min

• Goals: Assessing the family environment, educating the parents about their adolescent’s eating disorder and the processes maintaining it, instilling hope, addressing any self-blame, stressing the importance of creating an optimal family environment, identifying and addressing potential parental barriers to change

Joint patient and parent sessions

• When: At the end of individual sessions with the adolescent (four to six sessions for not-underweight patients, six to ten sessions for underweight patients)

• Duration: 15 min

• Goals: Keeping parents informed and involved in the treatment process and up to date on the patient’s progress, discussing how they might help their child to implement some essential treatment procedures