Irish Eating Disorders Centre

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Irish Eating Disorders Centre

At the Irish Eating Disorders Centre, we are dedicated to helping you achieve recovery through tailored care and expert support.

The Irish Eating Disorders Centre are leading specialist in Evidence-Based Eating Disorder Treatment serving adults, adolescents, and children across Ireland with a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach. Irish Eating Disorders Centre is a leading specialist in Evidence-Based Eating Disorder Treatment
serving adults, adolescents, and children across Ireland with a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach.

26/01/2026

If you’re feeling disconnected today, try a Micro-Movement Check-In:
Step 1: Slowly roll your shoulders.
Step 2: Wiggle your toes and feel the floor.
Step 3: Notice one sensation (a stretch, warmth, or pressure).

Moving gently reminds your nervous system that you are safe and present. 🤍

23/01/2026

📢 It’s Time to Talk About Menstrual Health in Eating Disorder Recovery 📢

New research in the Journal of Eating Disorders highlights a critical gap in care: menstrual health is about more than just a "missing period.".

For too long, the return of a menstrual cycle has been treated as a simple "binary marker" of physical health or a sign to adjust meal plans. But for those in recovery, these changes carry deep emotional, psychological, and identity-related weight.

🔍 Key Takeaways from the Study:
Beyond Anorexia: Menstrual disturbances like amenorrhea (missed periods) and oligomenorrhea (irregular periods) affect individuals across all diagnoses, including Bulimia and Binge Eating Disorder.
The Emotional Impact: The return of a period can trigger complex feelings, including "disgust," sensory distress (especially for neurodivergent individuals), or the fear that they are no longer "sick enough" to deserve care.
Life Stages Matter: Menstrual health needs change across the lifespan, from the body image concerns of puberty to the confusing overlap of symptoms during the menopause transition.
A Call for Holistic Care: Treatment should move away from invasive monitoring (like checking used products) and toward compassionate, interdisciplinary support that includes medical, nutritional, and psychological care.

The Bottom Line: Recognising menstrual health as a meaningful part of the recovery journey, rather than just a clinical metric, leads to more empathetic and effective care.

21/01/2026

Is motivation the "missing piece" in your recovery journey? 🧩

Motivation is essential for successful treatment, yet it can be one of the most difficult things to maintain while struggling with an eating disorder.

Our Enhanced Motivational Therapy at the Irish Eating Disorders Centre is a structured 10-session program that focuses on increasing a person's readiness for change. By encouraging deep self-reflection, we help clients recognize the need for recovery and build the commitment needed for long-term health.

If you or a loved one are struggling to find the "why" behind recovery, EMT could be the powerful first step you need.

Find out more here: 👉 https://irisheatingdisorderscentre.ie/enhanced-motivational-therapy/

19/01/2026

💡 Staff Spotlight: Finding Calm in the Cold with our Assistant Psychologist

We sat down with our Assistant Psychologist, Hannah, this week to talk about one of the most common challenges: the "thought spiral." You know the feeling when anxiety or overwhelm takes the driver’s seat and it feels impossible to pull over.
Her go-to recommendation is a physiological "reset button" called Temperature Grounding.

Why Temperature?
"A temperature grounding technique uses intense sensations to quickly refocus your mind," she explains. "It disrupts the spiral and signals your nervous system to slow your heart rate down. It’s about bringing the body back to the now when the mind is stuck in the what if."

The "Ice Cube" Practice 🧊
One of her favourite ways to practice this is also one of the simplest. If you’re feeling panicked or overwhelmed, grab an ice cube and try these four steps:
1. Hold: Place the ice in your palm (or wrap it in a thin cloth if it’s too intense).
2. Focus: Pay close attention to the stinging cold, the texture of the ice, and the way it begins to melt against your skin.
3. Contrast: Notice the difference between the freezing ice and the warmth of your own hand.
4. Breathe: While you hold it, inhale slowly through your nose and exhale through your mouth.

No Ice? No Problem.
"If you're out and about and don't have ice nearby, try running cold water over your wrists or the back of your neck," she suggests. These areas are incredibly responsive to temperature changes and can signal your brain to "downshift" almost immediately.

The Takeaway
The next time you feel a wave of anxiety rising, remember that you don't have to "think" your way out of it. Sometimes, you just have to feel your way back to the present.

16/01/2026

Living with Type 1 diabetes means thinking about food, carbs, and insulin every single hour of the day. It’s exhausting, and a recent study in the Journal of Eating Disorders shows why that constant focus puts our community at such a high risk.

The stats are a wake-up call:
- 40-50% of adolescent girls with T1D struggle with disordered eating.
- 13-18% of males are affected too.

The good news? Cognitive-based programs are proving to be really effective at helping people navigate these feelings. The missing piece is finding ways to support mental health and keep blood sugars steady at the same time.

We need more research that looks at the whole person, not just the numbers.

14/01/2026

Early intervention saves lives. Eating disorders are about so much more than food, they are mental health conditions that deserve support.

If you or someone you know is struggling, reach out.

12/01/2026

Feeling disconnected (dissociation) or scattered is often a sign that your "fight or flight" response is working overtime. To bring yourself back to the present, you need to engage your "observer" brain.

This grounding exercise helps by:
- Interrupting intrusive thought patterns.
- Engaging the auditory cortex to focus on external stimuli.
- Lowering your heart rate through focused attention.

Try it now: Listen for three different sounds and identify them. How do you feel afterward? 💡

09/01/2026

🥗 When "Healthy Eating" Becomes an Unhealthy Obsession

We often hear that "clean eating" is the goal, but what happens when the pursuit of health starts to take over your life?

Orthorexia is an eating disorder characterised by a fixation on food quality and "purity." What usually starts as a positive desire to be healthy can quietly evolve into a restrictive cycle of anxiety and control that impacts both physical and mental well-being.

Signs of Orthorexia:
🚩 Extreme Restriction: Cutting out entire food groups (like grains, dairy, or fats) or strictly avoiding any ingredients perceived as "unclean" or "impure."
🚩 Food Anxiety: Feeling intense guilt or distress when eating foods that don't meet your strict standards.
🚩 Social Isolation: Avoiding social gatherings, dinners, or events because of fear surrounding the food being served.
🚩 Mental Fixation: Spending an excessive amount of time planning meals, checking labels, and worrying about food quality.
🚩 Control & Self-Esteem: Using rigid eating habits to cope with stress, low self-esteem, or a need for control.

🌱 Recovery is Possible
Orthorexia can look like discipline from the outside, but it is often deeply isolating. The good news is that with the right support, you can break free from the obsession and rediscover a flexible, balanced relationship with food.

Whether you are concerned for yourself or a loved one, early intervention is key. Treatment is available and highly successful.

📩 Reach out to us in confidence. You don't have to navigate this journey alone.

07/01/2026

Supporting a loved one through an eating disorder, or navigating food difficulties such as ARFID, can feel overwhelming for the entire household. Family therapy offers a collaborative, safe space to:
👉 Strengthen Communication: Open up honest dialogues between parents, siblings, and loved ones.
👉 Navigate Challenges Together: Develop shared strategies to manage mealtimes and recovery hurdles.
👉 Build Collective Resilience: Foster a supportive environment where every family member feels heard and understood.

If your family is looking for professional guidance on this journey, now is the perfect time to reach out.

https://irisheatingdisorderscentre.ie/

Appointments are limited; secure your family’s spot today.

05/01/2026

Our next, and first introduction of 2026, is Doireann (she/her).Doireann has a dual role within our clinic as she serves as a Pre-Accredited Integrative Psychotherapist and an Assistant Psychologist.

As an integrative therapist, Doireann believes that therapy should fit the person, not the other way around. Rather than "shoehorning" a client into a single modality, she draws from a toolkit of methods to find the most effective approach for each individual’s specific needs. With a B.Sc. in Psychology and an M.A. in Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy, Doireann is also currently working toward a Doctorate to become a Chartered Psychologist.

Doireann brings specialised expertise in Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFT) and will play a part in our upcoming DBT Skills course rollout. Whether working with individuals or couples, her approach is grounded in clinical knowledge and balanced with empathy.

Outside of the clinic, Doireann is "dog mad!" A supporter of Cork D.A.W.G., she frequently fosters dogs and is the proud owner of two much-loved rescue dachshunds. This same nurturing spirit defines her work with every client she meets.

02/01/2026

As we step into 2026, many of us are being met with the annual wave of "New Year, New Me" content.

Recent research (Frontiers in Nutrition, 2024) reminds us that the "healthy eating" movement on social media isn't always as healthy as it looks. Behind the filtered "fitspiration" and strict dietary trends often lies a hidden pressure that can lead to body dissatisfaction and restrictive eating patterns.

At the Irish Eating Disorders Centre, we want to start the year with a different message: Your worth is not a project to be completed.

This year, let’s focus on:
🌱 Critical Literacy: Not everything you see online is reality.
🌱 Compassion: Moving away from the pressure of "perfection."
🌱 Connection: Reclaiming a peaceful relationship with food and yourself.

If the noise of social media is feeling too loud this January, remember that you don’t have to navigate it alone. We are here to provide evidence-based, multidisciplinary support for those at any stage of their recovery journey.

🔗 https://irisheatingdisorderscentre.ie/ - Follow the link to learn about our services.

Address

First Floor, Ardkeen Shopping Centre, Dunmore Road
Waterford
XE0A

Website

https://irisheatingdisorderscentre.ie/

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