Treatment of Eating Disorders
Eating disorders are complex and develop from a range of risk factors including environmental triggers, genetic vulnerabilities, gender, personal temperament, and socio-cultural influences. Each person is an individual, and brings a range of skills and strengths to therapy which we can utilize to reach their treatment goals. For every patient, a tailored and collaborative treatment plan is developed to help them get the most out of their sessions. We understand that every patient is different, and we always take preferences and needs into account when deciding on psychological treatment options.
Psychological considerations
We see a range of eating disorders, including
- Anorexia Nervosa
- Bulimia Nervosa
- Binge Eating Disorder
- Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)
- Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder (OSFED)
See for instance the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, for more information about types of eating disorders.
Co-occurring Disorders
Eating disorders often co-occur with other psychological disorders. It is common for anxiety disorders, depression and low mood, and trauma and stress disorders to also require treatment.
During our sessions, we attempt to understand and treat the underlying cause of the eating disorder, while acknowledging that managing eating behaviors also makes up an important part of therapy.
High-Quality Treatment
High-quality treatment must address the interactions between the psychological, nutritional, and physical aspects of the eating disorder. Due to the complex nature of eating disorders, it is important that treatment be evidence-based, individualized, and often integrated between psychologists, dieticians, and General Practitioners.
Medical Supervision
Some eating disorders can be life threatening. Your health is of the utmost importance to us. Therefore, it is sometimes important that patients are medically supervised while engaging in psychological therapy for eating disorders.
Our Eating Disorder TOP Specialists
Lark Peart
Ensuring that you can find someone with the right training, expertise, and background to help you is very important when starting psychological therapy. The relationship between the client and the therapist is central to change. I invite you to learn a little bit about me to help you decide whether I would be the best therapist for you.
Theresa Dahm
I have over seven years’ experience of working with young people, families and adults affected by eating disorders. I am trained and experienced in using both Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Compassion Focused Therapy for Eating Disorders (CBT-E and CFT-E).
In our work, we will focus on understanding what role the eating disorder behaviours and symptoms play in your life, in order to build the skills and capacities for you to care for yourself and meet your needs without using eating disorder behaviours. So often, people who experience difficulties with eating and body image also suffer from high levels of self-criticism, so this is also something we would likely work with.
This work would sit alongside the essential task of regulating your eating and reducing any other behaviours that may pose a risk to your physical health.
