Who We Are
EDHC is a multidisciplinary and multi-ethnic specialist team comprising Dietitians, Nurses, Mental Health Nurses, Therapeutic Care Workers and Social Workers
Daniela
Clinical Nurse Specialist
I have been a qualified nurse for 22 years and have a strong background in medical nursing. Over the last 13 years I have specialised in the treatment of young people struggling with eating disorders, in a CAMHS eating disorders outpatients’ setting.
As a Clinical Nurse Specialist, I have had the opportunity to develop many therapeutic skills enabling me to work with both individuals and families struggling with Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa and OSFED (Other Specified Feeding and Eating Disorders).
Fighting an eating disorder is an incredibly challenging process, and young people can be very ambivalent about it. It is really important that the young person has the support of the family as part of the sessions and beyond, as we know from our professional experience that families are a part of the solution to recovering from an eating disorder. The amount of involvement can be negotiated depending on the preference of the young person.
It is noteworthy that in many cases a young person with an eating disorder may also be suffering from self harm, anxiety and a low mood.
I believe in a holistic approach to treating a young person’s difficulties.
I am able to incorporate therapeutic approaches to the treatment so that the young person has a complete experience, giving them an opportunity to be heard, so that other issues can also be thought about in the sessions.
I believe in working together so that the young person can be free of the constraints of an eating disorder, enabling them to do all they wish to do.
Sophia
Therapeutic Care Worker
I worked in the Metropolitan Police for twelve years, the last eight as a serving Police Officer. Through my experiences, I discovered my passion for working with children and young people.
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I began working as a Therapeutic Care Worker 6 years ago, and have worked in both Tier 4 (inpatients) and in Tier 3 (intensive outpatients) settings for children and young people with eating disorders: mainly Anorexia. The two approaches were very different, and the philosophy behind Eating Disorder's Home Care has evolved from these experiences.
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When a person is affected by an eating disorder, the whole family is impacted. It is my firm belief, supported by the evidence, that young peoples' recovery is greatly facilitated when remaining in their home environments, being supported to live their normal lives, whilst navigating the world of recovery.
Meal times are often very difficult and stressful, and this is where my help and support has proven to be the most beneficial. Over the past three years, I have worked with many people within the context of Eating Disorder's Home Care, and the feedback I have received informs me that our mode of practice is very efficacious.
I ensure that I keep myself updated with evolving eating disorder practices through attending relevant training courses, alongside my work in an NHS eating disorder's unit.
I hold a Level 2 Qualification in British Sign language (BSL), which enables me to work effectively with hearing impaired individuals and families.
I hold a BTEC Level 3 Award in Education and Training and work with The Inclusion Initiative Company as an associate trainer, delivering mental health and wellbeing training in the workplace. I am a qualified Mental Health First Aider.
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Understandably, COVID-19 has had a profound impact on many of those who have a pre-existing vulnerability to mental ill health, and referrals to Eating Disorder's Home Care have increased. We have been able to fully support our patients’ needs, by providing daily meal support via FaceTime.
Gabi
Dietitian
I’m an accredited practising dietitian with experience in both adult and paediatric nutrition.
My journey started in the acute adult setting, but my passion for paediatrics developed when I was lucky enough to experience paediatrics as a student. I now specialise in this area, specifically in Child and Adolescent Mental Health (Eating Disorders, Autism, ADHD), working alongside families to ensure they are involved in the care and treatment decisions.
I have also completed my post graduate certificate in Systemic Practices, working with individuals, families and organisations, foundation level. I also undertake various study days throughout the year to ensure I provide up to date evidenced based medicine.
Life experiences can cause us to lose touch with our natural instinct and intuition when it comes to food.
We are constantly bombarded with conflicting messages about diet and health which can make eating and our relationship with food difficult.
I’m passionate about supporting people to find their way back and aim to provide a holistic, non-judgemental and supportive environment to help you achieve your goals.
I have been working in the dietetic field since 2015 gaining expertise in parenteral, enteral and oral nutrition support (for both adults and paediatrics) in a vast area of clinical conditions including gastroenterology (IBD, IBS), lower GI surgery, ITU, respiratory disorders, eating disorders, Type 1 Diabetes.
Nina
Social Worker & Safeguarding Lead
I formally retired in June 2020, having been a passionate and committed Local Authority children’s Social Worker for over 30 years. I am an accredited Social Worker, and currently practice as an Independent. I have broad and extensive experience, having worked in a variety of different contexts.
I worked in child protection for several years, gaining a wealth of experience of direct work with children; this included assessments of risk and interventions with families in crisis and the whole gamut of problems experienced by young people and their families, including children and young people with complex mental health problems, sometimes necessitating in patient treatment.
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My most recent employment was as an Adoption Support Social Worker; in this role, I used all my experience of working with families in crisis; how to de-escalate situations; the use of different parenting strategies; robust but gentle communication, not blaming and shaming; encouragement and setting the tone; flexibility rather than rigidity and helping the adopters to reflect on their parenting and how they could incorporate the above.
I offer useful advice around parenting strategies for parents with children with challenging behaviour, building on people’s strengths to empower them to facilitate positive change to improve their resilience and emotional wellbeing.
I am able to offer empathetic and useful advice on parenting strategies when working with adoptive parents who were struggling with their child/ren’s challenging behaviour. It is well documented that children who have experienced trauma can be easily triggered, and they communicate this by evoking very powerful feelings in their parents. These feelings, and the behaviours that accompany them, can be confusing and very painful, and have the potential to traumatise the parent in turn.
Many of the children I have worked with were exhibiting very challenging behaviour, including trauma impacted, adoption and fostering, Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), loss and separation, divorce, abuse, and bereavement. It is essential to work closely with the parent/ careers to help them to understand their own emotional responses to their children and assist them in parenting more therapeutically instead of unintentionally increasing the child’s distress.
Pramjit
Clinical Nurse Specialist
I am a registered and qualified mental health nurse with over 20 years of experience working with adolescents and adults. I am a clinical nurse specialist in eating disorders and have worked on both NHS adult and CAMHS services throughout my career. I am also trained in SSCM, CBT-E and MANTRA. Alongside supporting EDHC service users, I also work at the Royal Free CAMHS service providing FT-AN and CBT-E to adolescents and their families in my role as Clinical Nurse Specialist.
CBT-E
Together we will try to make sense of your eating patterns and how they link to your thinking and mood. Focusing on regular eating and supporting you to figure out what impacts on your eating most, for example your body image, food restraint or life stresses.
We can work on the things that impact your eating most and planning for how you can keep things moving in the direction you would like them to goin and keep you doing the things that feel most important to you in your life going foward.
FT-AN
Family evidence based treatment for young people with Eating disorders, and NICE guidelines recommended for first line treatment to support under 18's and their family, and realise in empowering parents to support and feed their children.
In addition to my therapeutic skills, I run physical health monitoring clinics to ensure my patients remain physically safe throughout treatment. As a mother of three, I understand the great emotional and physical demands of parenting. I bring this personal experience to work with adolescents and families, and i'm known for my warmth and compassion.