Research

The scientist-practitioner model

Psychological therapists are encouraged to be ‘scientist-practitioners’. This means both contributing to academic debate relevant to therapeutic practice; and using an advanced ability to critically evaluate other research (gained from research experience) to thoughtfully apply research developments to practice.

My research interests and experience include: cognitive behavioural therapy; eating disorders; experience of the body; and self-harm. I have published in academic peer-reviewed journals, and have presented my findings at international conference.

Publications

Cognitive-behavioral therapy for eating disorders in primary care settings: Does it work, and does a greater dose make it more effective? (Rose & Waller, 2017)

This was the first study to evaluate the effectiveness of CBT for eating disorders when delivered in a ‘primary care’ type NHS setting (i.e., where therapy was routinely provided by cognitive behavioural therapists who were not part of a multidisciplinary team). While this would not be suitable for everybody, the level of effectiveness was comparable to that found in more traditional multidisciplinary settings. The findings supported previous research indicating that change occurring early (in therapy) is the most reliable predictor of therapy gains. A longer duration of CBT doesn’t necessarily equate to better (than average) results. For some people change happens at a slower rate, and some are likely to benefit from adaptations or a different approach.

A case series of CBT‐T in routine clinical practice (Rose, Bakopoulou, & Novak, 2021)

This study evaluated the effectiveness of a relatively new brief (10 session) model of CBT for treating eating disorders like bulimia and binge eating disorder in a NHS setting, independently from the team that developed the model. This built on existing evidence supporting it’s effectiveness. We also examined the potential relationship between how long someone has been unwell for and CBT effectiveness. Consistent with other research, we found no relationship between eating disorder duration and CBT effectiveness: There is still good reason to hold hope for recovery, even when people have been suffering for several years.

References

Rose, C., Bakopoulou, I., & Novak, T. (2021). A case series of CBT‐T in routine clinical practice. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 54(8), 1549-1554. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.23566

Rose, C., & Waller, G. (2017). Cognitive–behavioral therapy for eating disorders in primary care settings: Does it work, and does a greater dose make it more effective?. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 50(12), 1350-1355. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.22778