Specialist Eating Disorder Clinic in Birmingham

Eating disorders not only affect an individual's mental health, but can also have a negative impact on their body too.This can lead to both long-lasting emotional effects and health complications. But the good news is that with the right treatment, it is possible to recover from an eating disorder. For patients battling an eating disorder, specialist dietitians play a key role in aiding recovery.

At Midland Health, our team of expert dietitians excel at treating adults and children with eating disorders. We do more than just treat disordered eating behaviours, we take a holistic approach and also treat co-occurring mental health problems, such as anxiety, depression and OCD. With highly specialised treatments, we will work with you to achieve the best possible outcome.

What Is An Eating Disorder?

Like most mental health conditions, eating disorders do not discriminate. No matter your age or gender, you can develop an eating disorder. Generally, they are characterised by disordered actions and thoughts. This manifests in the individual controlling their food intake as a coping mechanism - whether that be to deal with their feelings and emotions, or other circumstances in their life that they feel they cannot control. This results in unhealthy habits, such as obsessing over body shape or weight and eating too much or too little.

Common Eating Disorders We Can Help Diagnose And Treat

Our specialised team is able to diagnose and treat a wide range of eating disorders. Between our specialist dietitians, mental health professionals and GPs, we have the specialist skills in-house to provide education on nutrition and diets, provide psychological therapy and even treatments for health problems that result from the following eating disorders: 

• Anorexia: Also referred to as anorexia nervosa, anorexia is an eating disorder that is characterised by restricting food, over-exercising, or doing both to control your weight. This results in unusually low body weight and can have serious consequences for the individual.
• Bulimia: This is characterised by phases of binge eating and then taking extreme measures to not put on weight, such as making yourself ill or using laxatives.
• Binge eating disorder (BED): People with BED eat large amounts of food in a short period until they feel uncomfortably full. The key difference between Bulimia and BED is that people with BED rarely follow this up by purging food.
• Other specified feeding and eating disorders (OFSED): A person’s symptoms may not always match the expected symptoms for specific eating disorders. In such cases, they may have an OSFED. Generally, people with an OSFED will try to hide their condition and any physical symptoms. OSFED can be characterised by any of the symptoms associated with anorexia, bulimia or BED. As such, it can have a similar effect on a person’s physical and mental health and therefore it is important to seek treatment at the earliest opportunity.

Our eating disorder specialists are highly qualified and experienced professionals who will be able to treat your disorder. If persistent eating behaviours are having a negative impact on your emotions, your health and your ability to keep life ticking over as normal, arrange to see an expert as soon as possible. Our multidisciplinary team can help you find the right treatment to help you return to healthier eating habits and restore good mental health.

Our Eating Disorder Treatments

At our private clinic in Birmingham, we can offer a host of different treatments, allowing you to get the support you need at every stage of your journey to recovery. We are proud to be able to offer:

Our Approach To Treatment

We want to give you the best chance at recovery. That is why we provide you with a completely holistic treatment plan that addresses your nutritional and emotional needs. At the outset, we get to know you and your eating history. Your initial consultation will provide you with the opportunity to discuss your difficulties with a highly qualified professional.

Following this, we will develop a treatment plan that is tailored to your individual needs - whether that be appointments with our dietitian for specialist advice and guidance or therapy sessions with a mental health professional.

Getting The Treatment You Need

We are proud to make treatment for eating disorders as accessible as possible. There is no need to get a referral from a GP or healthcare professional. Simply get in touch with our friendly team to book an appointment with one of our experts.

Our Specialist Eating Disorder Dietitian

At our private eating disorder clinic, you will be in the hands of an experienced and highly skilled team led by Arti Dhokia. Arti is a registered dietitian with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), and has a wealth of experience working with both adults and children who are struggling with eating disorders. She has a proven track record of helping patients overcome their disorders and regain a healthy relationship with food.

In addition, Arti specialises in the following areas:

• Diabetes
• Gut and gastrointestinal problems, such as IBS
• FODMAP diets
• Eating disorders in children and adults
• Fussy eating in children
• Eating problems in children and adults with autism and ADHD
• General dietetics
• Sports Nutrition
• Mental health and eating problems
• Weight management

If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us. With Arti's professional guidance, you will be on the road to recovery in no time.

Leading ARFID Treatment

As an advanced dietitian, Arti also excels at treating adults and children with Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID). As the name suggests, this eating disorder is characterised by a pattern of only eating small amounts of certain foods or food groups or avoiding them completely. ARFID should not be confused with normal picky eating. Similarly, avoidant and restrictive eating due to religious or cultural norms, such as fasting for a religious celebration does not fall under ARFID.

Unlike other eating disorders, ARFID is not influenced by a person’s body image. This means that people with ARFID do not over-exercise or restrict their food for the sole purpose of losing weight. Instead, ARFID usually develops due to a lack of interest in eating or fear of experiencing distress - whether that be choking, vomiting or other gastrointestinal problems. 

While this disorder can affect anyone, you are more likely to develop ARFID if:

• You are on the autism spectrum
• You do not outgrow normal picky eating in childhood
• You have a co-occurring anxiety disorder

As a leading expert in her field, Arti never takes a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to the treatment of ARFID. To address individual problems, Arti works closely with patients and their loved ones to develop a specialised treatment plan.

For anyone suffering from AFRID, Arti will want to identify any nutritional deficiencies as soon as possible. After a nutritional assessment, it is possible to remove and reverse any risks their unbalanced diet has caused. From here, dietary management can be introduced to help vary the patient’s intake. Support is also on-hand for family members to allow them to gain an understanding of ARFID conditions.

Additional Support

We understand that eating problems often develop as a side effect of major life changes. While the root cause may not be obvious, therapy sessions can help you to unravel the possible triggers of your eating disorder. These sessions also allow you to talk through any issues that you feel are making your disorder more difficult to manage. By working with our trained adults and children integrative therapist, you can explore other aspects of yourself which are possibly being masked by the eating disorder, allowing your body to heal from the inside.

Some examples of triggers include but are not limited to:

• starting puberty
• experiencing a traumatic event
• changing school or university
• wanting to start a new health regime 
• loss of a loved one
• starting a new job
• breakdown of relationships 
• loss of self-esteem
• exploring your sexuality
• leaving home or moving to a new place

Studying in the fields of counselling and psychotherapy, our integrative therapist will provide an environment where your needs are put at the forefront of the therapeutic journey. The therapist will consider your individual circumstances to tailor a therapeutic approach that is personalised to your care, offering children aged 7 years and over a safe space to come and discuss the difficulties they are facing.

What Does An Integrative Therapist Do?

Instead of the counsellor acting as an expert, person-centred therapy allows you to act as an expert on yourself. The counsellor is simply there to guide you and help you unlock your full potential. They will provide honest and transparent feedback whilst offering complete support and acceptance.

We may also rely on psychodynamic therapy techniques to help you access your subconscious thoughts and feelings. That way, you will become more aware of how your deep-rooted feelings are impacting your behaviour. We will then help you develop effective techniques to manage these feelings.

We also offer Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to help you change your unhelpful thoughts, feelings and behaviours. Similarly, transactional analysis can help you replace your negative thoughts and behaviours with positive ones, ultimately changing your life script.

As industry experts in our field, we can explore how your early attachment styles influence your belief and valuing system. We will then help you understand and rebuild your patterns and habits of forming and maintaining relationships.

Our Specialist Integrative Therapist

Our integrative therapist services are led by Hema Patel, who provides psychotherapy and counselling to children and teenagers dealing with a range of issues, including but not limited to:

• PTSD
• Bereavement
• Anxiety
• Phobias
• OCD
• Panic Attacks
• Depression
• Low self-esteem 
• Negative body images
• Eating disorders

Using expert-ed therapeutic techniques, Hema excels in tackling a range of social and behavioural issues. She has a proven track record in teaching children to cope with the difficulties they have experienced to improve their overall well-being.

Hema believes that every child should have the tools to lead a normal life and always takes a compassionate approach to treatment. She even invites parents and guardians into sessions to get a clear understanding of the situation and find the most effective solution.

Why Choose Us?

Eating disorders can manifest into serious health issues. That is why it is crucial to seek the guidance and expertise of an experienced team at the earliest opportunity. We can arrange specialist appointments with eating disorder experts when you need them. Instead of waiting for months on end to see a specialist, you can get an appointment within a matter of days. 

We excel at providing our patients with comprehensive treatments when they need them. That is why our Birmingham clinic provides:

• Exceptional patient care
• Consultations with specialists at short notice
• No waiting lists or need for GP referrals
• State-of-the-art medical facilities

Visit Our Clinic

If you are based in Birmingham or the surrounding areas, you can visit our exceptional Birmingham clinic in the heart of Edgbaston, just outside of Birmingham City Centre. You can come and see our specialists on Highfield Road, just off the A456. Alternatively, if you are travelling by public transport, our clinic is only a 15-minute walk from Five Ways train station.

Are you looking for a professional eating disorder service near you? Contact us today to arrange a consultation with our highly-qualified eating disorder dietitians. Alternatively, you can submit an enquiry form below. Our consultants will be happy to see you at our Birmingham clinic at their earliest availability. 

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