Eating Disorders and Body Dysmorphia

When food, your body or how you look starts taking over

Difficulties with eating and body image can take up a huge amount of mental space. You might spend a lot of time thinking about food, calories, exercise or your appearance, feel anxious about eating around other people, avoid certain foods or situations, or constantly check, compare and seek reassurance about how you look.

For teenagers, worries about weight, appearance and fitting in can become closely linked with confidence, friendships and social media. They may become increasingly preoccupied with food or their body, avoid eating with others, change their eating or exercise habits, or become distressed by aspects of their appearance that other people don't notice.

How can CBT help?

CBT can help you understand the thoughts, behaviours and emotional patterns keeping these difficulties going, including perfectionism, shame, comparison, checking and avoidance. I have completed additional training in CBT-E for non-underweight eating disorders and specialist training in CBT for Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), allowing therapy to be tailored to the difficulties you're experiencing.

We'll work collaboratively and without judgement, focusing on meaningful recovery rather than simply trying to change how you look or what you weigh.

What could change?

The goal is to help food, your body and appearance take up less space in your life.

You might spend less time thinking about food or how you look, feel more comfortable eating and being around other people, reduce checking and comparison, and have more freedom to focus on the things that matter to you.

You don't have to wait until it gets worse

You don't need to feel “sick enough” or have everything figured out before asking for support. A free, confidential consultation gives us the chance to talk about what's been happening and whether I could help.