Our blog.

There is probably no other theme more pertinent. A lot has happened in the last few weeks. In light of the coronavirus pandemic, Orri made the difficult decision to suspend our face-to-face service and move to an online version of our specialist day treatment to preserve the safety of our clients. Whilst this is certainly an adjustment – for our team, clients and their loved ones – we are so grateful for our community.

You may have stumbled across this blog because it is Eating Disorders Awareness Week, or, you may have come across it whilst undertaking thorough research on behalf of your loved one. Whatever your situation, we’d like to acknowledge the courage and patience it takes to be a parent of someone who is suffering with an eating disorder.

Why is parent or carer involvement significant when it comes to someone’s eating disorder recovery? Because the illness exists outside of treatment and therapy and can seep into all areas of a person’s life: into social experiences, family life, relationships, work or schooling. As a parent, you likely play some sort of role within these areas of your child’s life.

Here at Orri we are marking Eating Disorder Awareness Week with our team and our clients. My reflection for us, and for many who read this - sufferers, carers and professionals – is that every week is Eating Disorder Awareness Week. As eating disorder professionals, we work alongside brave and courageous clients and their families and loved ones...

It can be hard to know “what to do” when you see someone you care about going through hardship. Often, we can feel helpless and worried that we’re not doing enough to support them. Here are our suggestions for supporting someone who is suffering with an eating disorder.

The internet defines a “perfectionist” as “a person who refuses to accept any standard short of perfection”. Interestingly, a perfectionist trait is listed as one of the symptoms of someone suffering with an eating disorder. But why is this so? And how does the opposite – procrastination - feature alongside this?

Over the past twelve months we’ve had the privilege of sharing in the recovery journeys of many people - whether they entered into our service or decided upon a different path. Throughout our conversations, we noticed how we kept coming back to a recurring theme of “hope”.

When we think of “bravery”, often an image of a courageous warrior about to go into battle appears in our heads. But what does it mean when we are brave?

We asked our Instagram followers to suggest topics they’d like to read about on our blog. A topic that came up at least twice was “how to start recovery when you’ve been unwell for a while”, or, “going from chronic to wellness”. At Orri, we believe that holding onto hope is a crucial aspect of our treatment and approach and that it is possible to recover.

Simply put, we all want to feel seen and heard – sufferer and carer alike - but sometimes the “issue” itself can become a seemingly impenetrable wall and honest conversation feels inferior as a means of breaking it down. Regardless, we believe that communication can happen when we truly meet and see one another.

Today, we’re drawing attention to the topic of comparison because comparison-checking is often a big feature of our clients’ recovery journey. The act of comparing so often brings more bad feelings than good - but it is possible to stop or reframe this experience.

NHS figures recently revealed that hospital admissions for eating disorders have risen 37% across all age groups in the last two years. Tom Quinn, Director of External Affairs at Beat, shared his thoughts in a Guardian opinion piece. We wanted to share our response.

Today we’re discussing all things “body image” with our clients - quite a timely topic considering the pervasiveness of diet culture come the start of a new year. Whether someone is suffering with an eating disorder or not, most people struggle with negative body image to varying degrees throughout their life.

If you’re reading this at the beginning of January and feeling overwhelmed with the prospect of a new year - and any expectations that may come alongside that – we’d like to firstly reassure you that it’s okay to just be you.

Nikki joined the Orri team as an Eating Disorder Associate in April 2019 and now works as our Creative Arts Therapist. We sat her down to learn more about her approach and role within Orri…

First and foremost, it’s important to highlight that anxieties and fears felt around social events at Christmas are not exclusive to those in recovery from an eating disorder. Rather, a lot of people feel anxiety during these events, particularly when those in attendance are people you haven’t seen in a while.

This is less a blog post about gifts and more a blog post about how you feel - about yourself. Why? Because underneath the experience of receiving gifts is the belief that you are worthy of receiving those gifts.

People in recovery often struggle to find meaning during time that has no productive direction. There’s a fear that overwhelming emotions or critical thoughts may sneak in. If this resonates with your experience, that’s okay. Here are some tools to have in your Christmas toolbox.

As you’re reading this blog, we’re supporting our clients through the festive season and sharing some of the tips below that you might also want to consider as we count down to the ‘big day’. Know that you, too, can do this.

Orri’s Chief Executive, Helen England, joined the team in September of this year. Here, she explains why 2019 was such a significant year for eating disorders in the realm research and campaigning, but how there’s much to be done to improve access, transitions to and quality of eating disorder treatment.

Being a Head Chef for an eating disorder clinic is quite a unique role! We sat down with Scott to learn more about his work and how he collaborates with our clients and Dietetics team.

Hospital admissions for eating disorders are on the rise and are frequently many miles from a patient's home. Given the risk of mortality is higher for this group than for other mental health conditions, accessible and effective treatment is vital if the risk of lives being lost or impaired is to be reduced.

We discuss the vulnerability that’s often felt in being slow. How, so often, it feels weak or threatening to resist the urge to keep going and allow yourself to pause...

In this blog, we’re focusing on relationships; what it feels like to navigate relationships whilst you’re in recovery from an eating disorder, and how we work with our clients to help them to develop meaningful relationships and heal from past wounds.

The BBC recently reported on the lack of eating disorder provision for those aged over-65. As providers of Specialist Day Treatment for those suffering with eating disorders, we wanted to share our response to the news article.

In this week’s blog post we’re discussing last week’s treatment programme theme: the rules, rituals and routines that come alongside living with an eating disorder.

Recovery is full of questions: how did I get here? What is going to happen? What if this had happened, or that had happened instead? This weeks’ treatment programme is all about the “Woulds, Shoulds, Coulds” in eating disorder recovery.

Someone suffering with an eating disorder may find that they have boundaries that are deliberately rigid so to protect the eating disorder. By maintaining rigid boundaries, we keep people at a distance; avoiding intimacy and close relationships and often feeling unwilling to ask for help. So why are healthy boundaries important and how do we develop them?

Kendra is an Occupational Therapist and joined the team in September 2019. We sat her down to learn more about her approach and role within Orri.How long have you been a clinician for and what were you doing before Orri? I qualified as an Occupational Therapist in...

The summer months can be a challenging time for people suffering with eating disorders. Calendars can get busier as people take advantage of the sun, and body image concerns may increase as we require a different wardrobe or feel pressured to join in with summer trends. Here are 5 things to keep in mind as we soak up the last few weeks of summer...

Elaine is Orri's Yoga and Body Awareness Therapist and has been part of the team since day one! We sat her down to learn more about her approach and role within Orri...How long have you been a clinician for and what were you doing before Orri?   I have been teaching...

Romy is a Psychotherapist and joined the team in April 2019. We sat her down to learn more about her approach and role within OrriHow long have you been a clinician for and what were you doing before Orri?   I qualified in 2015 and have been practicing in the field of...

Katie is a Clinical Psychologist and joined the team in May 2019. We sat her down to learn more about her approach and role within Orri. How long have you been a clinician for and what were you doing before Orri?  I qualified as a Psychologist in 2014 and have been...

Visit an eating disorders clinic today and you’re likely to find that one in ten patients is male. Outside of medical settings, however, that number is thought to be far higher. Anecdotal evidence suggests that, of those living with an eating disorder in the UK, three...

Anita’s daughter Lucy started showing the signs of Anorexia Nervosa at 16. She sought help from her GP but there was no specialist treatment option available, only cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), and Lucy wasn’t deemed “thin enough” for hospitalization. For men...

We get asked a lot, what makes Orri different? Beyond our incredibly dedicated team and the tranquility of 14 Hallam Street, it’s our pioneering model for intensive day treatment that differentiates us from other treatment centres. In case you were wondering, here’s...

Eating disorders can be extremely isolating; trapping the sufferer in a cycle of shame and guilt associated with their behaviours. We understand how difficult it is to address concerns with a loved one, however, noticing signs and symptoms and having a conversation...

When someone is suffering from an eating disorder, it’s hard to imagine that it’s not about the food. Here, Orri’s team explain why food is not the problem, rather, it’s a symptom of underlying causes. Follow Orri on Instagram Follow Orri on Twitter Like Orri on...

Karen Carberry is Orri’s Consultant Family Therapist with over twenty years’ experience. Her job is deeply complex and involves leafing through layers of family history, going back at least three generations to identify events and behaviours that may hold the key to...

Paula Tait is a Dietitian but, contrary to what you might expect, her job is not just about food. In fact, during sessions with clients, Paula tries to minimise the amount she talks about food.Everyone at Orri eats three meals a day, plus two snacks, which provides...