Our mission is to provide the support people need when recovery feels most fragile – helping them to stay well, stay connected to what matters, and live beyond their eating disorder.
We offer a 12-week treatment pathway to people aged 16+ who need enhanced support for anorexia, bulimia, ARFID, OSFED, orthorexia, or body dysmoprhia.
“There’s the struggle of recovery itself, and then there is confronting whatever pain the eating disorder was built to cover over. When people are making progress on the outside, that is when we most need to honour the parts that might be hurting on the inside.”
Dr Amy Lucas, Co-founder
Our work is grounded in a simple belief – that eating disorder recovery happens when you feel safe in treatment; when someone understands your needs and you are offered the right support at the right time.
With more than 2 decades of experience in both community and inpatient settings, we repeatedly saw the same challenges; where services that help people with eating disorders often have fixed structures and targets – and many gaps in the system that people can fall through. While many of these services can be helpful, they don’t always adapt easily to the individual or the reality of daily life.
People’s needs change from week to week. Recovery is influenced by work or school stress, relationships, health, transitions, other mental health difficulties, and the unexpected challenges that life brings. This is why many people reach a point in their eating disorder recovery where standard treatment doesn’t quite feel enough, but stepping up into hospital or intensive services doesn’t feel right either.
That is why we provide enhanced support at critical moments, helping individuals address difficulties early, maintain recovery in their everyday lives, and reduce the need for more intensive care.
That is why we created the Next Steps Eating Disorder Clinic.
Our 12-week pathway is designed for people who need more robust support, but who may not need – or want – more intensive services, such as inpatient treatment. We offer structured, parent or partner-inclusive, compassionate care from home, while recognising that recovery looks different for everyone.
We believe that effective eating disorder treatment must be flexible, personal, and grounded in your real world – not just in theory or clinical targets. From the very beginning, we work collaboratively with you – and your loved ones – to understand your unique situation, your goals, and the specific challenges you’re facing right now.
Together, we create a plan that fits your life, rather than expecting you to fit into a rigid programme or be left to drift.
Whether you are worried about the early signs of an eating disorder, or find yourself at risk of crisis, our pathway provides safe, tailored support that is grounded in clinical expertise and genuine care.
“As a dietician, I believe recovery isn’t something that can be prescribed or shaped by a single approach – it’s something you build, step by step, in a way that works for you and fits your life. Nutrition is not just about food; it’s about restoring trust in your body, developing an understanding of your choices, and building the confidence to live beyond the eating disorder”.
Anna O’Neill, Co-Founder
We work in accordance with NICE Guidelines, using evidence-based approaches tailored to eating disorders, including cognitive-behavioural and third wave models. However, we also pride ourselves on working intuitively, creatively, and in a trauma-informed way. We are neurodivergent-affirming and adapt our approach based on your personal care plan. We understand that eating disorders are not just about metrics (i.e. weight, calories, or behaviours). They are about a person’s relationship with food, with themselves, and with the world around them.
People come with many different goals; for example, to build confidence in making independent food choices, practice eating in social settings, manage anxiety around mealtimes, feel more comfortable in their body, rebuild an identity beyond their eating disorder, overcome previous traumatic experiences of treatment that may be holding them back, or anything else. Whether you are on a journey towards full recovery, or are simply working hard to manage your eating disorder at home, we focus not only on reducing symptoms, but on helping you make the mental, emotional, and behavioural shifts that support long-term quality of life, and to actually implement those changes day to day.