Overview
ABOUT
First Steps ED is an award-winning, quality assured specialist eating disorder and mental health charity working across Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire delivering care and support for adults, children and young people and their families providing coping strategies and recovery services which are directly commissioned by NHS commissioners and Hospital Trusts.
First Steps ED offers an end to end care pathway for individuals who are struggling with eating disorders/ eating related difficulties with or without a diagnosis via a number of best practice approaches and unique support methods.
SERVICES
Peer Support (Under 18s)
We offer between 6 and 8 one-to-one sessions for young people under 18 to support them on their recovery journey. Using personal experiences and knowledge gained from these, our skilled support workers deliver person- centred, 45-minute sessions designed to empower individuals and motivate them to make positive changes in their lives.
Counselling (18+)
We deliver counselling support for adults using a variety of different modalities to support individuals through their recovery. We offer up to 18 weekly sessions with trainee psychotherapists with private options with qualified therapists available. All of our therapists undergo clinical supervision and are accredited by professional bodies, meeting the highest standards of practice.
Self Help Groups (All ages and Young Person)
Complimenting all of our other services, we deliver weekly (young people) and bi-weekly (adult) self-help groups, run by our qualified team of experts by experience. These consist of Psycho-education and social aspects, to help reduce isolation and develop social skills in those attending, whilst providing them with the abilities, knowledge and choices to make their own steps toward recovery. Further encouraging responsibility and sustain recovery, service users who have progressed into volunteering positions have the opportunity to take a more active role in these, as group facilitators.
Online Support
Our national award-winning befriending service is online support for service users and their carers to reduce isolation and prevent individuals from relapse. Carried out via email, this support method involves our volunteers email each service user twice a week. ChatED is an anonymous live support via Messenger available every weekday, delivered by highly skilled team member, sharing information on eating disorders and offering support and guidance to all First Steps service users and carers, to provide them with extra motivation and encouragement in moments of doubt.
Body Image Awareness Workshops
This highly valued, closed group, block of four psycho-educational sessions focuses on exploring body image views among attendees and encouraging acceptance and a compassionate attitude toward themselves.
Intensive Community Support (ICS) – professional referral only
In partnership with NHS Derbyshire Eating Disorder Service, we deliver support to patients in the community who are at very high risk of being hospitalised due to severe and enduring anorexia nervosa. We effectively prevent those individuals from relapsing and later admissions. We also cooperate and network with Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) to provide best-quality holistic practice when delivering care to young people and their families.
Eating Disorders in Student Service (EDISS)
Our unique EDISS innovative model provides outreach support to students at university campuses, colleges and schools preventing disruptions to their studies and enhancing their academic performance. We are promoting students wellbeing by running drop-ins, self-help groups, peer support and counselling with our qualified therapists. We are committed to promoting early intervention, through carrying out body image workshops in schools, supported by the newest research in eating disorders, to provide younger generation with the knowledge and awareness of risk factors which can identify early onset of Eating Disorders.
Support for Parents and Carers
Further support is provided for parents and carers via online befriending, and through our Skills for Carers Workshops. An educational series of 4 weekly sessions within a closed group setting, provides an understanding of change and rolling with resistance. Based on the Maudsley’s Method, the workshop provides carers with the understanding to effectively support and care for their loved ones. We also provide sessions to both individuals suffering from eating disorders as well as for their families/partners.
PROFESSIONALS
Continued Professional Development (CPD), Specialist Eating Disorder Training
We offer unique and CPD accredited specialist training for professionals from different sectors such as health and care, sport and exercise, local government communities, education, private counselling practices, public service working with children and adult at risk of developing eating disorders. Providing best practice information and first-hand experience, our training explore eating disorders signs, vulnerabilities and treatment options using real case scenarios. Moreover, the delegates are also equipped with practical and evidence- based toolkit of skills that may be applied into their professional practice.
Partners and Applied Research
First Steps ED continues to support students and academics conducting research into Eating Disorders, with involvement in a number of projects both currently and in the past. Most significantly playing a substantial role in research resulting in the development of an alternative to the SCOFF test.
Among of our distinguished partners and researchers are:
Professor Paul Crawford – Health Humanities, Institute of Mental Health, University of Nottingham, Professor Paul Gilbert – Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT), The Compassionate Mind Foundation, University of Derby and Dr Chris Gillespie Rtd, Honouree Ambassador, Obesity Eating Disorders Prevention.
VOLUNTEERING
First Steps ED encourages individuals to get involved in volunteering when they have reached their final stages of recovery, giving them an extra purpose and motivation to give back to community and support others with their personal experience and knowledge learnt during recovery. This includes a variety of roles such as facilitating self-help groups, providing our online Befriending service and raising awareness.
Student Placements
A very popular place for students to approach for placements, First Steps offers a range of opportunities to those on both psychological and Health and Social Care pathways. With a number of trainee psychotherapists in this group on BACP accredited training courses, carrying out one to one counselling sessions. Opportunities for volunteers and placement students to attain further employment into the organisation are available as and when they arise.
CONTACT
First Steps ED
Ingham House,
16 Agard Street,
Derby
DE1 1DZ
Registered Charity Number: 1121791
01332 367 571
Find us on Social Media: FirstStepsED