Young People's Experiences of Attending Family Based Treatment (
FBT
) for Anorexia Nervosa: Perspectives on Externalisation
Aisling Tennyson, Christian Ryan, Elaine Costello ABSTRACT
Family‐Based Treatment (FBT) is an evidence‐based treatment for young people with anorexia nervosa (AN). It utilises principles of family therapy, such as externalisation, to help separate the young person from their anorexic thoughts and behaviours using language and metaphor. As previous research highlighted some potential barriers to implementing FBT, this study explores the experience of FBT with young people themselves. Semi‐structured interviews were carried out with young people attending FBT for AN enquiring about their overall experience of FBT and externalisation. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to analyse the data. Four main group experiential themes emerged: the insidious and deceptive development of eating disorders; grappling with the truth and surrendering control to treatment; reclaiming the self: the role of expert guidance and externalised narratives in recovery; and new perspectives from cognitive recovery. Externalisation was generally experienced as providing hope and agency in recovery and reduced feelings of guilt and blame among participants.