Alison Outram

My appointment times are: 

Eating Disorders:

I am trained in CBT-E (Enhanced Cognitive Behaviour Therapy) which is the leading evidence-based and most effective treatment for eating disorders. The modules provide clear scientific information and cover features of eating disorders and associated risks, common maintaining factors, establishing weekly weighing, using self-monitoring to understand patterns of eating as well as other eating disorder thoughts and behaviours, steps towards eating regularly, adequately, and including feared foods as part of recovery, and how to use behavioural experiments to test out fears. Binge eating, purging and driven exercise are addressed before body checking and body avoidance interventions are introduced. We examine the role of negative core beliefs in keeping people vulnerable to eating disorder behaviours and provide strategies to challenge them. I will also help you set up a relapse prevention action plan.

I have made many media appearances, given presentations, published a book, and written several newspaper and magazine articles about this subject. I am passionate about challenging the stereotypes and stigma that people with eating disorders face, campaign for better services and treatment, and love to provide information, support and encouragement to those seeking treatment and recovery. 

I am a former International athlete and have competed at a world-class level in athletics, triathlon, and rowing. I initially worked in the field of fitness and appreciate the joy a healthy body can provide. I have a holistic view of life; mind and body function together, not in isolation. Having overcome a life-threatening eating disorder myself I understand them from the inside out. I believe that my lived experience gives me enhanced empathy and I aim to inspire other sufferers and give insight into the complexities of this tenacious and notoriously difficult-to-treat illness.

How I hope to help you: I aim to offer you a supportive, open and trusting therapeutic relationship and a space to share, in confidence, difficulties in your personal life. My desire for you is that this will enable you to be honest about your issues and help you explore and unlock feelings which may have been hidden for years, without fear of judgement or reproach. I will take time to listen to you and to understand your experiences. Painful situations in the present often have their roots in the past. I hope to assist you to uncover hidden links, which in turn may allow greater freedom of thought and action. 

I believe that it is essential that you feel comfortable with your therapist so that you can start an open and frank dialogue. Research has indicated that the working alliance (how you get on with your therapist) is as important as any other factor in successful therapeutic outcomes. I am happy to have a telephone chat in the first instance if you feel that this would help you to decide whether you want to meet me. 

Then, in our first session, you to assess me to see if you feel I am the 'right fit' for you. If you are seeking help for disordered eating  I will allow up to 90 minutes for our initial assessment appointment and I will send you some pre-assessment questions to please kindly answer (if you can) beforehand. 

My appointment times are:

Monday - Friday: 11:30am, 2.30pm, 3.30pm, 4.30pm and 5.30pm.

Prices: £120 for a 90 minute session or £85 for a 60 minute session depending on how long you would like. 

I offer both face-to-face and online therapy.

I am a BACP Accredited Integrative Psychotherapist and Supervisor and draw upon a broad spectrum of psychotherapeutic knowledge and tune my approach to match the uniqueness of each person I work with.

I invite you to take a deep dive and look around my website which is like a very colourful CV! It showcases who I am, what I can offer, and an explanation of the extensive toolkit of therapeutic approaches I can integrate into my tailored approach to your care. In the media section, you can access conference presentations, articles, and podcast interviews, giving you some extra insight into my lived experience.

I have completed the Level 6 Advanced Certificate in Clinical Supervision including online and telephone working with Counselling Tutor. I trained in Shohet and Hawkins’ Seven-Eyed Model which integrates the relational and systemic aspects of supervision.

My Post Graduate Diploma is in Relational Therapy whose central premise is that it is through relationships that we become and maintain who we are, and it is through the therapeutic relationship that personal change can take place.

Additional training has included Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) and I use their techniques to assist with changing thoughts and behaviours, building self-compassion and reducing shame. I also use Transactional Analysis (TA) which is a psychoanalytic theory and method of therapy wherein social interactions (or “transactions”) are analyzed to determine the ego state of the communicator (whether parent-like, childlike, or adult-like) as a basis for understanding behaviour.

My area of expertise is eating disorders. I am a Mental Health Spokesperson for Sport England, a Beat Media Volunteer, and on the BACP Expert Panel for eating disorders. I am trained in CBT-E (Enhanced Cognitive Behaviour Therapy) which is the leading evidence-based and most effective treatment for eating disorders.

One critical area of supervision is ensuring that my theoretical knowledge of your therapy modality is sufficient for me to understand how you apply theory to practice. Please explore my website for more information about me to ensure I am the right Supervisory fit for you.

I offer a safe professional space both ‘in the room’ and online to allow personal and professional development. I will facilitate structured reflection on your practice, and encourage the development of skills, knowledge, awareness and ethical judgement, within a supportive relationship.

I monitor my supervisory practice by attending regular supervision for myself and am committed to my self-development.