In December 1979, a small group of mental health professionals, most of who were affiliated with the Institute for Contemporary Psychotherapy (ICP), began studying and researching anorexia. Initially the Division was called the Center for the Study of Anorexia but was changed to the Center for the Study of Anorexia and Bulimia (CSAB) as people with bulimia also sought treatment.
Joining the initial group from ICP were William Davis PhD.; April Lane Benson Ph.D.; Martin Frommer, Ph.D.; Janet David, Ph.D.; Ed Corrigan, Ph.D.; Ron Taffel, Ph.D.; Judith Rabinor, Ph.D.; and Jane Supino, M.A., C.S.W. Steve Zimmer, C.S.W. and Judy Freedman, C.S.W. joined CSAB because of their interest and experience with eating disordered patients in other settings.
In the early years, CSAB held weekly study group for all staff to review the existing literature in the field. People who had published in the area of eating disorders presented at regular Wednesday afternoon meetings. CSAB staff also went to workshops and conferences to enhance their learning. A core group also met with Steven Levenkron, M.S., author of The Best Little Girl in the World, and studied his nurturant-authoritative model of treatment. Another group met with C. Philip Wilson, who edited Fear of Fat and supervised clinicians in the psychoanalytic model of treatment. Ira Mintz, M.D., from the same psychoanalytic group, taught at CSAB. Instructors also included staff from the Women's Therapy Centre such as Susie Orbach, Jane Hirschmann, Luise Eichenbaum, Carol Bloom, and Laura Kogel. B. Timothy Walsh, M.D. and Harold Boris delivered lectures.
CSAB was establishing itself in the treatment community and patient loads were increasing. As new therapists were added, CSAB required in-service courses and supervision. Concurrently, data was being collected from CSAB patients and doctoral dissertations on the topic of eating disorders. From this research and the experiences of the therapists, one of the earliest eating-patterns questionnaires was developed at CSAB.
Drawing on the expertise of those associated with CSAB, courses, workshops, and consultations were offered for therapists from the greater New York metropolitan area. A Training Program for professionals was begun in the early 1980's. And to share their knowledge with special audiences, CSAB developed a Community Outreach program for schools, colleges, hospitals and social service organizations staffed with speakers to meet the needs of these organizations.
In 1981, when CSAB held the first of four national conferences, three hundred professionals from across the country attended. Speakers at the conferences were selected from a variety of perspectives and areas of specialties, such as David Garner; B. Timothy Walsh, M.D.; Craig Johnson, Ph.D.; Steven Levenkron, M.S.; Carol Gilligan, Ph.D.; Catherine Steiner-Adair, Ph.D.; and Anna Ornstein, Ph.D., Susie Orbach, and CSAB staff and Executive Committee members also presented workshops.
Since its inception, the Training Program has recognized the need to address the interface of eating disorders with substance abuse; physical, emotional, and sexual abuse; and a history of trauma in patients' lives. The training curriculum includes literature in these areas. In addition, CSAB provides coursework in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, and EMDR. In recent years, CSAB has expanded its patient population to include non-purging binge-eaters, compulsive overeaters, and obese people.
CSAB continues to move forward on its strong foundation to meet the needs of a very complex client population with new treatment modalities, expanded training opportunities, and outreach to the community.
