Bespoke Members
Introduction
Emetophobia (or Specific Phobia of Vomiting) is an intense fear of vomiting that results in significant avoidance and disruption to daily life. It is a debilitating condition yet can be poorly understood and often misdiagnosed by professionals. It is considered hard to treat compared to other phobias and anxiety disorders. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is the most evidence-based treatment for emetophobia.
The event will be equivalent to 2.3/4hrs of CPD.
Content
The workshop will cover features of the clinical presentation of emetophobia and how to distinguish it from co-morbidities conditions such as OCD, panic disorder and eating disorders. It will introduce the cognitive maintenance model and outline a CBT treatment plan for emetophobia, including the use of Theory A Theory B, goal setting, normalisation, imagery rescripting and active components of therapy such as behavioural experiments and exposure. The workshop will provide creative ideas for engaging clients in active work that aims to target cognitive, somatic and behavioural maintenance factors, as well as the role of attention and imagery. It will include a brief overview of the current evidence-base and on-going research into CBT for emetophobia.
Learning Objectives
• To be able to recognise the features of emetophobia and distinguish it from other conditions with overlapping features
• To gain confidence in using the cognitive maintenance model for emetophobia
• To learn the main components of CBT for emetophobia including active components such as exposure, and imagery re-scripting
• To learn the standardised outcome measures for use in emetophobia
Training Modalities
Didactic content, Q&A, polls, and reflective exercises.
Key References
Keyes, A., & Veale, D. (2021). Free yourself from emetophobia: A CBT self-help guide for a fear of vomiting. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Keyes, A., Gilpin, H. R., & Veale, D. (2018). Phenomenology, epidemiology, co-morbidity and treatment of a specific phobia of vomiting: A systematic review of an understudied disorder. Clinical Psychology Review, 60, 15-31.
Veale, D. (2009). Cognitive behaviour therapy for a specific phobia of vomiting. The Cognitive Behaviour Therapist, 2(4), 272-288.
About the presenter
Alexandra is a Clinical Psychologist and BABCP accredited CBT Therapist at South London and Maudsley NHS Trust. She works at a national specialist outpatient clinic specialising in CBT treatments and research in anxiety disorders. She has written a self-help CBT book for emetophobia as well as book chapters and papers on emetophobia. She is currently working on a single case experimental design study exploring acceptability and feasibility of the use of Virtual Reality (VR) in CBT for emetophobia. She is Chair and Trustee of Emet Action charity for emetophobia.
Who should attend
This workshop is for practitioners working in primary, secondary and specialist mental health services who are assessing and treating emetophobia using CBT. It will be helpful for clinicians supervising CBT for emetophobia. It is focused on accredited staff but will be appropriate for practitioners of all professional backgrounds.