Table 1 Therapeutic phases, goals, and techniques

Initial treatment phase (Sessions 1 – 3)

Initial contact and cognitive preparation

- To establish a positive therapeutic alliance

- Exploration

- To enhance motivation

- Information on disorder and treatment

- To plan therapy

- Goal setting

- Self-monitoring of eating behavior

- Self-management and self-reinforcement

Intensive treatment phase (Sessions 4 – 18)

Eating behavior module “My Nutrition”

- To establish a healthy eating behavior

- Information on nutrition and physical activity

- Self-monitoring of eating behavior and physical activity

- Goal setting

- Stimulus and response control

- Cue exposure

- Eating hedonics exercises

- Self-management and self-reinforcement

- Cognitive restructuring

- Homework

Body image module “My Body”

- To establish a positive body image and weight maintenance

- Information on body image and weight-related stigmatization

- Body image exposure

- Self-monitoring of negative body talk

- Self-monitoring of physical activity

- Shaping of regular physical activity

- Body hedonics exercises

- Self-management and self-reinforcement

- Cognitive restructuring

- Homework

Stress module “My Emotions”

- To identify and treat related psychopathology (e.g., emotion regulation difficulties, stress management problems, interpersonal conflict, social competence deficits, identity problems)

- Behavioral analysis

- Information

- Goal setting

- Stimulus and response control

- Role play

- Problem solving

- Exposure

- Self-management and self-reinforcement

- Cognitive restructuring

- Homework

Self-management phase (Sessions 19 – 20)

- To stabilize progress

- Review of progress

- To prevent relapse

- Goal setting regarding future work

- Identification of situations and signs of risk for relapse and delineation of an emergency plan

- Self-management and self-reinforcement