Psychological treatments for eating disorders (EDs) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) have been shown to be effective in many studies. The specific mechanisms of change in treatments for EDs are not entirely clear, but it is suggested that psychoeducation, collaboration, exposure-based interventions, cognitive therapy, interpersonal effectiveness, and value-based interventions may be active treatment ingredients. Psychoeducation and collaboration between patient and therapist are essential to provide information about the disorder and its causes, challenge negative appraisals and self-criticism, and foster a collaborative environment. Exposure and behavioral experiments are often used in the treatment of both disorders. The goals of exposure include reducing anxiety by repeated contact with a feared stimulus and eliminating avoidance, safety, or escape behaviors, as well as increasing distress tolerance and extinction learning. Cognitive therapy, interpersonal effectiveness, and value-based interventions in ED treatment aim to increase self-efficacy and self-esteem through decreasing interpersonal problems and shifting values that are based on appearance.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can be effectively treating using a variety of cognitive behavioral therapies. This chapter reviews the evidence base for cognitive behavioral therapies for PTSD, including prolonged exposure (PE), cognitive processing therapy (CPT), and others. Strategies for gold-standard diagnosis and ongoing progress monitoring of PTSD are described, as are considerations for determining readiness for CBT for PTSD. A case formulation of a fictitious patient is presented using emotional processing theory to illustrate one approach to treatment using PE, including therapist scripts for additional guidance. This case formulation includes a focus on socializing patients to PE, which is intended to assist therapists who are new to the model. An overview of the progress of this fictitious but realistic case is presented for demonstrative purposes.