Paper 2: a systematic review of narrative therapy treatment outcomes for eating disorders—bridging the divide between practice-based evidence and evidence-based practice

Abstract

Plain English summary Narrative therapy has been proposed as a promising intervention for the treatment of eating disorders. However, the treatment outcomes of narrative therapy for eating disorders are under-researched. This systematic review of the literature has demonstrated limited support for narrative therapy through practice-based evidence in clinician reports and transcripts of therapy sessions. These reports demonstrated how narrative therapy was associated with identity shifts, some symptom reduction, reduced hospitalisations, improved agency over the problem and improvements in quality of life. There is a need for future research to systematically report treatment outcomes. This will fill a gap in research evidence-base for narrative therapy in the treatment of eating disorders.

Keywords

• Eating disorders
• Narrative therapy
• Treatment outcomes
• Systematic review