We are a group of expert, highly specialist clinicians. Each of us has over 20 years’ experience in treating people with eating disorders within the NHS and the private sector.
Having worked within multi-disciplinary teams in various eating disorder units, over time we have developed a collaborative way of working together in outpatients that relies on excellent and regular communication. We believe this makes us unique in outpatient private practice. We hold regular reviews with our patients to ensure all professionals involved in each patient's care are kept up-to-date and fully informed of their progress.
Our joint way of working leads to a greater sense of containment for our patients and, together with our specialist skills and experience, provides a very good chance of achieving a successful outcome.
Our model is based on the latest research and is carefully considered and tailored to meet each individual's particular needs. Although everyone we see has an eating disorder, their individual needs differ widely.
We provide a comprehensive outpatient programme for our patients, carefully tailored for each individual.
Where required we liaise with other colleagues experienced in eating disorders with additional skills, e.g. CBT, DBT, family therapy, group therapy, and appropriate specialist medical practitioners.
As part of our service we provide support for parents, families and carers, including practical advice for coping with meals and eating at home.
We carry out regular reviews with our patients.
Our service is not required to be registered with the CQC as all our practitioners work independently and are registered with their appropriate professional bodies (see Team section for details).
Eating disorders can affect people of all ages and backgrounds, men, women, girls and boys. They become very concerned with controlling their food and weight, usually seeing this as the most important way to feel in control of their life. They may severely restrict their food intake or overeat excessively, sometimes swinging from one extreme to the other. They may use exercise excessively, take laxatives or diet pills or start to vomit after eating to promote weight loss or stop weight gain. Frequently the person intensely dislikes their physical appearance, and develops mixed feelings of confusion, shame, insecurity and anxiety. This can develop further into depression and self-hatred.
The causes of eating disorders are complex, a mixture of biological, psychological and socio-cultural factors. Some of these make an individual more vulnerable to developing an eating disorder, whilst others act as a trigger or help keep the illness going.
It's always very important when someone enters treatment with us that we take time to understand in detail which factors are relevant for them and how they interact - each individual we see is different. One of the symptoms of having an eating disorder is denial of illness, which is often very strongly felt, and can prevent someone from readily accepting treatment. We know that recovery can be a struggle, but starting treatment without delay does lead to the best outcome.