Our counselling impact

Our counselling service uses the Warwick Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale to assess the impact of our service.

97% of people said they experienced a positive change after completing our counselling in the past year (2023) and 79% said their self-esteem and wellbeing had improved.

We also capture feedback from the people who use our service more informally and ask, on completion of counselling, whether they have experienced positive change, and what impact the counselling has had on their self-esteem and wellbeing.

“I have become more aware of my disordered eating and can challenge thoughts and worries. The recovery work I did is hanging in my kitchen so I am reminded of my goals and hopes.”

“I view situations differently, treat myself differently, things that would in the past trigger me, I now have coping mechanisms for and can handle better”

“I view situations differently, treat myself differently, things that would in the past trigger me, I now have coping mechanisms for and can handle better”

70% of people said that they felt better equipped to deal with their eating distress and life events.

When asked what might have happened if they hadn’t received counselling, many people highlighted the importance of timely support, self-compassion and coping strategies that our support has enabled them to put into place for themselves.

“Although I am going through some very testing and personal times since my counselling ended, I feel like I am coping with them better than I would have previously.”

“I am still struggling with my eating, but I feel less helpless now. I have had some wobbly days, but my recovery worksheets really help me to re-centre myself. I am also better at advocating for myself.”

“I came in as I was recovering. I would have been more likely to relapse if I hadn’t been able to dead with the underlying issues which led to the anorexia.”

Increased demand for service

During 2023/24, our counselling service worked with 458 clients – an increase of 13% from the previous financial year.

This increase is indicative of the increased need in our communities and illustrates the importance of early identification, and support to improve recovery outcomes.

---

Our impact on prevention and early intervention

Our training and education programme is key to promoting early identification and treatment of an eating disorder thus improving the speed of recovery, reducing symptoms to a greater extent, and improving the likelihood of long-term recovery.

Eating disorder specialists widely agree that specialist online and in person education programmes can prevent many eating disorders. For those already experiencing symptoms, early detection and intervention can result in full remission of symptoms and return to a full quality of life.

Our education and training programme highlights signs and symptoms of an eating disorder and encourages people to take the first steps toward treatment; assists professionals with early identification of an eating disorder, treatment pathways and how best to support clients in their care. 

Awareness-raising and training

During the year 2023/24 we delivered education and training to over 830 people. Audiences spanned other voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations, university and college students, local authority and health professionals and housing providers.

The majority of participants reported that the sessions improved their knowledge and understanding of eating distress.

“This was the best informative training I have had for a long time. look forward to completing some more in the future.”

“This has made me realise just how many different types of eating disorder there are. It is also useful to have been shown how to approach someone I may suspect of having n eating disorder. This has been really informative and interesting.”

---

Make a donation and support our work

As a small charity, our work is funded through health funding, grants from charitable trusts and foundations, and donations from the public.

When you donate to Eating Distress North East, you allow us to make a difference in someone’s life – by helping to provide specialised one to one counselling sessions; run our support groups; or provide training so people can spot the signs of eating distress and help others seek the support they need as early as possible.

Whether you make a one off donation or set up a monthly payment, your support is hugely appreciated.

If you prefer to make an offline donation please email us enquiries@edne.org.uk

Did you know that whenever you buy anything online – from your weekly shop to your annual holiday – you could be raising free donations for Eating Distress North East with easyfundraising?

There are over 7,000 brands on board ready to make a donation – including eBay, Argos, John Lewis, ASOS, Booking.com and M&S – and it won’t cost you a penny extra to help us raise funds.

All you need to do is:

1. Go to our campaign page and join for free.
2. Every time you shop online, go to easyfundraising first to find the site you want and start shopping.
3. After you’ve checked out, the brand will make a donation to Eating Distress North East at no extra cost to you.

There are no catches or hidden charges and we will be very grateful for your donations.

Thank you for your support!