EATING DISORDERS
You might be feeling:
Constantly thinking about food, calories, weight, body image or exercise
Out of control with binge eating or restrictive eating
Stuck in cycles of guilt and shame around food
Self-critical and over-thinking
Overwhelmed by anxiety or constant overthinking
Struggling daily to manage the 'food noise' or food obsession
Exhausted from trying to keep everything together
Exhausted with trying to manage emotions
Stuck in difficult behaviour patterns
Feeling low, disconnected or lacking motivation to make change or, feeling too scared to change
All of these feelings are what we see everyday with our clients and you may have been coping with these difficulties for a long time, often feeling that you have to manage everything on your own. Therapy can help begin to understand and gently change these patterns.
The term ‘eating disorder’ is an umbrella term, used to indicate any one of a number of complex mental health issues with harmful side effects. These can range from anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, ARFID and OSFED (other specified feeding or eating disorders)
Sub-clinical types of related disorders are referred to as ‘disordered eating. These may also include, Compulsive Eating, The Night Eating Syndrome and Orthorexia. An eating disorder can change over time and may begin with restriction and evolve into binge eating or vice versa.
So simply put, an eating disorder or disordered eating are conditions in which food, weight, body shape or size becomes a way of controlling and coping with emotions and often, difficult feelings. Eating disorders affect both males and females and the majority of eating disorders begin in puberty but, there is also evidence of onset throughout the lifespan, including in later life.
As a qualified counsellor, I have undertaken additional and specialist training through the National Centre for Eating Disorders (NCfED) and completed the Master Practitioner Diploma, which is approved by the British Psychological Society. My training and experience of working in this specialist area has equipped me with the skills and knowledge to support a client who is experiencing or presenting with an eating disorder/disordered eating in addition to implementing nutritional intervention. I am part of the NCfED Therapists Network and Beat.
