Why is a 50 minute “hour” typical in therapy?

This is because clinicians generally use the remaining 10 – 15 minutes for case management (ie. making phone calls on the client’s behalf, consulting with other treatment professionals on the client’s team, and/or documenting treatment progress according to legal requirements).

I personally reserve the 10 minutes because the proper treatment of eating disorders typically involves a “treatment team”.  It is essential to allow for this case management time to contact the outside providers and ensure proper collaboration.