Newbridge experts speak at eating disorders awareness conference
Specialists from Newbridge spoke at a conference established to raise awareness of eating disorders.
Newbridge House Clinical Manager, Rachel Matthews and Senior Dietitian, Samantha Grigg, chaired a session titled: Are healthy eating messages in the media putting young people at risk of eating disorders?
The conference, which took place at the University of Birmingham on June 9th, was for professionals (including those working outside of mental health services) who want to build their understanding of eating disorders.
Topics covered included the signs and symptoms of eating disorders, surviving mealtimes, Autistic Spectrum Disorder and eating disorders and multi-family therapy.
The conference was organised by Forward Thinking Birmingham (FTB) in partnership with the national eating disorders charity, Beat. There are speakers from the University of Birmingham counselling service, local eating disorders services including Newbridge, FTB and Beat.
Rachel Matthews said: “We are really pleased to be involved in and to support this excellent conference which brings together many partners working with people affected by eating disorders.”
“There is a really relevant and engaging programme which supports not only people working in mental health services but the many professionals, such as teachers and school nurses who can play a vital role in identifying individuals who may be at risk of an eating disorder and helping them to find appropriate support.”
Samantha Grigg added: “We chose the topic of healthy eating messages because this is something that is frequently raised by the young people we work with and their families. Although there is clearly the need for information about healthy eating, the content of messages and how they are interpreted by young people is highly variable and can be a concern.”