Hello and welcome to the Talking EDs (Eating Disorders Support Service Scotland) website. Thanks for dropping by. How are you? Fine? No, how are you really? What's brought you here today? Maybe you're feeling lost, overwhelmed, out-of-control or hounded by food, eating or body image? Many of our clients say something like this to us:

'I have a difficult relationship with my best friend. Sometimes my best friend comforts me. But usually my best friend lies, tricks, controls and deceives me. You see, my best friend is food. I have a best friend who I hate'.

Does this sound like you?

This is something we often hear from those who come from support. The eating disorder is like a friend and enemy at the same time and the conflict they experience is overwhelming at times. And even if this isn't exactly like you, we often hear from clients about how complicated their relationship with food is. Some feel like they are controlling food, but actually it's controlling them. Others feel that eating food is comforting or soothing, especially if they are feeling stressed, hurt, upset, anxious or any other distressing feelings. But, they discover that the comfort is short-term and they end up feeling shame or guilt and a whole host of other uncomfortable things.

Others might feel a sense of achievement through controlling eating or eating certain foods. Others may engage in purging or exercising as a way of compensating for the food eaten. That's just some of the things we hear from clients - there's lots more. We even have a little self-questionnaire here if you want to reflect a little bit more about your relationship with food and eating.

However things are for you (we are all different, after all) our relationship with food isn't always as simple as eating 3 times a day. Those of you experiencing eating disorders or a tricky relationship with food will know this. We can often have a love-hate relationship with food and over time, feel like we're in a trap, stuck in our relationship with food, but feeling we have nowhere to turn.

Well, you do have somewhere to turn.

You can turn to us. We are interested in YOU, yes, YOU - not your weight or whether you fit an eating disorder stereotype or not. We are interested in what's going on for, regardless of what you weigh, how you look, how often you eat/don't eat, how much you are sick, how often you exercise or what your age or shape is.

Here at Talking EDs Headquarters in Glasgow, we often talk about how WE (our therapists) can help YOU. Yes, we can help you..... in lots of ways. However, we can't help you, until YOU take the first step and decide to improve your life and address the problem or concern that's making your life difficult. We can't reach out into the screen and drag you to therapy or counselling or bring all our support to you. You have to meet us in the middle somewhere, and that starts with you, getting in touch with us, to find out how we can help and support you.

Then, you can start working, in partnership with your therapist or counsellor to improve life and improve your relationship with food, eating and/or body image.

Do you need some support from people who understand and who have the specialist training, skills, knowledge and experience to work alongside you with this? If so, please know that you're not alone and you don't have to work through this by yourself either.

We are one of the few specialist support spaces in Scotland (and beyond) and we'd like to welcome you to Talking EDs: Eating Disorders Support Service and Scotland's leading private centre for eating disorders, disordered eating and body image. There are few specialist eating disorde therapists in Scotland that have had the training and experience to work with eating disorders, disordered eating and body image (we even train other therapists and clincians) and it's important to choose a safe space, like us, who can really walk alongside you in recovery, at your pace.

If you take the first step, and get in touch, we will take a step towards you too and walk along side you on your therapy or counselling path.

We're waiting for you and ready to listen. Take that step...take it today!

Our motto is 'your voice counts : recovery exists'. This is the focus and ethos of Talking EDs and underlies everything we do. We believe that recovery is possible. We also believe that everyone with an eating disorder or a difficult relationship with food and eating is entitled to have a voice and express that voice.

To find out more about Talking EDs, our history and experiences, our therapists and what we offer, please feel free to browse this website or get in touch for information. There's lots of information on this website and we hope you find it useful.