SEDATT early intervention

What is early intervention?

Early intervention is key for treating disordered eating or eating disorders.

You do not need a diagnosis of an eating disorder to get help. In fact, getting help early often prevents an eating disorder really taking hold. It is based on a model of 6 to 10 sessions and will help us to think about what might be helpful in supporting you to eat more healthily and be kind to your body.

Why have I been offered this treatment?

You will have been assessed by our team before we offer you this treatment. Whether you have been diagnosed with an eating disorder or not, you deserve help and support. We felt that you had the motivation to succeed and make positive changes when we met you.

The FREED pathway is something that exists to support young people aged 16 to 25 to get early help for eating difficulties. We have adapted this model of treatment to help support those young people under the age of 16.

What might happen during the sessions?

During your 6 to 10 sessions you might hear us talking about some of these things:

• Motivation to change (and acknowledging how scary this might feel)
• Body image – how to be more ‘body positive’
• Healthy eating and what this looks like for you
• Self-esteem and self-confidence
• Learning about what might influence our eating
• Developing a healthy relationship with yourself and with food
• Staying healthy after your sessions

What if it does not work?

We will work with you and your family or carers to understand what is maintaining the eating disorder. If we think that more sessions would be helpful, we can also offer this. The important thing is that the treatment is tailored to you and your needs.

We work with other teams and services, both in the NHS and voluntary sector, who we might suggest you work with, to help with other parts of your life and wellbeing.