SOUTHAMPTON adults struggling with an eating disorder are being offered free places on an eight-week charity-run spring course to help them (2022).
Sufferers of eating disorders, and those who care for them, are invited by Options Wellbeing Trust to sign-up for the sessions on March 15, which cover the difficult Easter period.
Claire Trent, Service Manager at the charity, which offers a range of professional wellbeing support, on Shirley Road, says: “Currently it is understood that one in ten people nationally has an eating disorder and this number is set to rise further with long waiting lists to see NHS Eating Disorder Teams.
“We have decided to join forces with the charity tastelife to run a course to help those that are struggling as well as their friends and family. The course is also suitable for anyone who is currently caring for a person with an eating disorder.
“The course is non-threatening, educational, and encourages a self-help approach that really works. It is run in the community by people who have had lived experience and care about those who struggle with eating disorders. The course uses interactive and motivational methods to explain how people can make changes in small steps towards health and wholeness.
“The sessions cover: living to eat or eating to live, self-image and addiction, emotions and mind matters. They also include resources and self-awareness exercises to do at home.”
Sessions run weekly from March 15 until May 3 on Tuesday evenings from 6.45pm to 8.45pm at Options Wellbeing Trust’s headquarters at Shirley Road in Southampton.
Attendees are invited to book spaces for free, there is no barrier to access for this course. However, those who can make a £40 suggested donation to the charity to cover all eight sessions are asked to do so.
Advance bookings are essential and can be made by visiting www.optionswellbeing.co.uk or emailing support@optionswellbeing.co.uk.
Claire adds: “We’re hoping to reach people who may be waiting for the NHS Eating Disorder Team to get in touch or haven’t yet asked for help. The eating issues they’re struggling with may or may not be diagnosed, but they are significantly impacting on their lives, and we can help.
“The sessions straddle the Easter period when many struggle with eating in bigger groups with family or friends or find it hard to cope with the advertisements everywhere and the encouragement to overindulge. Places are booking up fast, but we still have capacity to help more people if they would like to join us, and we’d suggest anyone interested gets in touch as soon as they can to secure their place.”
Eating disorders are often a symptom of deeper problems and, while this is not an in-depth course to discover and deal with these underlying issues fully, it goes a long way to equipping participants with real understanding and coping strategies.
“This course’s unique approach brings carers and sufferers together in an accepting environment where change is made possible. It is an experience that offers sufferers and carers a way forward and puts the steering wheel firmly in the hands of the sufferer.”
The course uses interactive and motivational methods to explain how people can make changes in small steps towards health and wholeness.
tastelife is about just that: tasting life. tastelife believes in breaking free from eating disorders and rediscovering life in all its fullness.
Options Wellbeing Trust is a long-established registered charity with more than 50 years’ experience in offering a range of professional and affordable therapeutic support, counselling, training and development services to people across Southampton, Hampshire and Dorset.
It is proud to assist people in communities at a grassroots level, making a difference to their lives, leading to a brighter future.
The charity supports people and helps them explore ways of recognising what is negatively impacting on their lives and finding ways of addressing and improving their wellbeing.
It delivers workshops and one-to-one help on a number of life issues including anxiety, stress management, bereavement, trauma, relaxation, and educational awareness groups on a range of topics including addictions, such as gambling, drinking, and gaming.
To book a free place on the eight-session tastelife course from March 15, which will take place on Tuesday evenings from 6.45pm to 8.45pm, please visit www.optionswellbeing.co.uk or email support@optionswellbeing.co.uk.
For further details, please visit www.optionswellbeing.co.uk or www.tastelifeuk.org.
