How to Prepare for an Eating Disorder Assistant Psychologist Interview
A note before you start: this post discusses eating disorders. If you’re struggling with your own relationship with food or your body, Beat, the UK’s eating disorder charity, offers confidential support at beateatingdisorders.org.uk.
How do I prepare for an eating disorder Assistant Psychologist interview? Eating disorder services are specialist, so panels want to see that you understand the nuances of the work. Prepare to talk about physical risk and working within your competence, ambivalence about change, working in a multidisciplinary team, and how you’d use formulation, alongside your values, self-awareness and the NICE-recommended treatments.
If you’ve landed an interview for an Assistant Psychologist (AP) role in an eating disorder service, well done. These posts come up in adult community teams, CAMHS eating disorder services, inpatient units, and early intervention services such as FREED.
As part of my counselling psychology training, I had a placement in an outpatient adult eating disorder service, where I carried out assessments, delivered one-to-one interventions and wrote integrative formulations. This experience showed me how much this work differs from other settings.
A panel in an eating disorder service isn’t just asking “can this person think psychologically?” They’re asking “does this person understand what makes eating disorder work different?” Below I’ll walk you through the areas I think matter most, and how to approach the questions you’re likely to get.
What does an Assistant Psychologist do in an eating disorder service?
It varies between services, so always read the job description closely. Depending on the setting, an AP might:
support assessments, for example by administering and scoring questionnaires
co-facilitate psychoeducation or skills groups
deliver low-intensity or guided self-help interventions under supervision
help with service evaluation, audit and outcome monitoring
support carers’ groups or family work
contribute to formulations and MDT discussions
Whatever the tasks, you’ll be working under the supervision of a qualified psychologist. Showing you understand that is part of a strong interview.
Why is eating disorder work so specialist?
Eating disorders are serious mental health conditions that also affect physical health, sometimes in life-threatening ways. They often feel valued or protective to the person, which can make change frightening, and care almost always involves a team of professionals working together, and often families too.
This is why I’d build your preparation around three core themes: physical risk, ambivalence about change, and MDT working.
What do I need to know about physical risk?
In eating disorders, risk isn’t only about self-harm or suicide (although you should be ready to talk about those too). Restriction, purging and other behaviours can cause serious physical complications, and someone can be medically unwell even if they don’t “look” unwell or describe themselves as fine.
A few things worth knowing:
Medical monitoring is a team responsibility. Services monitor things like weight, physical observations and blood tests. As an AP you won’t be making medical decisions, but you need to understand why monitoring matters.
MEED guidance. In 2022 the Royal College of Psychiatrists published Medical Emergencies in Eating Disorders: Guidance on Recognition and Management (MEED). It replaced the earlier MARSIPAN and Junior MARSIPAN guidance, covers all ages, and includes a “traffic light” risk assessment framework. You don’t need to memorise it, but knowing it exists and what it’s for shows you understand the medical side of the work.
Working within competence. This is the heart of a good risk answer. You’d notice, record and share concerns promptly, follow local policy, and escalate to your supervisor or the duty clinician. You wouldn’t try to manage physical risk on your own.
Safeguarding. Especially in CAMHS, be ready to talk about safeguarding processes and confidentiality, and when information needs to be shared.
How to approach a physical risk question: Panels often ask something like “A client tells you they’ve been feeling dizzy and fainted last week, but asks you not to tell anyone. What would you do?” Rather than jumping to an answer, talk through your thinking: stay calm and validating, be honest that you can’t keep risk information to yourself, explain why, and escalate the same day to your supervisor or the duty clinician in line with policy. Then mention documenting it and reflecting in supervision.
How do I talk about ambivalence about change?
Many people with eating disorders feel ambivalent about recovery. Eating disorders are often described as ego-syntonic, meaning the beliefs and behaviours can feel consistent with the person’s sense of self, or like they’re helping (for example, giving a sense of control or safety). This is very different from many other difficulties, where people usually want the symptoms gone.
What this means for you in interview:
Show you understand ambivalence isn’t “non-compliance”. It’s an understandable part of the difficulty, and it deserves curiosity rather than frustration.
Mention motivational approaches. A motivational interviewing (MI)-informed stance means exploring the person’s own reasons for change, reflecting both sides of their ambivalence, and avoiding arguing or pushing. MANTRA (the Maudsley Anorexia Nervosa Treatment for Adults), one of the NICE-recommended therapies for adults with anorexia, includes this kind of motivational, collaborative work and encourages the person to develop a sense of identity beyond the eating disorder.
Hold both empathy and boundaries. You can be warm and validating while still being clear about physical risk and the treatment plan.
How to approach an ambivalence question: You might be asked “How would you engage someone who doesn’t think they have a problem?” Talk about building trust, curiosity about what the eating disorder does for them, gently exploring the pros and cons of change, and respecting their pace while staying aware of risk and the team’s plan.
What should I know about working in an MDT?
Eating disorder care is very much team-based. You might work alongside psychologists, psychiatrists, nurses, dietitians, family therapists, occupational therapists, GPs and paediatric or medical teams.
Points worth showing in your answers:
Each role brings something different. For example, dietitians lead on nutrition and meal plans, and medical colleagues lead on physical health monitoring. Psychological work fits alongside these, not instead of them.
People with eating disorders can find mixed messages confusing or unsettling, so teams try to stay joined up. As an AP, that means not giving your own advice about food or weight, and checking with the team if you’re unsure.
For children and young people, NICE recommends anorexia-focused family therapy (FT-AN), so families are central to treatment. Carers of adults often need support and information too.
Panels like candidates who can share information clearly, contribute to MDT discussions and ask for help.
How to approach an MDT question: “Tell us about a time you worked as part of a team” is common. Pick an example where you communicated clearly, respected other people’s expertise, or handled a difference of opinion. Then link it back to why that matters in eating disorder care.
Which treatments should I know about?
You don’t need to be an expert, but knowing the NICE guideline (NG69, Eating disorders: recognition and treatment) shows you’ve done your homework. In brief:
Adults with anorexia nervosa: NICE recommends considering individual eating-disorder-focused CBT (CBT-ED), MANTRA or specialist supportive clinical management (SSCM). If these aren’t suitable or don’t help, eating-disorder-focused focal psychodynamic therapy can be considered.
Children and young people with anorexia nervosa: anorexia-focused family therapy (FT-AN).
Adults with binge eating disorder: a binge-eating-disorder-focused guided self-help programme first, then group CBT-ED if that isn’t suitable or doesn’t help.
Adults with bulimia nervosa: bulimia-nervosa-focused guided self-help is offered first, with individual CBT-ED if that isn’t suitable or doesn’t help.
Guided self-help is particularly relevant for APs, because in some services it’s the kind of work an AP may support under supervision.
How do I talk about formulation in an eating disorder interview?
You’ll probably be asked about formulation in some form. I’d focus on two models that fit eating disorder work well, and practice explaining each in plain language.
The CBT-E transdiagnostic model
Enhanced cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT-E) was developed by Fairburn et al. It’s called transdiagnostic because it applies across eating disorder diagnoses, such as anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder, rather than treating each one completely separately.
At its centre is the idea that many people with eating disorders judge their self-worth largely, or even only, in terms of their shape, weight and their control over eating. This is often called the over-evaluation of shape and weight. Much of the rest follows from it:
Strict dieting and rules about food, which can lead to being underweight in some people.
Binge eating, which can happen when strict rules are broken or in response to difficult emotions.
Compensatory behaviours, such as vomiting, laxative misuse or over-exercise, which can then lead to more restriction.
Body checking and avoidance, which keep the concern about shape and weight going.
It’s a maintenance model, so it explains what keeps the eating disorder going now. That makes it useful for planning what to target in treatment.
How you might talk about it: “I find the CBT-E model helpful because it puts the over-evaluation of shape and weight at the centre and shows how dieting, bingeing and compensatory behaviours keep each other going. In an AP role, I could see it helping me understand why someone feels stuck, and why changing one part of the cycle, like regular eating, can make a difference.”
The genogram
A genogram is a family tree with psychological information layered in. It maps family structure, relationships, significant events and patterns across generations, such as bereavements, illness or attitudes to food, weight and appearance.
Genograms are especially useful in CAMHS and family work, where understanding the family system is central and where family therapy is the recommended treatment for anorexia. They help you think systemically, which means looking at the wider context rather than locating the problem only within the young person.
One important point: using a genogram isn’t about blaming families. Families don’t cause eating disorders, and in family-based treatment they’re seen as a vital resource for recovery. Saying this in interview shows real sensitivity.
How you might talk about it: “I’d use a genogram to understand the young person’s family context, relationships and any intergenerational patterns, while being careful not to blame. It could help the team think about who’s available to support recovery and what pressures the family might be facing.”
A tip for both models: be honest about your experience. You can say you’ve learned about them, read about them, or seen them used, without overstating your clinical role. Panels value curiosity and accurate self-awareness far more than claims of expertise.
Why does self-awareness matter so much in ED services?
We all live in a culture with strong messages about food and bodies, and working in an eating disorder service can bring these up. Panels may ask how you’d look after yourself or how you’d use supervision.
It helps to:
reflect, privately, on your own relationship with food, eating and your body, and how it might show up at work;
talk about how you’d use supervision and reflective practice;
give concrete examples of how you look after your wellbeing.
You don’t need to share personal details you’re not comfortable sharing. Just show you’ve thought about it.
What kinds of questions might they ask?
Here are some question types you could prepare for, with how I’d approach each. I’d avoid memorising scripted answers. Instead, prepare examples and frameworks you can adapt.
“Why do you want to work in eating disorders?” Be specific. Link to experiences, reading or interests, and show you understand the reality of the work, not just its appeal.
“What do you know about eating disorders and how they’re treated?” Give a short overview of the main diagnoses, NICE-recommended treatments and the importance of physical health.
Physical risk scenarios. Show you’d notice, stay calm, follow policy, escalate and document, within your competence.
Ambivalence and engagement scenarios. Show curiosity, an MI-informed stance and respect for the person’s pace, while staying aware of risk.
Working with families. Talk about collaboration, avoiding blame and supporting carers.
Formulation questions. Use the CBT-E model or a genogram, explained simply and honestly.
Research and audit. Many AP posts include service evaluation. Have an example of your research skills ready and think about what might be useful to evaluate in an eating disorder service.
Self-care and supervision. Show self-awareness and how you’d use support.
For scenario questions, a helpful structure is: what’s my first priority (usually safety)? What’s within my role? Who would I involve? How would I communicate with the person? And how would I reflect on it afterwards?
How should I prepare? A practical checklist
Read the job description and person specification closely, and map an example to each point.
Research the service: is it adult, CAMHS, inpatient, community or FREED? What treatments do they offer?
Skim the NICE NG69 recommendations and the MEED summary sheets.
Practice explaining the CBT-E model and a genogram in two or three sentences each.
Prepare examples of teamwork, risk, communication, research and reflective practice.
Practise scenario questions out loud, using a clear structure.
Check your language for any diet-culture phrases.
Think about what support and supervision you’d want, and prepare a question or two for the panel.
Look after yourself in the run-up to the interview.
If you’d like more help with structuring answers, my UK Psychology Interview Guide walks through common interview questions and how to approach them.
Final thoughts
Eating disorder services are specialist, and panels want to see that you understand why. If you can talk thoughtfully about physical risk and working within your competence, ambivalence about change, MDT working, and formulation, while showing compassion and self-awareness, you’ll be presenting yourself as someone who gets the nuances of the work.
Nobody expects you to be an expert at AP level. Curiosity, honesty and sound reasoning go a long way!
I’m Melisa Eyuboglu, a final-year Trainee Counselling Psychologist at City St George’s, University of London, and a BACP Registered Psychotherapist (MBACP). Before training, I secured 3 Assistant Psychologist roles, and I went on to receive offers from both City and Roehampton. I now coach psychology graduates through AP applications, interviews and doctoral training applications.
If you’d like support preparing, I offer a 90-minute AP Interview Preparation session (£130), where we practice questions like these together. You can find it on my Assistant Psychologist coaching services page, or book a free 30-minute discovery call to talk about what you need.
Frequently asked questions
What does an Assistant Psychologist do in an eating disorder service? It varies by service, but APs often support assessments, co-facilitate groups, deliver guided self-help under supervision, support carers’ work and help with service evaluation. They always work under the supervision of a qualified psychologist.
What is MEED? MEED stands for Medical Emergencies in Eating Disorders. It’s guidance published by the Royal College of Psychiatrists in 2022 that replaced the MARSIPAN and Junior MARSIPAN guidance, and it helps clinicians recognise and manage medical risk in eating disorders across all ages.
What therapies does NICE recommend for eating disorders? For adults with anorexia, NICE recommends considering CBT-ED, MANTRA or SSCM. For children and young people with anorexia, it recommends anorexia-focused family therapy. For adults with binge eating disorder or bulimia, guided self-help is usually offered first.
What is the CBT-E model? CBT-E is a transdiagnostic cognitive behavioural model developed by Christopher Fairburn and colleagues. It suggests that over-evaluation of shape, weight and their control keeps eating disorders going through dieting, binge eating, compensatory behaviours and body checking.
How do I answer risk questions in an eating disorder AP interview? Show that you’d stay calm, be honest that you can’t keep risk to yourself, escalate promptly to your supervisor or duty clinician in line with policy, and document what happened. Emphasise working within your competence.
Do I need eating disorder experience to get an AP role in an ED service? Not necessarily. Panels look for transferable experience, a good understanding of eating disorders and how they’re treated, sound judgement about risk, and the right values and self-awareness.
How can I avoid diet-culture language in my interview? Avoid describing foods as good or bad, commenting on weight or appearance, or framing recovery around weight loss. Use neutral, non-judgemental language and focus on the person rather than their body.
