Review of staff and client experiences of a motivational group intervention: meeting the needs of contemplators.

This descriptive article outlines the processes undertaken by the STEPS Unit when designing a new group for people with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and EDNOS. The group was designed to help clients explore their eating disorders in an environment where change was not required. A retrospective follow-up of the clients' treatment pathway, and the experiences of the facilitators and clients, is presented. Each group ran for 12 weeks, with 16 different groups of people. A total of 101 clients completed the 12 week program. A follow-up of the clients showed that 41% of those who completed the group moved from a contemplative stage into therapy involving behavioural change. The results are promising and of clinical relevance. This work adds to the existing literature in this field in that it includes a paradoxical emphasis on the positives of the eating disorder unlike traditional motivational interviewing techniques, resulting in a deeper commitment to change.