In 2023, I joined the Surrey & Borders Partnership Foundation Trust in supporting the Adult Eating Disorders Outpatients and Day Hospital services. In this role, I directly aided people struggling with Anorexia Nervosa and comorbid illnesses on their journey towards recovery.
Co-facilitating MBT and CBT groups allowed me to contribute directly to their progress, honing my clinical skills in fostering patient rapport and support.
Alongside this, I diligently maintained patient notes, ensuring accuracy and confidentiality while also collecting and analysing standardised outcome measures to gauge effectiveness.
Farnham Road Hospital in leafy Guildford, image courtesy of BBC
Collaboration with the multidisciplinary team was paramount in prioritising service improvement projects such as the audit of the Caregivers Support Group.
Throughout, I remained dedicated to person-centred, trauma-informed care, recognising the importance of subjective experience and trust within the therapeutic environment. This role not only deepened my understanding of eating disorders but also instilled in me a profound sense of purpose in aiding others' journeys towards healing.
Within mental healthcare, I have felt that systemic social factors are often neglected in the biopsychosocial model. Therefore, while working as an AP, I researched and wrote about systemic factors that affect eating disorders, which I was able to share with senior colleagues.
Additionally, I was able to influence senior leadership within the Surrey Adult Mental Health Services in EDI professional development, starting a newsletter around cultural sensitivity that was permanently adopted.
Read some of my insights below:
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