Therapy for Relationships with Eating Disorders : A Clinician's Guide to Gottman-RED Couples Therapy

Effective eating disorder treatment modalities for adults continue to elude practitioners and the rates of eating disorder relapse remain staggeringly high. Meanwhile, a vital resource for people with eating disorders remains unexplored: their romantic relationships. Tapping into this largely ignored vein of support, Gottman-RED (Relationships with Eating Disorders) is a new therapy for couples in which one or both partners have an eating disorder. Built upon a foundation of traditional Gottman Method Couples Therapy interventions, Gottman-RED adds fourteen new interventions designed specifically to help couples address difficult issues related to food, weight, body image and exercise. These interventions encourage conversations characterised by empathetic engagement in which both partners are heard. This highly versatile therapy is the culmination of Dr. Kim Lampson’s thirty years of working as a counselling psychologist with both couples and individuals with eating disorders. It offers a crucial missing piece in the puzzling world of eating disorder treatment modalities.