Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)
Specialist ARFID Treatment, in-person or online.
ARFID Support for over 13’s
ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder) is a recognised eating disorder that goes beyond “picky eating.” It involves strong aversions to certain foods or food groups, often based on texture, taste, smell, or fear of negative experiences like choking or vomiting.
Unlike other eating disorders such as Anorexia or Bulimia, ARFID is not driven by body image concerns or a desire to lose weight. Instead, it’s rooted in sensory sensitivity or past trauma around eating.
If you’re finding that food avoidance is impacting your health, growth, or quality of life, or that it’s causing distress or anxiety around mealtimes, it may be time to seek specialist help.
As the UK’s leading specialist private eating disorder clinic, Orri provide private, tailored treatment for ARFID that focuses on building safety, reducing fear, and expanding food variety at a pace that works for you.
Our multidisciplinary team is here to support you or your loved one in moving toward a more balanced and confident relationship with food.
Understand the root causes
Heal your relationship to food
Unify mind and body
Find freedom in recovery
Get help today
This might be your first time reaching out for eating disorder treatment, or, you might feel like you’ve had lots of support before. Wherever you find yourself, we’ll meet you there.
Our treatment is rated ‘Outstanding’ by the CQC.
We are proud to be the only specialist eating disorder clinic in the UK rated ‘Outstanding’ by the CQC.
Your ARFID treatment programme includes:
Individual Therapy
Individual therapy happens within the context of a safe and confidential relationship with an expert therapist who is non-judgemental, compassionate and committed to your individual recovery. Together, you’ll gain insight into your eating disorder and the underlying causes, and develop new coping skills that lessen the hold of the eating disorder.
Group therapy
Eating disorders thrive in isolation, so Orri is founded on the concept of community. Group therapy provides a space of shelter where a collective comes together to ‘bear witness’ to one another.
Groups are facilitated by experienced psychotherapists, dietitians, and mental health nurses, and established within boundaries of confidentiality and respect, allowing clients to work towards connecting to their vulnerability.
In time, group therapy provides a mutual space of shared understanding. Whilst many may feel understandably apprehensive at first, the group therapy process offers an invaluable experience where clients draw strength from others and also see others draw strength from them.
Dietetics and meal support
We do dietetics a little differently at Orri. We do not talk about calories, nor do we lay down rules.
People with eating disorders can already have a lot of rules. Instead, we strike the balance between providing nutritious food that feels safe, whilst allowing clients to gently challenge behaviours that are holding them back.
Our emphasis is on establishing meaningful structure around food, as opposed to limiting rules, within a social setting that helps clients to retrace their steps back to a safe and intuitive eating pattern.
Occupational therapy
Occupational Therapy looks holistically at an individual, their environment and daily occupations to evaluate their level of functioning and quality of life.
Our team of Occupational Therapists work alongside clients to facilitate therapeutic interventions that bring both a sense of autonomy and support to the areas of their lives where they may need extra guidance and/or skill-building.
Psychiatry (as required)
Every client’s programme is managed by a multi-disciplinary team which includes world-class psychiatrists supported by a team of specialist nurses.
Prof. Paul Robinson, Orri’s Director of Research and Development, is a Consultant Adult Psychiatrist and best known for his promotion of intensive community treatment to minimise the need for hospital care.
Dr Sara Morando is a Consultant Psychiatrist in General Adult Psychiatry. She has worked for 16 years across various inpatient and daycare settings, with community mental health teams, specialist eating disorder services, personality disorders services and psychotherapy services.
Dr Louisa Beckford is a Consultant Psychiatrist with a wide range of experience in specialist mental health services including addictions, neuropsychiatry and child and adolescent psychiatry.
Nursing
Our nursing team look after the physical health and safety of our clients, managing risk assessments, weights, blood tests, ECGs and much more.
Somatic and body-based therapies
We offer a unique range of body-based therapies that help unify the mind and body, using a combination of yoga, mindfulness and meditation to help people connect their bodies with their feelings.
Working somatically encourages clients to experience emotional and physical sensations and learn to navigate them by regulating their nervous system with a combination of awareness, mindfulness and self-care.
ARFID treatment at home
Receive the same specialist ARFID treatment as our in-person programme, delivered virtually so you can recover from the comfort of your own home.
If you or a loved one are struggling with food avoidance, sensory sensitivity, or a limited range of safe foods, our remote team can support your ARFID treatment at home.