Children & Adolescents
How do I know if I need help?
You might be feeling that food is scary or makes you feel sick. You might also dislike your body or parts of your body. Others may be concerned about your eating. You might be thinking about food a lot. You might be feeling anxious a lot. Feeling full might feel unbearable. You might be having arguments with your parents about meals. You may be feeling bad about causing others to worry. You may wish you were just everybody else. You may think that no-one really understands.
If you’re experiencing any of the above or find that you’re feeling scared or anxious about eating or worried in any way about your weight or feeling controlled by exercise, it’s often best to talk to someone about it. You might talk to your parents, a school nurse or teacher or another adult in your life. You can let them know that you’re a little concerned about your eating patterns and that you might need some help.
What happens next?
It’s likely that they might make an appointment with your family doctor or talk to the school counsellor about sessions with them. They might visit our Contact page and book an initial session.
What happens at the first therapy appointment?
The appointment will be a video session and you may have the session with your parents or on your own. We find it helpful having discussions with your parents too as they are better able to support you outside of the sessions.
At this appointment, we will ask what your main concerns are about your eating as well as any other things that might be bothering you. We tend to find that many young people coming to see us tell us about some of the pressures they might be facing at school with course work, friendships and perhaps some family concerns too. This can sometimes cause additional worries and stress. So we work together to make sense of these concerns and think about the best way forward.
At this appointment, we will ask what your main concerns are about your eating as well as any other things that might be bothering you. We tend to find that many young people coming to see us tell us about some of the pressures they might be facing at school with course work, friendships and perhaps some family concerns too. This can sometimes cause additional worries and stress. So we work together to make sense of these concerns and think about the best way forward.
What do the next sessions involve?
Based on the information we gathered at the first session as well prioritising your main worries, we begin working together on making the changes necessary to your eating to support your recovery. We will work together as team with your parents as part of treatment, to help facilitate your meals where appropriate, your eating patterns and help you manage some of the emotional difficulties which do emerge when you begin making changes.
