Testing the utility of a competence scale for CBT-ED therapists 1.0
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Testing the utility of a clinician competence scale for therapists using evidence-based cognitive behavioural therapy with eating disorder patients.
IRAS ID
298732
Contact name
Glenn Waller
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The University of Sheffield
ISRCTN Number
ISRCTN00000000
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 5 months, 27 days
Research summary
Cognitive-behavioural therapy for eating disorders (CBT-ED) is currently the only therapy recommended by NICE (2017) for all eating disorders. When clinicians adhere to evidence-based treatment manuals, CBT-ED shows strong levels of effectiveness in a range of eating disorders. A core element of CBT-ED is a strong focus on behaviour change techniques, aimed to reduce problematic eating behaviours. This stronger focus on behavioural change tasks, compared to other ‘forms’ of CBT, is key for changing biased thinking. However, many CBT clinicians tend to only focus on the cognitive aspects of therapy, or indeed, drift away from treatment manuals substantially. Therefore, it is important to provide clinicians and supervisors with a tool to accurately assess how well a clinician is delivering the therapeutic competences that ensures patients have the best chance of receiving evidence-based treatment for their eating disorders. Numerous scales have been developed to assess CBT competence, but most were originally designed to assess CBT for depression, and do not have a strong focus on the behavioural aspects of CBT. Consequently, existing scales are not suitable for assessing competence to deliver CBT-ED. Therefore, a team of clinical researchers developed the Cognitive Behaviour Therapy Scale for Eating Disorders (CBTS-ED). This pilot study aims to assess the extent to which a group of independent judges agree with each other when rating clinicians’ competence to deliver CBT-ED, using the CBTS-ED. This study will recruit NHS and non-NHS CBT-ED therapists, their adult eating disorder patients, and a team of independent raters. Consenting therapists will obtain consent from their patients to audio-record their therapy session(s). Tapes will be anonymised and sent to the judges to be rated using the CBTS-ED. This research will be carried out over the course of a year, using a total of 24 therapy session recordings. (Conducted by Sheffield University researchers.)
REC name
London - Camberwell St Giles Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/LO/0843
Date of REC Opinion
23 Dec 2021
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion