Therapy for Young People & Adults
Eating | Body Image | Weight
Bariatric Pre- & Post Surgery Support
Bariatric surgery is a significant medical intervention for people struggling with a high BMI, offering a pathway to improved health and quality of life. However, the journey before and after surgery can be challenging both physically and emotionally.
I provide support to patients at every stage of their bariatric surgery journey, ensuring to help them mentally and emotionally prepare for the changes ahead, and to make lasting lifestyle and behavioural changes to support their health.
Bariatric Surgery
Pre-Surgery Support
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Before undergoing bariatric surgery, patients are sometimes referred by their surgeon to undergo psychological assessment to evaluate their readiness for the procedure. This evaluation helps identify any psychological issues that could impact surgery outcomes.
I do this by a session with the patient to:
- Evaluate your mental health status.
- Identify any potential barriers to success, such as eating disorders, depression, anxiety, or substance abuse.
- Provide a report to the surgeon to inform them of any psychological considerations.
The psychologist’s role is not to act as a gatekeeper to surgery! But they can help in flagging any important considerations with the surgeon, and help you to prepare for your procedure.
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Preparation for bariatric surgery involves more than just physical readiness. My pre-surgery counselling:
- Provides you with education about the psychological aspects of weight loss surgery.
- Helps you set realistic expectations regarding weight loss and lifestyle changes.
- Supports you in developing alternative strategies for managing stress and anxiety.
- Helps you to plan and create coping strategies for potential challenges post-surgery, such as whether to disclose to others, managing meals out, and weight loss plateaus.
- Helps you to connect with your motivation for sustainable outcomes and holistic goals beyond the number on the scales.
Post-Surgery Support
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Post-surgery life involves significant adjustments. I provide ongoing counselling to help you:
- Navigate the emotional and psychological changes following surgery, such as feeling emotions more acutely in the absence of food for comfort, or tendencies towards other unhelpful habits such as smoking, alcohol, gambling or shopping.
- Address issues related to body image and self-esteem.
- Develop or maintain new, helpful eating and movement habits that support your health.
- Manage expectations and avoid disappointment or frustration.
- Address relationship issues with key people in your life which may arise as a result of your changing body and body image.
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Long-term change after bariatric surgery often requires altering deeply ingrained behaviours. I provide evidence-based treatment, such as CBT and CBT-E to help you:
- Address any underlying disordered eating patterns or specific eating disorder such as Binge Eating Disorder.
- Manage triggers that lead to overeating in different ways.
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Continued support is vital for a long-term positive response to bariatric surgery. I provide check-in sessions over the long-term to:
- Monitor your psychological well-being.
- Help you deal with any setbacks or challenges.
- Keep you connected with your health goals and reasons for having surgery.
- Continue to help you manage your expectations about weight loss and provide information about what is “normal”.
- Identify and address any triggers and behaviours that are contributing to unexpected weight gain.
- Provide a safe space for you to discuss your concerns.
My goal is to ensure that person undergoing bariatric surgery feels supported, informed, and empowered throughout their bariatric surgery journey. By addressing both the psychological and physical aspects of weight loss, I aim to help you achieve a healthier, happier life.
Weight Loss Support
You may feel that you have tried every diet or 12-week challenge under the sun and that nothing you do “works”. You may feel tired of the yo-yo dieting cycle and sick of thinking about food and eating all the time. You may weigh more now than when you started dieting.
If any of this is you, know that you are not alone and that you haven’t failed your diets – they have failed you!
Health professionals know that diets just don’t work and that the odds are stacked against you. We know that the old equation of “energy in – energy out” is over simplistic and that achieving and maintaining a “healthy weight” is a complex process that involves way more than just diet and exercise and includes the complex interplay of genes, hormones and metabolism to name just three factors. Psychological factors also play a role in weight and weight management.
How I Can Support You
I can support you on your weight loss journey, whether you are pursuing traditional lifestyle change methods or using weight loss medications such as semaglutide (Ozempic) or tirzepatide (Mounjaro).
These medications are effective tools in achieving weight loss, but they work best combined with support from experienced health professionals including dieticians and psychologists.
Weight Loss Support: My Approach
My non-judgemental approach addresses the emotional, behavioural, and psychological aspects of your eating and physical movement to help you reach and maintain your health goals. My approach is a non-diet one which includes:
Personalised assessment to understand your unique challenges and goals; identify psychological factors that may influence your weight, such as stress, depression, or anxiety; evaluate your eating patterns and behaviours, such as emotional eating, grazing, habit eating; assess for any eating disorders; and develop a personalised treatment plan.
Therapy using evidence-based approaches (such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy [CBT] and Dialectical Behavioural Therapy [DBT]) to help you identify and change unhealthy beliefs about food and body image, develop healthier coping mechanisms for dealing with emotions, establish regular eating habits that support your physical and mental health, and set achievable goals that are consistent with your values.
Providing you with information from scientific literature about why diets don’t work in the long term, to help you develop greater understanding and self-compassion and develop realistic and health-focused goals.
“My goal is to empower you with the tools and support needed to achieve and maintain a healthy weight, leading to improved overall well-being and quality of life”.
- Lareena Brown, Clinical Psychologist | Why Weight Psychology
Eating Disorders
Understanding and overcoming eating disorders is a complex journey that requires specialised care and support.
As a Credentialed Eating Disorder Clinician, I am dedicated to helping individuals navigate the challenges associated with various eating disorders. While many people I support don’t have a diagnosed difficulty, I can help with several eating disorders and eating related issues.
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Definition: Binge Eating Disorder (BED) is characterised by recurrent episodes of consuming large quantities of food in a short period of time, often accompanied by feelings of guilt, shame, and a loss of control during the binge.
Signs & Symptoms: People with BED may eat rapidly, eat in secret due to shame or embarrassment, and continue eating even when physically full. Emotional distress often follows the binge, perpetuating a harmful cycle.
Treatment Approach: Therapeutic interventions for BED usually involve cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), or dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) based strategies. Building a healthy relationship with food, addressing emotional triggers, and enhancing coping mechanisms are crucial components of the treatment plan that I create collaboratively with you.
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Definition: Bulimia Nervosa is characterised by recurrent episodes of bingeing, followed by compensatory behaviours such as self-induced vomiting, excessive exercise, or the misuse of laxatives.
Signs & Symptoms: People with Bulimia may have fluctuations in weight, dental issues from frequent vomiting, and a preoccupation with body shape and weight. The secretive nature of the disorder often makes it challenging for individuals to seek help.
Treatment Approach: Therapeutic approaches for Bulimia may include CBT, DBT, and nutritional counselling. Addressing distorted body image, fostering self-compassion, and developing healthier coping mechanisms are integral aspects of the treatment process that we work together on.
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Definition: Anorexia Nervosa is characterised by an intense fear of gaining weight, leading to severe restrictions in food intake, resulting in significant weight loss.
Signs & Symptoms: As well as extreme dieting and preoccupation with food, people with anorexia may exercise excessively, or engage in risky behaviours including self-induced vomiting and laxative use in an attempt to control their weight. They may have rapid weight loss as well as a number of other physical symptoms, including loss of menstruation in women and girls, fainting or dizziness and lethargy.
Atypical anorexia involves the same behaviours but is often overlooked or minimised because individuals do not exhibit a low BMI.
Treatment Approach: Treatment for Anorexia typically involves a multidisciplinary approach, including medical monitoring, nutritional counselling, and psychotherapy such as CBT or family-based treatment (FBT). Fostering a positive body image, challenging distorted thoughts, and rebuilding a healthy relationship with food are central to recovery.
It’s important to recognise that all eating disorders carry serious physical and psychological health risks. Seeking help is a courageous step towards healing, and recovery is possible with the right support. If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, please reach out for support. For further support or information, please contact Butterfly Foundation National Helpline or InsideOut Institute.
ADHD & Eating Issues
Understanding the intricate relationship between ADHD, weight, and disordered eating is crucial for effective treatment. I can help you by:
Supporting you to decide which of your eating behaviours are helpful (because some of them might be!) and which are harmful and which you’d like to change.
Implementing behavioural strategies to improve impulse control and emotional regulation if you decide this is important to you.
Supporting you to create “scaffolds” for your executive functioning to help with planning your meals and exercise, if you decide this is a priority.
Encouraging a holistic approach to wellness, including regular physical activity and nutritional education.
Helping to nurture self-compassion and acceptance for eating difficulties connected with ADHD.
Supporting you with medication adherence if you identify this as an area of concern.
Therapeutic Approaches
At Why Weight Psychology, I offer a range of evidence-based therapeutic approaches to help you overcome your challenges around food, eating, and body image. Each therapy is tailored to meet your unique needs, ensuring the most effective treatment. My approaches include:
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
CBT is a widely used, evidence-based approach that helps people understand the relationship between their thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. CBT focuses on identifying and challenging unhelpful thought patterns and behaviours to develop healthier ways of thinking and acting. A specially adapted for of CBT, CBT-E, helps people suffering from eating disorders, like Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa and Binge Eating to establish healthier eating patterns and body image.
Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT)
ACT emphasises accepting unhelpful thoughts and feelings rather than fighting them. ACT helps individuals commit to actions aligned with their values, even in the presence of distressing thoughts and emotions.
Schema Therapy
Schema Therapy integrates elements of CBT, attachment, and experiential therapies to address deep-seated patterns known as "schemas" that can develop from unmet emotional needs in childhood. This approach is effective for individuals with complex psychological issues, and those who have not responded to traditional therapies.
Eye Movement Desensitisation & Reprocessing (EMDR)
EMDR is a specialised therapy designed to alleviate the distress associated with traumatic memories. EMDR uses guided eye movements or other forms of bilateral stimulation to help individuals process and integrate traumatic experiences, reducing their impact on daily life.
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
DBT combines cognitive-behavioural techniques with mindfulness practices to help individuals manage emotions and improve relationships.
