AbstractThe present study was designed to test the relative effectiveness of behavioral (B) and cognitive‐behavioral (CB) group therapy programs in the treatment of 41 bulimic women. Subjects were randomly assigned to the two treatment conditions and a waiting list control (WLC). Multiple behavioral and psychological measures were administered at pretreatment, posttreatment, and 1‐ and 3‐month follow‐up. Results indicated that both treatments were superior to the WLC in decreasing the frequency of binge eating and the use of extreme weight control methods at post‐treatment. However, only the B group was able to maintain reductions in binge eating throughout the follow‐up period. In terms of psychological measures, both treatments evidenced significantly decreased bulimic tendencies and body dissatisfaction and significantly increased feelings of adequacy, security, and control which were maintained at follow‐up. Only the CB group evidenced additional psychological changes in preoccupation with dieting and severity of psychopathologi‐cal symptoms which were maintained at follow‐up. The implications of these findi