APPLYING EXPRESSIVE ART THERAPIES TO COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTIONS FOR CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS WITH AVOIDANT RESTRICTIVE FOOD INTAKE DISORDER

Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) is a relatively “new” eating disorder diagnosis that presents uniquely in children and adolescents. This dissertation first offers an analysis of current eating disorder interventions with a focus on children and adolescents and their unique developmental needs followed by a discussion of the strengths and limitations of family-based treatment (FBT) and cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). Currently, no treatment manual has been tested for ARFID, and further research examining the effectiveness of different treatment options for children with ARFID is clearly warranted. One potential treatment approach is expressive arts therapy, which may be valuable as a developmentally-appropriate adjunct to CBT for ARFID. This dissertation asserts that including an expressive arts therapy component to existing cognitive behavioral therapies will make current interventions more applicable and effective for children and adolescents with ARFID. Specific proposed interventions combining the evidenced-based practice of CBT with expressive arts therapy as an adjunct to standard treatment are proposed for use in the therapeutic setting with ARFID populations. These interventions are outlined in detail and enhanced with composite case study examples.