Your first steps to a life no longer defined by body dissatisfaction, compulsive exercise, or eating disorders.

At First Steps ED, we specialise in compassionate and personalised eating disorder psychotherapy, tailored to your unique experiences, whether you have a formal diagnosis or not.

We’re dedicated to offering you a safe, non-judgmental environment where you can talk freely and explore strategies to help you reach your goals. Our caring team is here to support you in managing your relationship with food, body image, and exercise, all at your own pace.

  • Our Counselling and Psychotherapy Services are for individuals aged 16 years and over. For children and young people under 16 years of age, we offer One to One Support to individuals aged 5 years and over. 
  • Our flexible scheduling ensures that therapy sessions fit seamlessly into your routine, so you can focus on healing without disrupting your daily life. We’re here when you’re ready.
  • Guided by you, we’ll agree a session plan and, working together, ensure you’re in control and make progress towards your unique goals.
  • Before we finish, we’ll make sure you have tools and resources to sustain recovery and manage your mental health in the future.

Who shouldn’t have a referral?

Children under the age of 5 are not appropriate for First Steps ED services, or people with feeding problems such as diagnosed phobias or PICA.

If you think you or your child may be struggling with something like this then it is recommended that you visit your GP. More information can be found on the NHS website.

Before you make a referral, or whilst you wait for an initial assessment we advise you to make an appointment with your general practitioner (GP).

Your GP will play an important part in ensuring medical monitoring is completed and will support you with a referral to NHS specialist eating disorder services if this is required. If your GP doesn’t agree to refer you, keep trying and ask to see a different GP. What you are feeling is valid, so please don’t see this as a sign that you don’t deserve treatment.

Beat has put together their GP Leaflet (First Steps), a resource for anyone visiting the GP for the first time, designed to help someone get a referral from their GP to an eating disorders specialist.

Once you have made your referral the team will aim to get back to you within 10 days where you will be invited to a complete our self assessment form. You need to provide as much detail as possible so that we can find you the right support. You do not need to call us during this time, we will get back to you as soon as we can.

We will make an assessment and recommend an individualised care plan with you, as well as signposting to other agencies, where appropriate.

Please note: we are not a clinical service so please do make an appointment to see your GP whilst you wait to hear from us.

Our pricing plans

Tier One

£25 / session

You’ll work with one of our passionate student therapists who are working towards their qualification whilst on placement with First Steps ED.

  • Student placements with up to 100 client hours

  • Up-to-date CPD accreditation

  • Up to 12 sessions

  • Receive digital ‘Mental Health Management’ document

Tier Two

£45 / session

You’ll be paired with a qualified therapist with experience working with a mix of eating disorder presentations.

  • Delivered online, with some availability face-to-face

  • Qualified therapist with a minimum of 100 client hours with an accreditation and/or Masters in the field

  • A therapist with experience working with eating disorder presentations

  • Free access to paid workshops as part of your recommended step-down care package

  • Buy a block of 12 sessions and get the 12th session free

  • Receive digital ‘Mental Health Management’ document

Tier Three

£60 / session

As with ‘Tier Two’ but with a qualified therapists with considerable experience working with a wide range of eating disorder presentations.

  • Delivered online, with some availability face-to-face

  • Qualified therapist with 450 client hours with an accreditation and/or Masters in the field

  • A therapist with experience working with eating disorder presentations, with up-to-date relevant CPD accreditation

  • Free access to paid workshops as part of your recommended step-down care package
  • Buy a block of 12 sessions and get the 12th session free

  • Receive digital ‘Mental Health Management’ document

Tier Four

£70 / session

You’ll work with one of our qualified therapists, accredited with a recognised psychotherapy governing body with over 450 hours client hours.

  • Delivered online, with some availability face-to-face

  • Qualified therapist with more than 450 client hours and a recognised psychotherapy accreditation and Masters in the field

  • A therapist with experience working with eating disorder presentations and a wide range of comorbidities, with up-to-date relevant CPD accreditation

  • Free access to paid workshops as part of your recommended step-down care package

  • Buy a block of 12 sessions and get the 12th session free

  • Receive digital ‘Mental Health Management’ document

Not sure what you need? Have a chat with our team here.

Our pricing plans

Tier One

£25 / session

You’ll work with one of our passionate student therapists who are working towards their qualification whilst on placement with First Steps ED.

  • Student placements with up to 100 client hours
  • Up-to-date CPD accreditation
  • Up to 12 sessions
  • Receive digital ‘Mental Health Management’ document

Tier two

£45 / session

You’ll be paired with a qualified therapist with experience working with a mix of eating disorder presentations.

  • Delivered online, with some availability face-to-face
  • Qualified therapist with a minimum of 100 client hours and working towards an accreditation with a governing body and/or a Masters in the field
  • A therapist with experience working with eating disorder presentations, with up-to-date relevant CPD accreditation
  • Free access to paid workshops as part of your recommended step-down care package
  • Buy a block of 12 sessions and get the 12th session free
  • Receive digital ‘Mental Health Management’ document

Tier three

£60 / session

As with ‘Tier Two’ but with a qualified therapists with considerable experience working with a wide range of eating disorder presentations.

  • Delivered online, with some availability face-to-face
  • Qualified therapist with 450 client hours with an accreditation and/or Masters in the field
  • A therapist with experience working with eating disorder presentations, with up-to-date relevant CPD accreditation
  • Free access to paid workshops as part of your recommended step-down care package
  • Buy a block of 12 sessions and get the 12th session free
  • Receive digital ‘Mental Health Management’ document

Tier four

£70 / session

You’ll work with one of our qualified therapists, accredited with a recognised psychotherapy governing body with over 450 hours client hours.

  • Delivered online, with some availability face-to-face
  • Qualified therapist with more than 450 client hours and a recognised psychotherapy accreditation and Masters in the field
  • A therapist with experience working with eating disorder presentations and a wide range of comorbidities, with up-to-date relevant CPD accreditation
  • Free access to paid workshops as part of your recommended step-down care package
  • Buy a block of 12 sessions and get the 12th session free
  • Receive digital ‘Mental Health Management’ document

Recovery is possible

Don’t just take our word for it…

Don’t just take our word for it…

” I liked having the structure of weekly sessions, the fact it wasn’t heavily focused at all on weight or eating and more rounded looking at all of me rather than just the eating disorder.”

“I was originally optimistic but felt instantly at ease in the first session given how quickly the support was tailored towards my individual needs. My counsellor was knowledgable and approachable which made me feel supported and understood.”

“So grateful I found First Steps. Therapy has really given me the confidence and support to pursue recovery and heal.”

“I felt so encouraged by my therapist. It was such an empowering experience and I now know what I need to do to keep progressing.”

“My treatment was trauma informed and helped me develop skills I needed to heal myself and become a better person.”

“Thank you for the best counselling, advice and support I have ever received. Going from feeling hopeless and suffering to hope and someone feeling proud of me and encouraging me has been wonderful.”

“I liked the fact that this service is very well thought of in every aspect of it. I like the weekly counselling sessions as it helped me not lose track of where I had left things the session before.”

Not sure what you need? Have a chat with our team here.

Meet our therapists

Our team understands what it takes to reach out for support and are here to help you every step of the way.

Our eating disorder-informed and qualified therapists know that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to recovery so we have a variety of options when it comes to your needs at First Steps ED.

With experience delivering both online and in-person support, we provide evidence-based interventions and benchmark ourselves against leading eating disorder organisations worldwide.

Sarah Legg

Integrative Therapist
Tier Four

Danielle Chadwick

Integrative Therapist                    
Tier Four

Danny Morley

Integrative Therapist
Tier Three

Louise Bellamy

Integrative Therapist
Tier Three

Jonathon (Jay) Cotton

Integrative Therapist
Tier Three

Lisa Johnson-Burley 

Integrative Therapist
Tier Three

Laura Pardner

Person-Centred Therapist
Tier Two

Robert Maxwell-Jones

Integrative Therapist
Tier Four

Kasmira Spence

Psychodynamic and CBT/CBT-E
Tier Three

Catherine Chapman

Integrative Therapist
Tier Three

Manjit Bhogal

Humanistic Therapist
Tier Three

Holly Whitehead

CBT/CBT-E Therapist
Tier Three

Cleo Reeves

Humanistic Therapist
Tier Two

Zsolt Kertai

Integrative Therapist                     Tier Four

Rosie Hibberd

Integrative Therapist
Tier Three

Lauren Donaghy

Integrative Therapist
Tier Three

Danielle Montano

Humanistic Therapist
Tier Three

Manaal Mulla

Integrative Therapist
Tier Three

Suman

Integrative Therapist
Tier Two

Equity in eating disorder treatment means more than just training and research in mental health and support plans. It means paying attention to the full picture, and recognising the social and cultural factors which can play a role in someone’s recovery.

Equality is about giving everyone the same resources, whereas equity is about distributing resources based on the need of each person with the hope to achieve a fair outcome for everyone involved.

All of our therapists take a person-led approach. They understand the values of many backgrounds, communities and cultures and factors which can play a role in our relationship to food and body.

Our other services

Psycho-Education Workshops

Four-Week Workshops £40 (inc. in Therapy Packages)

Our four-week workshops and support groups are designed to offer attendees new skills and insight in challenging negative behaviours, identifying triggers and establishing new coping mechanisms for recovery. Learn more about our workshop offer here.

Nutrition Support

Sessions from £45

Clients work with our accredited nutritionists through digital one-to-one consultations which aim to offer a deeper understanding nutrition and the foods our bodies and minds require to stay healthy and happy.

Reiki Therapy

Sessions from £45

Pronounced ‘ray-key’, Reiki therapy is considered an effective complementary therapy and can be a valuable step in recovery.

To learn more, visit our blog ‘What Is Reiki And How Does It Work?‘

Want to learn more about counselling and psychotherapy?

Check out our latest blogs from the experts and people who’ve been there.

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Adam’s Story
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Don’t forget to check out the articles our therapists are sharing on our Counselling Directory page each month!