Scribblings of a Psychotherapist

 Happy St. Andrew's Day to our fellow Scots!    

  Focus on.... EDNOS/OSFED   Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (or EDNOS) is now increasingly known as OSFED (Other Specified Feeding and Eating Disorder) accounts for the highest percentage of eating disorders.    EDNOS/OSFED is just as serious and debilitating as any other form of eating disorder and needs to be taken more seriously.   Unfortunately, however, in our experience, this is often not the case and many are not given appropriate treatment or support (whether from family, friends, professionals and others) and the condition can deteriorte and even change into another form of eating disorder.   WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT EDNOS/OSFED? Then read on.....   EDNOS/OSFED is the most commonly diagnosed eating disorder in clinical settings. It has often been described as ‘partial syndrome’; however, in our opinion, referring to an eating disorder as 'partial' presents several problems, namely that the client or patient is denied support.   ED...

  1/2 PRICE THERAPY/CONSULTING ROOM HIRE IN GLASGOW CITY CENTRE FOR NEW ROOM USERS UNTIL 5th FEBRUARY 2023 We're excited to announce that we've added a third therapy/consulting room to Glasgow Therapy Rooms and our rooms now consist of The Fitzgerald Room, The Isherwood Room and our latest room, The Orwell Room.    To celebrate our newly furnished and decorated Orwell Room, we are offering 1/2 price therapy/consulting room hire to new users until 5th February 2023, as well as free place at our next Support and Supervision Group. There's also the opportunity to join our Therapist Tea and Talk Club  (low-cost socials and CPD groups to help therapists during the cost of living crisis).   Please feel free to get in touch via email if you would like more information or have any questions.    There's also more information on the website here: www.glasgowtherapyrooms.co.uk or email us on contact@glasgowtherapyrooms.co.uk   We look forward to welcoming ...

This week's facts focus on OCD or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. There are lots of myths and stereotypes surrounding OCD and, unfortunately, this can stop people seeking help and support for their OCD symptoms. OCD is a form of anxiety and can be very debilitating and affect the quality of life of the people experiencing it. There are also various forms of OCD, including 'Pure O' and it's important to remember that everyone's symptoms are different and can be unique to them. There's no 'right' or 'wrong' way to experience OCD. Please do feel free to get in touch with GADS if you are looking for some help or support with improving your OCD. We are here to listen and support and can provide in-person appointments in Glasgow city centre and online and telephone appointments to anyone in the UK. Our contact details are  below. Best wishes, Glasgow Anxiety and Depression Counselling Services (GADS) and Scotland Anxiety and Depression Counselling Servi...

  DO YOU KNOW WHAT GENERALISED ANXIETY IS? What is Generalised Anxiety Disorder?   We all experience anxious periods now and again. Some anxiety, worry and/or nervousness is ‘normal’ and can even act as a motivator sometimes (e.g. deadlines at work).   However, when we begin experiencing excessive, continuous and/or distressing levels of constant anxiety worry and/or nervousness, it is possible that we may be experiencing a condition called Generalised Anxiety Disorder or GAD.   What distinguishes GAD from ‘normal’ everyday levels of anxiety or worry?   Well, individual’s experiencing problematic, and often severe, anxiety can experience high levels of stress, nervousness and anxiety and worry about a wide range of things over a long period of time. Anxiety symptoms can be persistent, continuous, and pervasive and affect many areas of the individual’s life and wellbeing, often with serious health, psychological, emotional, social and even occupational consequenc...

GUILTY!   Who experiences guilt? Most of us do, at some point in our lives.   However, some experience it a lot, especially those experiencing eating disorders and disordered eating. ' I feel guilty eating more than the ED voice tells me to' or 'I feel guilty that I didn't do the chores even though I had a stomping headache' or' I felt guilty when I didn't exercise for exactly 1 hour'. And so the list goes on....   But what is guilt?    The Cambridge Dictionary defines guilt as:   'a feeling of worry or unhappiness that you have because you have done something wrong, such as causing harm to another person'.   Wiki also defines guilt as 'an emotional experience that occurs when a person believes or realises—accurately or not—that they have compromised their own standards of conduct or have violated universal moral standards and bear significant responsibility for that violation'.   The important point we often apply guilt to things that we...

Therapist Tea and Talk Club (Scotland)   Are you a psychotherapist, counsellor, psychologist or other mental health therapist in Scotland?   If so, you might be interested in this non-profit community club I am creating for therapists to help us all with costs during the cost of living (and cost of working) crisis.   Read on if interested. Drop me a line if you are even more interested!   This is for the therapists in Scotland. After a recent chat with a fellow therapist, and being aware of the cost of living (and cost of working) crisis many are experiencing, I am launching a community tea and talk group for therapists in Scotland.    Where possible, gatherings with be in-person (Glasgow or Argyll and Bute area although they can be in other places provided they can be accessed via train). There will be some online gatherings too so that others who can't travel to Glasgow or Argyll and Bite can attend.    I have been organiser of a medium scale Sc...

Motivation Monday Here's this week's Monday Motivation. ''The price of doing the same old thing is far higher than the price of change''. Do we really want to change our eating disorders or disordered eating? Do we feel ready for change? Change is a big deal and important when seeking help, support, psychotherapy or counselling. Sometime we really want things to change, but don't know how this can be possible, or we may feel we are faced with barriers, obstacles or limitations. Do you want to change but feel there are obstacles? How can we overcome these? What support can we get to help with this? What are the reasons for wanting to change? How can we bring about change? If you are looking for some support with change, feel free to get in touch. We are here to listen, support and go at your own pace. Our contact details are in the comments below. Best wishes, Glasgow Anxiety and Depression Support Service (GADS) Talking EDs: Eating Disorder Support Service S...

SELF-HELP ACTIVITY FOR YOU TO TRY: Reducing Worry and Anxiety with a ‘Worry Script’ Many people spend hours each day trying to avoid worrying about things that upset them. People distract themselves by watching TV, focusing on a new worry to avoid thinking about an old one, or even self-medicating with drinking, drugs, or over/under-eating. None of these things help reduce worrying. In fact, most people find that the harder they try and avoid the thoughts that make them anxious, the worse they get. Trying to push something out of your mind is a little like trying to push a beach ball under water: it takes a lot of work to keep it down, and the minute you let it go, it pops right back up again. Rather than putting all of your energy into avoiding upsetting thoughts and images, you can instead face your fears, and writing worry scripts is one way to help you do this. By writing a worry script about your biggest worry, you will be facing your negative thoughts and upsetting feelings rathe...

IS FOOD AND EATING GETTING IN THE WAY OF YOU GETTING ON WITH YOUR LIFE? Are your thoughts, feelings or behaviours around food starting to get in the way of other things in your life? Maybe you feel anxious, worried, angry or emotional around food or eating?   Do you plan your day/week around what you are 'allowed' and 'not allowed' to eat?   Maybe eating feels out-of-control or you have urges that feel you need to escape or numb?   Has food become the enemy and something to be avoided at all costs? Or maybe it's your friend and offers comfort, soothing and protection?   Or maybe one (or more) of the questions listed in the self-questionnaire apply to you (see link to the questionnaire in the comments below).   The self-questionnaire on our website helps you to reflect on, and become more aware of, your relationship with food. You can complete it online (although it's a self-questionnaire, so your answers won't be sent to us - it's confidential to you).  ...

1/2 PRICE THERAPY/CONSULTING ROOM HIRE IN GLASGOW CITY CENTRE FOR NEW ROOM USERS UNTIL 5th FEBRUARY 2023    We're excited to announce that we've added a third therapy/consulting room to Glasgow Therapy Rooms and our rooms now consist of The Fitzgerald Room, The Isherwood Room and our latest room, The Orwell Room.    To celebrate our newly furnished and decorated Orwell Room, we are offering 1/2 price therapy/consulting room hire to new users until 5th February 2023, as well as free place at our next Support and Supervision Group. There's also the opportunity to join our Therapist Tea and Talk Club (low-cost socials and CPD groups to help therapists during the cost of living crisis).   Please feel free to get in touch via email if you would like more information or have any questions. There's also more information on the website here: www.glasgowtherapyrooms.co.uk or email us on contact@glasgowtherapyrooms.co.uk   We look forward to welcoming some...

  Health Anxiety.... What is it? Health anxiety (sometimes called hypochondria) is when you spend so much time worrying you're ill, or about getting ill, that it starts to take over your life. Some people might call you a hypnochondriac or that you are fussing over nothing. However, Health Anxiety is much more serious than that and it really affects someone's mental and physical health, as well as their social activities and work or education. It can be really debilitating and the climate in which we have been living over te past few years with the threat of COVID-19 not only exacerbates Health Anxiety for those already living with the condition; it can influence whether others might also start developing Health Anxiety too. Which is why it's important to get support sooner, rather than later. Here's some of the signs and symptoms of Health Anxiety. Remember, everyone is different and we all experience anxiety and life differently. What's important to know is that,...

What does recovery mean to you? Today's post looks at some quotes from those who used to attend our weekly and monthly eating disorder support groups in Glasgow and Edinburgh. While the quotes are anonymous, they show how we all think of recovery differently. Recovery is different for everyone. What does it mean to you? If you would like some help and support with recovery and/or an eating disorder/disordered eating, feel free to get in touch to discover how we can support you. Therapy sessions go at your pace, can be short, medium or long term, weekly or fortnightly and are based on your goals and needs. Get in touch to find out more about the psychotherapy, counselling and dietitian services we offer. In-person (Glasgow city centre), online (UK-wide) and telephone (UK-wide) appointments available to over 18s. Our contact details are: W: www.eatingdisorderscotland.co.uk E: support@eatingdisorderscotland.co.uk Best wishes, Talking EDs: Eating Disorder Support Service Scotland  ...