"The UK urgently needs more therapists and counsellors who have studied eating disorders in depth."

Earlier this year, BEAT revealed a powerful new statistic about eating disorders:

An estimated 3.5 million people in the UK are living with eating disorders. That’s 1 in 20 of us.

With anorexia proving to have a 5% mortality rate, addressing this crisis and getting specialist support to people early on is vital. Nobody should have to cope with an eating disorder alone. So why is it so difficult in so many parts of the UK to find the right support?

The UK urgently needs more therapists and counsellors who have studied eating disorders in depth. Who can confidently and safely work with a client with an eating disorder and support them in their recovery goals.

At SWEDA, we want to equip counsellors and psychotherapists from all over the UK with expert knowledge in supporting people affected by EDs. That's why the clinical team at SWEDA have poured their 30+ years experience in supporting people with EDs into the development of a new qualification.

Our Level 6 Certificate in Working with Eating Disorders, a CPCAB accredited course, starts in January 2027.⁠ 

We've already run the course once already with our SWEDA team, to help them reflect on and consolidate everything they've learned over ⁠the years of working with us.

Our Children & Young People's Therapist, Zoe, shares her reflections on completing the course and why she thinks more counsellors and therapists should learn to specialise in this complex area:

Find out more about our Level 6 Course here.