Service details
Eating difficulties and avoidant restrictive food intake disorders (ARFID)
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We are a psychologically focused service aimed at supporting children and young people aged 8 to 18, along with their families, who are experiencing eating difficulties that do not meet the criteria for a formal eating disorder diagnosis, such as anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), or binge eating disorder (BED). We also assist those showing signs of avoidant and restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), which may include:
- Sensory-based food avoidance
- Food avoidance due to concerns about potential negative consequences
- Lack of interest in food
Our eating difficulties and ARFID service is committed to delivering treatment informed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines for eating disorders (2004). Our primary aim is to enhance the psychological, physical, and social functioning of the young individuals we support.
As a service which aims to provide time limited intervention. Out treatments are informed by the below approaches which are widely used in eating disorder services.
- Parent psychoeducation group
- Family-based treatment (FBT-ED)
- Cognitive behavioural therapy for ten (CBT-T)
- Cognitive behavioural therapy for ARFID (CBT-AR)
- Guided self help
We strive to create a supportive environment that empowers young people and their families to effectively navigate and overcome eating difficulties.
- Borough(s): Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey, Islington
- Service Manager (s): Miloš Djordjevic, Dr Sharon Hart
- Email: edifficulties@tavi-port.nhs.uk
- Age range treated: 8-18
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Address:
Tavistock Centre, 120 Belsize Lane, Camden, London, NW3 5BA
- Phone number: 020 8938 2276
- Service hours: Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm
Conditions treated
Eating disorders
Disordered eating
Avoidant and Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)
How to access this service
We accept referrals from GPs in the boroughs we operate in as well as from CAMHS teams and schools.
Referral form guidance
In order for the team to assess your referral please complete the referral form and return this to our intake team for processing at tpn-tr.cyaf-intake@nhs.net.
Please ensure that the form is completed in full. Any sections not applicable mark as such. Please also read and tick the checklist section at the bottom of the form.
Incomplete forms will be returned to the referrer causing a delay in processing the referral.
What to expect
When you first meet with us, we will take time to get to know you, understand your difficulties, and explore your goals and the type of support you may wish to receive.
We usually ask you to attend your first appointment with a parent or carer. This helps us gain a greater understanding of your experiences, hear their perspective and consider how they can support you alongside our work.
Following your assessment, we will let you know whether we feel our service is a good fit and outline the support we believe would be most helpful, based on the information you have shared.
If we feel another service would better meet your needs, we will always guide you towards appropriate alternative support. We recognise that our service may not be the right fit for everyone, and our priority is ensuring you receive the help that is most suitable for you.
What our service users say
We wanted to write to say a huge thank you to you for your time, patience and invaluable help. You have helped Hannah (and us) enormously and we are all enjoying the transformation in well being, happiness and resilience since starting sessions with you. Hannah says she misses speaking with you but agrees that she feels confident to deal with the challenges of life from here and ask for help when needed (names have been changed).
We were given an appointment very fast after referral and communication has been great. The clinician has been excellent in offering out of hours support and their phone number.
