Skills and meta-competences needed to deliver a new 20-session protocol (CBT-AN-20)

Presenter: Professor Glenn Waller, School of Psychology, University of Sheffield, UK

CBT protocols for patients with non-underweight eating disorders have advanced substantially in the past decade. In contrast, CBT for anorexia nervosa has not changed substantially over nearly two decades. Over that time, the research literature in the field of CBT has led to many potential directions for working with anorexia nervosa, and more rapidly than current protocols. This need to revisit the literature has led to the development of a new, 20-session protocol for low- to moderate-risk cases of anorexia nervosa - CBT-AN-20 (Waller, Eddy, Rose, Thomas, Turner & Wade, 2026). As with CBT-T, the aim is to ensure that this effective therapy is made widely accessible – for example, being delivered by junior team members under supervision, and with the support of online skills videos and therapy resources.

This workshop will detail the skills needed to deliver CBT-AN-20 in a flexible, patient-centred manner. It will address:

• The evidence to date for CBT-AN-20.
• The meta-competences needed to deliver any therapy effectively.
• Risk management.
• Formulation of anorexia nervosa.
• Reviewing motivation and progress, including working with the anorexic voice.
• The overlapping phases of the therapy, including: weight gain and stabilisation; emotional factors behind compulsive and impulsive behaviours; body image work; and ending therapy well.
• Considerations when working with individuals with neurodivergence, trauma effects, younger presentations, atypical presentations, etc.
• Factors that might make the clinician question the suitability of CBT-AN-20 for the individual, alongside management of cases where there is risk of suicidality/self-harm.

Case material will be used throughout to illustrate the key skills, along with role-play videos.

 Key Learning Outcomes:

• Ability to enhance therapy outcomes through understanding and use of meta-competences.
• Formulation of anorexia nervosa using an adapted 5Ps model.
• Awareness of the structure of the therapy and the ability to adapt it for the individual.
• Understanding of the core skills used in CBT-AN-20.

Reference: Waller, G., Eddy, K. T., Rose, C. L., Thomas, J. J., Turner, H. M., & Wade, T. D. (2026). Cognitive-behaviour therapy for anorexia nervosa: A clinician’s guide to CBT-AN-20. Routledge.

Glenn Waller is Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Sheffield, UK. His clinical and academic specialism is evidence-based CBT for eating disorders, with a particular emphasis on effective treatment in routine clinical settings. He has published over 370 peer-reviewed papers, 27 book chapters and six books in the field. He was an author on the CBT-T manual (2019), which resulted in the team being awarded the Academy for Eating Disorders 'Outstanding Clinician Award' in 2020. He regularly presents workshops at national and international meetings. He is past president of the Academy for Eating Disorders and of the Eating Disorders Research Society and is on the editorial boards of a number of journals relating to eating disorders and to CBT. He was a member of the NICE Eating Disorders Guideline Development Group, responsible for the 2017 update.

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Workshop Pricing:
ANZAED Members: AU $310.00 | Non-Members: AU $378.00 (Amount includes 15% NZGST) Or,
ANZAED Members: NZ $370.00 | Non-Members: NZ $450.00 (Amount includes 15% NZGST) 
 
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