Treatment

FREED

FREED is First Episode Rapid Early Intervention for Eating Disorders. It is a service for 18 to 25-year-olds who have had an eating disorder for three years or less.

Young people getting help for their eating disorder through FREED are given rapid access to specialised treatment which gives special attention to challenges we know young people face and in the early stages of an eating disorder. FREED is a flexible evidence-based treatment approach that focuses on early intervention.

MANTRA

The Maudsley Model of Anorexia Nervosa Treatment for Adults (MANTRA) is a structured talking therapy for adults with anorexia nervosa that includes support for carers. MANTRA addresses the factors that are known to maintain anorexic symptoms, such as personality traits like being anxious, perfectionist and a tendency to avoid emotional experiences. Once the anorexia is present, these traits can get magnified and further maintain the illness and the person tends to develop positive beliefs about how the anorexia helps them manage their life. Their strengths, resources, goals and values are explored to create a formulation (or plan), of their illness, which helps guide the person's treatment, including setting behavioural experiments to change some of these patterns and to develop new skills. These new behaviours will be linked with changes of eating behaviour.

CBT-E

Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) is a psychotherapeutic approach to eating disorders that has a strong evidence base. There are different forms of effective CBT for eating disorders, which are similar in lots of ways. The CBT model proposes that the following 5 areas are interconnected and can affect each other. These are: situations, thoughts, emotions, physical feelings, and behaviours.

CBT-E is the abbreviation for “enhanced cognitive behaviour therapy” and is one of the most effective treatments for eating disorders. It is a “transdiagnostic” treatment for all forms of eating disorder and generally involves an initial assessment appointment followed by 20 treatment sessions. CBT-E is a highly personalised treatment that goes through four stages: formulation and stabilising eating, review, addressing the maintenance factors of the illness and relapse management planning.

CBT-T

CBT-T is a time-limited, focused therapy lasting ten sessions (the ‘T’ stands for ten). It starts by addressing safety issues then aims to help change eating behaviour, beliefs about food and body image. It also helps to manage anxiety and other emotional concerns. We hope to see positive changes early in the process of this treatment and progress is reviewed at session 4. CBT-T has been shown to help people suffering from bulimia nervosa or very similar disorders.

Working to Overcome Eating Difficulties (WTOED)

This is an eight-week guided self-help programme, based on principles of CBT, DBT and Mindfulness.

The programme addresses thoughts and behaviours associated with eating disorders and supports people to challenge their compensatory behaviours, such as purging by vomiting, using laxatives or slimming aids and over-exercising.

The course will also help people re-establish a healthy balanced, regular eating pattern.

ECCEED: Exploring Compensatory Compulsive Exercising in Eating Disorders

ECCEED is a group or individual programme that promotes healthy exercise attitudes, beliefs and behaviours and promotes positive body image, positive self-esteem and appropriate levels of physical activity. ECCEED sessions consist of an initial orientation and assessment session and seven one-hour online treatment sessions using education, guided reflection, cognitive restructuring and relapse prevention.

Anxiety Management

Anxiety Management is for people who are experiencing anxiety and are receiving treatment at Evolve. The sessions focus on helping them understand what anxiety is and how it is maintained through unhelpful thinking styles and behaviours. We teach skills to manage anxiety, including breathing techniques, distraction, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and distress tolerance skills.

Self-Esteem

Self-esteem sessions are aimed at people who have little or no self-esteem and are receiving eating disorder treatment at Evolve. The self-esteem programme gives them information about low self-esteem, how it is developed and maintained and how to address low self-esteem. It also encourages people to challenge elements of low esteem using thought diaries and behavioural experiments.

Assertiveness

Assertiveness is aimed at those who are struggling to communicate assertively and are receiving treatment at Evolve. The sessions explore the effects of various communication styles, including passive and aggressive and assertive communication styles. They aim to increase confidence and skills in communication, not only in communicating assertively but also how to recognise passive and aggressive forms of communication.

WRAP (Wellness Recovery Action Plan)

WRAP is suitable for patients who are coming towards the end of their treatment at Evolve. WRAP is a one-to-one treatment that encourages them to identify eating disorder triggers and early warning signs of relapse. It supports people to develop an action plan to aid their recovery journey once they're discharged from Evolve. Patients are also encouraged to identify support networks they can access if they need extra support.

Coping with Festivals

This is suitable for people who are worried about or struggle with festivals or celebrations such as Christmas, birthdays, Easter, holidays, graduations or any other celebratory event which is often associated with food. It focuses on triggers, worries and concerns and supports people to develop an action plan, including using coping strategies and distraction techniques to help manage the event.

B+ body acceptance group

The B+ group is for individuals who are approaching their weight restoration goal and covers aspects of body acceptance and body positivity themes which can support long-term eating disorder recovery.

BE Free group

This 6-week intervention; BE Free is designed to target binge eating disorder and combines CBT, compassion-focussed, mindfulness, nutrition and psychoeducation, and body image treatments. There is an emphasis on completing food-mood journals to enable greater insights into the vicious cycles of binge eating behaviour and alternate healthy coping strategies for emotions to be developed. Through reflective exercises and peer support, participants are enabled to combat guilty feelings that are often associated with the illness.

Nutrition and Psychoeducation

A seven-week group to improve the knowledge and understanding of nutrition, balanced diet, and the importance of regular eating, whilst exploring the effect eating disorders have on physical health, psychological and social wellbeing. This is an informative and interactive group.

Food for thought

This programme has been developed for those experiencing an eating disorder who want to improve their knowledge of nutritional health and understand more about the effect an eating disorder can have on the body. As part of this, you will have access to six individual video links, each focusing on a different area of nutrition and health. The videos are presented by our specialist eating disorder dietitian and delivered in an informative webinar style.

What’s a portion?

This intervention has been developed for those experiencing an eating disorder who want to improve their knowledge and understanding of a balanced diet and portion sizes. As part of this intervention, you will receive access to a video link which provides information around the five main food groups needed to support a healthy balanced diet and offers a visual demonstration of the average portion sizes recommended for each of the main food groups. The videos are presented by our specialist eating disorder dietitian and delivered in an informative webinar style.

Let’s Get Started (LGS): Evolve Motivational Intervention

LGS is a group or individual intervention that allows participants to explore their reasons and motivation for change.

OBED Overcoming Binge Eating Disorder

OBED is a CBT based therapy and uses guided self-help to support people who are experiencing symptoms of a binge eating disorder. The number of sessions may vary according to need but is usually up to 8 sessions.

Carers' information session

A one-off session for carers and supporters, providing education on eating disorders and offering guidance on how to support someone with an eating disorder. These sessions are held monthly.

Family Meetings

If required, we offer family treatment. We have clinicians trained in FT-AN (Family Therapy Anorexia Nervosa) and Multi Family Therapy.