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Health anxiety can leave you stuck in loops of worry, checking, Googling symptoms, constantly monitoring yourself, or  seeking reassurance — even when doctors say you’re medically well. Therapy helps you respond differently to these  thoughts, urges and uncertainty, so anxiety no longer runs the show, has less control over your day‑to‑day life. Even when uncertainty is present.

This may be for you if:

• You frequently check your body or monitor symptoms
• You struggle to feel reassured after medical appointments
• Anxiety flares during stress or life changes
• You want practical tools, not endless reassurance

Health phobias involve intense fears linked to illness, bodily sensations, or health‑related situations. These fears can feel overwhelming and can start to limit everyday life. Support focuses on understanding fear responses, reducing avoidance, and building confidence in managing anxiety safely.

Common health phobias include:

• Emetophobia (fear of vomiting or seeing others vomit)
• Fears of serious illness (e.g. cancer, heart attacks, neurological disease)
• Fear of choking, swallowing, or breathing difficulties
• Medical phobias (tests, hospitals, needles, blood, or procedures)

This may be for you if:

• You avoid situations “just in case” something happens
• Physical sensations quickly trigger panic or fear
• Reassurance helps briefly, but the fear keeps returning
• You feel your world has become smaller because of anxiety

Binge eating is often a response to restriction, emotional overwhelm, or coping without support — not a lack of willpower. Therapy offers a kinder, evidence‑based way to reduce binges by addressing patterns around food, emotions, and self‑criticism.

Binge eating varies hugely in severity and professional help can be hard to find even though it is the commonest form of disordered eating. Many people look “normal” (that is, a standard body shape and size, so almost hide in plain sight, and are not taken seriously often enough because they “don’t look sick or ill enough”. It’s very distressing and impacts lives hugely- not just physical health, but mental health as well as impacting other parts of your life- personal relationships and finances to name a couple.  I offer non‑judgemental support to help you make sense of binge patterns, build more regular eating, and develop kinder, more sustainable ways of meeting your needs.

This may be for you if:

• You feel out of control around food at times
• You eat in secret or feel guilt and shame afterwards
• Dieting or “starting again on Monday” hasn’t helped long‑term
• You want sustainable change without strict rules

 I provide support to help reduce binge–purge cycles safely, understand what keeps them going, and rebuild trust in food, your body, and yourself.

Bulimia can feel exhausting and isolating, with cycles that are hard to break alone.  My approach  is structured, compassionate, and focused on reducing behaviours safely while addressing what keeps the cycle going beneath the surface.

This may be for you if:

• You experience binge–purge or binge–compensate cycles
• Food or eating occupies a lot of mental space
• You want evidence‑based support delivered with care, not judgement
• You’re ready to work toward recovery, even if it feels daunting

Orthorexia typically presents as an intense preoccupation with eating “healthy” or “pure” foods. This can include strict food rules, anxiety around food quality or preparation, and increasing restriction of food groups over time. Individuals may spend significant time planning, researching, or controlling their diet, often experiencing guilt or distress when their self-imposed rules are not met. Despite appearing health-focused, this pattern can impact nutritional adequacy, social engagement, and overall wellbeing.

This might be for you if:

• You feel anxious or distressed when foods don’t meet your “standards”
• Your list of acceptable foods has become increasingly limited
• You spend a significant amount of time thinking about or planning food
• You experience guilt, shame, or “failure” around eating
• Eating impacts your ability to socialise or be flexible

Body image difficulties can present as persistent dissatisfaction, preoccupation, or distress related to body shape, size, or appearance. This may include frequent comparison to others, negative self-talk, body checking or avoidance behaviours, and a strong link between self-worth and appearance. These experiences can influence eating patterns, confidence, mood, and social participation, and are often shaped by a combination of personal, psychological, and societal factors.

This might be for you if:

• You frequently feel dissatisfied or preoccupied with your appearance
• Your self-worth is strongly influenced by how your body looks
• You engage in body checking (e.g. mirrors, weighing) or avoidance (e.g. covering up)
• You compare yourself to others and feel negatively affected by this
• Your body image is affecting your confidence, mood, or daily life

If you’re tired of food rules, guilt, and feeling controlled by eating or weight, this work helps you step away from dieting and toward a more flexible, compassionate relationship with food. The focus is on wellbeing, not “perfect” eating or body control.

Diet culture can keep people stuck in guilt, rules, and feeling like they’ve “failed.” This work together supports you to move away from rigid control and toward a more flexible, respectful relationship with food and your body.

This may be for you if:

• You feel stuck in cycles of dieting and regaining weight
• Food feels stressful rather than enjoyable
• You want to reduce food guilt and body monitoring
• You’d like wellbeing to be the focus — not punishment or control

Weight‑loss medication can bring physical and emotional changes that aren’t always talked about. Psychological support can help you adjust to changes in appetite, thoughts about food, body image, and eating patterns — supporting longer‑term behaviour change without pressure or shame.

Weight‑loss medication can change appetite, hunger cues, emotions, and body image — sometimes in unexpected ways.  Our work together helps you adapt gently and build habits that support both mental and physical health.

This may be for you if:

• You’re using or considering weight‑loss medication
• You’re unsure how to respond to appetite or eating changes
• Emotional eating is still a challenge
• You want support that looks beyond the scales

Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA) is when a young person finds it extremely difficult to attend school due to anxiety or emotional distress. This isn’t about truancy or bad behaviour — it’s a sign that school feels overwhelming or unsafe in some way.

EBSA often develops gradually and may be linked to health anxiety, physical symptoms, separation worries, or early eating‑disorder behaviours. Young people may desperately want to attend school but feel unable to cope once anxiety takes hold.

Therapeutic support focuses on understanding what is driving the anxiety, reducing fear responses, and helping the young person return to education in a way that feels manageable and supportive.

When EBSA Links to Health and Eating‑Related Anxiety

For some young people, school avoidance is closely linked to:

• Fears about feeling unwell at school (e.g. nausea, vomiting, fainting)
• Panic about bodily sensations or health symptoms during the school day
• Worries about eating, body changes, or being monitored around food
• Early signs of restrictive eating or loss of appetite driven by anxiety

In these cases, anxiety and physical symptoms can reinforce each other, making school feel increasingly unsafe.

This May Be For Your Child (aged 12+years) If:

• School mornings are highly distressing or lead to shutdowns or panic
• Physical symptoms (stomach pain, nausea, dizziness) appear mainly on school days
• Attendance has reduced due to anxiety rather than behavioural difficulties
• Health worries or food‑related anxiety are contributing to avoidance
• You want support that looks at both emotional wellbeing and behaviour, not just attendance

Work may involve the young person on their own, as well as parent support and liaison with school where appropriate.