CBT-E Personalized Formulation
Fairburn's map of the disorder — built collaboratively in session
The CBT-E personalized formulation (Fairburn) is the map that guides treatment. Build it collaboratively in session — the client's own words in the client's own boxes. Refer back to it every time the work loses direction.
Over-evaluation of shape, weight & control
The single belief that self-worth depends almost entirely on shape, weight, or ability to control eating.
Strict dieting & food rules
The rules you follow — timing, amounts, forbidden foods, exercise contingencies.
Non-compensatory weight-control behaviors
Restriction, skipping, excessive exercise, weighing rituals.
Binge eating
Loss-of-control episodes. Note frequency and typical trigger.
Compensatory behaviors
Purging, laxatives, driven exercise, further restriction.
Body checking / avoidance & 'feeling fat'
Mirror checking, pinching, weighing, avoidance of reflections, tight clothing.
The feedback loops
Draw arrows on the printed sheet. Restriction → binge. Binge → purge → restriction. Body checking → "feeling fat" → more rules. Show the client the loop that keeps their disorder alive.
Additional maintainers (broad CBT-E)
Tick any that apply. Broad CBT-E adds a module for each ticked box.
Treatment targets from this formulation
The formulation is the syllabus. Every module maps to a box or an arrow.