Lisa, one of our Bristol Therapeutic Support Workers, shares her story of supporting a loved one who was living with an eating disorder.

“When my child was doing their GCSE’s, they were putting themselves under loads of pressure. They would leave home to revise in the library and come home saying that they had eaten in town. I watched them visibly lose a significant amount of weight over a couple of months.

Having talked to them about it, we decided to go to the GP. All the GP had to say was that they were ‘fine’ because their BMI was ‘fine’ and there was nothing we could do! In that moment it felt like we were being told, ‘Go away, get a bit sicker, and when you’re really poorly, then we’ll treat you.’

Fortunately for us, we found another way to access counselling which turned my child’s situation around really quickly. Now they’re doing really well and they’re enjoying food again.

So when I was doing my counselling qualification and saw that SWEDA were an eating disorder charity asking for counsellors I thought ‘Yes! That’s what I want to do!’ As a Therapeutic Support Worker I can now support other parents whose children are living with eating disorders.”