Eating difficulties and avoidant restrictive food intake disorders (ARFID)
For:
Children, Young peopleAvailable in:
Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey, IslingtonWhat we do
We are a psychologically focused service aimed at supporting children and young people aged 8 to 18, along with their families, who are experiencing eating difficulties that do not meet the criteria for a formal eating disorder diagnosis, such as anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), or binge eating disorder (BED). We also assist those showing signs of avoidant and restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), which may include:
- Sensory-based food avoidance
- Food avoidance due to concerns about potential negative consequences
- Lack of interest in food
Our eating difficulties and ARFID service is committed to delivering treatment informed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines for eating disorders (2004). Our primary aim is to enhance the psychological, physical, and social functioning of the young individuals we support.
As a service which aims to provide time limited intervention. Out treatments are informed by the below approaches which are widely used in eating disorder services.
- Parent psychoeducation group
- Family-based treatment (FBT-ED)
- Cognitive behavioural therapy for ten (CBT-T)
- Cognitive behavioural therapy for ARFID (CBT-AR)
- Guided self help
We strive to create a supportive environment that empowers young people and their families to effectively navigate and overcome eating difficulties.
What to expect
When you first see us, we will get to know you better and understand your difficulties; what they look like and whether we are the best service to help you. We usually ask you to attend your first appointment with a parent or carer so that we can gain more information from their perspective, their worries and how they can also work with us to help you. Following the assessment we will try to let you know if we feel like we can help you or if we recommend another form of support as our service is unable to meet the needs of everyone.
How to access this service
We accept referrals from GPs in the boroughs we operate in as well as from CAMHS teams and schools.
Referral form guidance
In order for the team to assess your referral please complete the referral form and return this to our intake team for processing at tpn-tr.cyaf-intake@nhs.net.
Please ensure that the form is completed in full. Any sections not applicable mark as such. Please also read and tick the checklist section at the bottom of the form.
Incomplete forms will be returned to the referrer causing a delay in processing the referral.