*Note* This scheduling program was not designed by folks who do a lot with APA Style and unfortunately it defaults to listing authors in alphabetical order. We cannot fix this for this online schedule, but the author orders are posted in the order submitted in the printed program available via pdf here.
Historically, eating disorders and disordered eating have been framed as a problem that happens to young, white, heterosexual, middle- and upper-class women (Schlundt, 1990). Despite a growing recognition that eating problems affect women across sociocultural locations (Harris & Kuba, 1997; Kuba & Harris, 2012; Lester, 2007; Thompson, 1994), there remains a dearth of research or treatment models which attend to multicultural issues in the treatment of eating disorders and disordered eating. This workshop proposes the incorporation of a post-structural feminist lens into the practice of relational-cultural therapy (RCT), specifically for the treatment of women with disordered eating. RCT is a feminist and social justice oriented therapeutic approach, which pays particular attention to relational connections and disconnections, the central role of social context, and the importance of therapist responsiveness and authenticity. Feminist post-structural theory may enhance the practice of RCT as it supports a more complex and layered understanding of the self and of the individual’s experiences, allowing for greater depth and authenticity in psychodynamic exploration. Special attention is given to the concepts of “the multiple and contradictorily constituted self” and “multiple gazes” (Eckermann, 2009, p. 13). The second portion of the workshop will present a clinical case study of a client with disordered eating, highlighting the importance of attending to sociocultural issues as an integral part of treatment. In the final portion of the workshop, participants will apply the model to the clinical case study and their own case material, in order to explore how the proposed model may enhance therapeutic process. Works Cited Eckermann, L. (2009). Theorising self-starvation: Beyond risk, governmentality and the normalising gaze. In H. Malson & M. Burns (Eds.), Critical Feminist Approaches to Eating Dis/Orders. Routledge. Harris, D. J., & Kuba, S. A. (1997). Ethnocultural identity and eating disorders in women of color. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 28(4), 341–347. Kuba, S. A., & Harris, D. J. (2012). Understanding the Role of Gender and Ethnic Oppression when Treating Mexican American Women for Eating Disorders. Women & Therapy, 35, 19–30. Lester, R. J. (2007). Critical Therapeutics: Cultural Politics and Clinical Reality in Two Eating Disorder Treatment Centers. Medical Anthropology Quarterly, 21(4), 369–387. Schlundt, D. (1990). Eating Disorders: Assessment and Treatment. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Thompson, B. W. (1994). A Hunger so Wide and so Deep: American Women Speak Out on Eating Problems. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
