Data indicate that most clinicians use a combination of approaches when they treat eating disorders, and there is empirical support for treatments that incorporate a psychodynamic approach. Comorbidity was associated with longer treatment, and it was the norm rather than the exception: a secondary or personality disorder. Factors such as culture and personality are an often neglected aspect of conceptualization and treatment leading to various problems and have been the focus of Dr. Khademi’s research and clinical work. These issues can be addressed by use of an integrated psychodynamic approach to examine personality, transference, and countertransference with eating disorders. This presentation will review existing empirically supported treatments and end with a clinical discussion of a case.
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Educational Objective(s)
- Apply an understanding of the interface of nature, nurture, and culture in the development of pathology that expresses itself as eating disorders.
- Explain the differences in treatment approaches for patients with bulimia and anorexia.
- Describe the importance of taking comorbidity into account in treatment planning for patients with eating disorders.
Presenter Information
Mojgan Khademi, Psy.D. is a clinical psychologist and a psychoanalyst specializing in the treatment of eating disorders. She is an Associate Professor in the Psy.D. department of Alliant International University in San Diego, California, and the 2015 recipient of the American Psychoanalytic Association’s Edith Sabshin Teaching Award. Dr. Khademi’s research has focused on better understanding the iinfluence of personality, attachment, and mentalization on the risks of eating disorders, obesity, and body image among U.S. immigrants and across cultures. Her other research has focused on the role of these variables in relation to complicated grief among mothers of young children, the chronically ill, and depression among immigrants, as well as the role of emotions and perceptions of empathy in clinical settings.