When good care means more than one professional
There is a quiet assumption in mental health that the right therapist, working alone, is always enough. For a great deal of ordinary difficulty, one skilled clinician is exactly what is needed. But some conditions are too complex, or too physically risky, to be held safely by a single professional — and recognising that is a mark of clinical maturity, not a limitation. Good care sometimes means building a small, well-chosen team around a person, so that nothing important is missed.
Eating disorders are the clearest example.
Why an eating disorder needs a team
An eating disorder is never only psychological. It lives in the body as much as the mind, which is why safe recovery usually draws on several kinds of expertise at once:
- A GP to oversee physical health — weight, blood tests, cardiac risk, and the medical dangers that can accompany restriction, purging or bingeing.
- A psychiatrist where diagnosis, risk or medication needs a consultant’s judgement — particularly when depression, anxiety or OCD travel alongside the eating disorder.
- A psychotherapist for the depth work: the relationship with food, control, shame and the self that the disorder expresses. This is my part of the work.
- A dietitian with specific eating-disorder training, to help rebuild a workable relationship with eating without it becoming another arena for control.
No single one of these replaces the others. Held together, they make recovery both safer and more durable.
Harley Street makes coordination easier
Harley Street exists precisely because medicine works better when specialists are close together. Within a few streets sit consultant psychiatrists, private GPs, diagnostic services and eating-disorder specialists. Practising here means the people who might form your team are, quite literally, neighbours — referrals move quickly, and communication between clinicians is straightforward. It is one of the few places in the country where genuinely coordinated private care is the norm rather than the exception.
How I coordinate your care
Through established relationships with consultant psychiatrists, GPs and eating-disorder dietitians in Harley Street and central London, I can arrange a prompt onward referral when recovery needs more than therapy alone, and — with your consent — coordinate quietly with the other members of your team, so you are not left to carry messages between clinicians. You stay at the centre; the professionals work around you.
If you already have a GP or psychiatrist, I am glad to work alongside them. If you do not, I can help you find the right one.
The therapy itself
My own contribution is the psychotherapy — the slower, deeper work beneath the symptom. You can read more about that on the eating disorder treatment page, and about how the different professions fit together in psychiatrist, psychologist or psychotherapist: which do you need?
If you are wondering what adequate support might look like for you, arrange a consultation. We can think it through together, and put the right people in place.
Common questions
Do I have to have a whole team of professionals?
No. Many people work well with a psychotherapist alone. A team is built only when the difficulty genuinely calls for it — most often with eating disorders, where physical health and medication may also need attention. It is offered for your safety, not imposed.
Will you speak to my GP or psychiatrist?
With your consent, yes. Coordinating quietly between the professionals involved is part of good care, so that you are not left carrying messages between clinicians. Nothing is shared without your agreement.
What if I already have a psychiatrist or dietitian?
Then I am glad to work alongside them. If you do not, and one is needed, I can arrange a prompt referral through established relationships with consultant colleagues in Harley Street and central London.
Is this available online as well as at Harley Street?
Yes. The therapy can be conducted in person at Harley Street W1 or online, and coordination with your wider team works the same way either way.