Our Services
We offer a specialised service assisting and supporting people who have been diagnosed with an eating disorder.
In private, or within a group.
Within the home, in person, or remotely.
Meal Support
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EDHC work from a meal plan devised by the dietician. This involves ensuring that the food is consumed while simultaneously working on strong ED behaviours that the service user may demonstrate. This may be around learning how to eat appropriately, not cutting food into small pieces, using appropriate cutlery, adding in challenges around ‘fear foods’ and normalising meal times.
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This approach offers intensive intervention and reduces additional stresses such as those created by meal times which can be very challenging, thus facilitating the maintenance of positive relationships between family members.
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Each service user is allocated a dedicated team of between 6 and 8 highly experienced professionals who have demonstrated their capacity to build effective therapeutic relationships with service users who have extremely challenging and complex needs.
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The team remains consistent during the time the service user works with EDHC. The size of the team varies, dependent on how many calls per day (which may be as much as six calls or as little as one) are required. EDHC’s intervention can continue for as long as needed.
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The strength of these relationships enable challenging conversations to occur, helping service users to take steps towards recovery. This has the benefit of avoiding potential institutionalisation and thus reducing the risk of further entrenchment into anorexia that can occur with admissions.
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For those service users who are already institutionalised and very unwell, working with EDHC affords them the opportunity to experience the advantages of being in the community. This support can motivate them to work on recovery, achieve their stated life goals and avoid further admissions.
Dietitian Sessions
Initial Assessment
A detailed nutritional assessment that reviews your medical and physical activity, as well as your food habits
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Initial goal setting
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Nutrition education
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Planning for subsequent session(s)
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Supporting nutrition resources
Follow-up sessions
Reviewing your progress with the initial goals
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Identifying road-blocks
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Re-evaluating goals to match identified needs
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Further nutrition education on identified needs or priorities
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Supporting nutrition resources
Further to the above steps we will arrange a bespoke service for the young person.
Social Workers
We know that parenting/caring for someone suffering with an eating disorder can be hugely stressful and anxiety provoking and is often characterised by feelings of helplessness, fear and sometimes guilt, among others. The aims of the counselling range from:
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To help parents/ carers by providing a safe space in which to make sense of the many conflicting feelings.
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To offer non judgmental, compassionate and confidential (unless safeguarding issues arise) counselling sessions, either remotely or in person.
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To help develop person centred relationships based on trust and respect, building on a person's strength to locate and promote resilience.
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To explore how the person feels about themselves, their unique circumstances, needs and priorities.
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To offer a flexible and supportive service for parents/ carers in crisis.
Systemic and Family Psychotherapist
We see the family as a resource and as part of the solution in the recovery process. The aims of the Family Therapy range from:
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To help parents to help the young person fight the illness and regain a healthy weight;
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To build on and mobilise family strengths and to help the family develop appropriate coping skills;
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To facilitate communication between family members;
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To encourage healthy adolescent development;
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To provide information about the nature, cause and the treatment of the eating disorder and behavioural management.
The first appointment is an opportunity to discuss further how Family Therapy might be helpful to your family, to understand how we work and to agree on goals for our work together
Clinical Nurse Specialists
Treatment
Part of the treatment involves
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helping parents develop a better understanding about eating disorders
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Thinking about how families can support and manage mealtimes.
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The young person’s emotions after meals.
The work between sessions is just as, if not more, important than the session itself.
The work incorporates The Maudsley Model Family Treatment for Anorexia Nervosa (FTAN) and The Fairburn CBT-E Model, which includes body image work and psychotherapeutic approaches, informed by my training at the Tavistock Institute. Using the sessions to build a good relationship with the young person and the family is of key importance.
