When food takes up more of your life than you want it to, you deserve support that takes both your distress and your physical health seriously.
I offer psychological therapy for adults experiencing eating disorders and eating difficulties, in Norwich and online across the UK. Together, we explore your relationship with food, your body and the patterns keeping you stuck, while considering the support you need to work safely.
Book a Clarity & Direction Consultation
There is more than one way to struggle with eating
You may be caught between restriction and binge eating, feel driven to compensate after eating, or find that food rules shape much of your day. Perhaps your sense of worth has become tied to what you eat, how your body looks or whether you have exercised enough.
For other people, eating is difficult because of sensory sensitivities, fear of choking or vomiting, limited interest in food, or difficulty noticing and responding to hunger. These experiences need careful understanding rather than assumptions about body image or motivation.
I work with adults experiencing difficulties associated with anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, ARFID and other patterns of restrictive or distressing eating, where my independent outpatient service is appropriate. You do not need a diagnosis to ask for help, and body size alone does not tell us how serious an eating difficulty is.
Specialist experience and an individual approach
I’m Becky Grace Irwing, a BABCP-accredited CBT therapist, EMDR therapist and Registered Mental Health Nurse. My background includes work within Cambridge NHS eating disorder services and training in CBT-E, enhanced cognitive behavioural therapy for eating disorders.
We begin by understanding your current eating, relevant history, physical health, daily routines and what you have already tried. We also consider trauma, neurodivergence, sensory needs, relationships and life circumstances where relevant.
Therapy can involve practical work on eating patterns alongside the beliefs, fears and coping strategies maintaining the difficulty. The plan depends on your presentation. An approach for ARFID, for example, needs to reflect the factors making eating difficult rather than assuming weight and shape concerns are central (although diagnoses are not a monolith and there can overlaps and shapeshifts between disorders, which I prefer the term eating difficulties or distress.)
Food, morality and The Good Person Trap®
For some people, eating becomes connected to being disciplined, deserving or “good”. You may feel you must earn food through productivity or exercise, judge yourself after eating, or find it difficult to prioritise your needs.
The Good Person Trap® is my conceptual framework for exploring how goodness becomes tied to safety, belonging and worth. It may help us understand these experiences, but it is not a diagnosis or a treatment in itself. Eating disorders have multiple influences, and not every eating difficulty is organised around morality or control.
Neurodivergence-informed support
If you are autistic or have ADHD, we can explore how sensory experiences, executive functioning, routines, overwhelm and noticing internal signals affect eating. Support may include clearer structure, written plans, reminders or adjustments to the pace and format of therapy.
The aim is to find workable ways of meeting your needs. I will not assume that every difficulty with eating is resistance or that recognising hunger is straightforward for everyone.
Physical health is part of the picture
Eating disorders can affect physical health at any body size. Psychological therapy does not replace medical assessment, nutritional support or specialist multidisciplinary care when these are needed.
Depending on your circumstances, you may need GP monitoring, specialist eating disorder services or input from a suitably qualified dietitian alongside therapy. We will discuss any liaison, consent and information-sharing requirements clearly.
My practice is not an emergency service, inpatient service or complete eating disorder team. If you need a higher level of care, I will explain that and discuss appropriate next steps. Please seek medical advice promptly if your eating difficulties are affecting your physical health, rather than waiting for a therapy appointment.
Questions about eating disorder therapy
Am I struggling enough to ask for help?
You can ask for help before things reach a crisis. If eating, food rules, body concerns or avoidance are affecting your wellbeing, relationships or daily life, a consultation can help identify what support is appropriate.
Can I work with you if I have ARFID?
We can explore whether my experience and service fit your needs. Assessment considers sensory factors, fear, interest in food, nutritional concerns and any additional professional input required. ARFID is not simply a lack of willingness to try food.
Do you use EMDR for eating disorders?
EMDR may have a role when trauma-related difficulties are relevant and you are ready for that work. It does not replace eating disorder-focused treatment, adequate nutrition or medical care. An intensive is not automatically the right format for an eating difficulty.
Can therapy take place online?
Online appointments are available across the UK, Europe & Worldwide (excl. US & Canada) where clinically appropriate. Any physical monitoring or additional care you need must still be arranged locally with the relevant professionals.
Start with Clarity and Direction
The first step is a 90-minute Clarity & Direction consultation, available in Norwich or online across the UK. We explore what is happening, consider whether my practice is the right setting and discuss the support most likely to be useful.
The fee is £195, including a personalised written summary with my initial formulation, recommendations and suggested next steps. There is no obligation to continue into therapy with me.
Ongoing 50-minute therapy sessions cost £125. Appointments in person take place at 125 Ber Street, Norwich, NR1 3EY.
Book a Clarity & Direction Consultation
Not sure whether to book? Contact me with a brief outline of what you are looking for.