Eating Disorder Counselling, Body Image Therapy and Disordered Eating Help in Ireland
Specialist Counselling, Psychotherapy, Registered Nutritionist Services and Clinical Medical Hypnotherapy for Food, Body Image, Binge Eating, Restriction and Emotional Eating
At Counselling Experts, Claire Russell provides specialist help for adults, teenagers and children experiencing eating distress, body image concerns, binge eating, restrictive eating, food anxiety, emotional eating, purging behaviours, compulsive exercise, sugar cravings and low self-worth connected with food or body shape.
Claire is a Registered Nutritionist, Counsellor, Psychotherapist, Clinical Medical Hypnotherapist, Clinical Hypnotherapist and Advanced Rapid Transformational Therapist with over 20 years of clinical experience. Appointments are available ONLINE across Ireland and internationally, with in-person appointments in Adare, Newcastle West, Limerick, Abbeyfeale, Charleville, Kanturk, Midleton, Youghal, Cork, Lismore, Dungarven and Dublin.
Eating disorders and body image difficulties can affect mood, confidence, digestion, hormones, sleep, relationships, fertility, concentration and everyday life. NICE guidance covers assessment, treatment and monitoring for children, young people and adults with eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder. (NICE)
A Different Kind of Help for Eating and Body Image Concerns
You may not know what to call what is happening.
You may not have a diagnosis. You may not feel “ill enough”. You may not look like the stereotype of an eating disorder. You may be functioning well on the outside while feeling completely consumed by food thoughts, body checking, shame, fear or loss of control.
This page is for you if eating has become stressful, secretive, rigid, chaotic or emotionally loaded.
It is also for you if your body image affects your mood, relationships, intimacy, confidence, clothing choices, social life or ability to feel at ease in yourself.
At Counselling Experts, the work is calm, discreet and clinically informed. It is not about judgement, blame or willpower. It is about understanding what your symptoms are doing for you, what they are protecting you from, and how to create safer, steadier patterns.
What You May Be Experiencing
Eating and body image concerns can show up in many ways.
You may recognise one or several of these patterns.
Food feels unsafe or complicated
You may avoid certain foods, skip meals, fear eating more, feel anxious around restaurants, feel guilty after eating, or need to follow strict food rules to feel calm.
You feel out of control around food
You may binge eat, eat quickly, eat secretly, eat past comfort, or feel as though something takes over once you start.
Your body image controls your day
You may check mirrors, avoid mirrors, compare yourself with others, change clothes repeatedly, avoid photographs or feel unable to relax unless your body feels acceptable.
You compensate after eating
You may vomit, fast, exercise compulsively, misuse laxatives or try to “undo” eating through restriction.
Food has become emotional regulation
Emotional regulation means the way your body and mind manage stress, fear, anger, sadness, shame or overwhelm. Food may become a way to soothe, numb, distract, punish or regain control.
Your symptoms overlap with other difficulties
Eating distress can sit alongside anxiety, depression, ADHD, OCD, autism spectrum differences, trauma, PTSD, C-PTSD, grief, relationship issues, addictions, sleep problems, chronic pain, fatigue, gut symptoms, autoimmune symptoms and hormonal changes.
Eating Disorders Are Clinical Conditions, Not Character Flaws
Eating disorders and disordered eating are not signs of weakness.
They are complex patterns shaped by the brain, body, emotions, nervous system, relationships, experiences, food history, culture, hormones, digestion and stress responses.
For some people, restriction gives a temporary sense of control. For others, binge eating gives temporary relief from distress. Purging, compulsive exercise or body checking may also become ways of trying to reduce anxiety, shame or fear.
The difficulty is that these patterns often become self-reinforcing. The more you try to control food, the more food may dominate your thoughts. The more shame you feel after eating, the stronger the urge to hide, restrict or compensate. The more you check your body, the less secure you may feel in it.
Effective care looks at the whole cycle, not just the behaviour.
Conditions and Concerns We Help With
Anorexia Nervosa
Anorexia nervosa can involve significant restriction, fear of weight gain, body image disturbance and behaviours intended to prevent weight gain. It can affect heart health, bone health, hormones, digestion, fertility, mood, energy and concentration.
Some people with anorexia are visibly underweight. Others are not. Medical risk can still be present, so GP involvement and physical monitoring may be essential.
Bulimia Nervosa
Bulimia nervosa often involves binge eating followed by purging, fasting, excessive exercise or other compensatory behaviours. It can feel deeply private and distressing.
Bulimia can affect electrolytes, teeth, throat, digestion, mood, periods, fertility and energy. Cochrane evidence suggests cognitive behavioural therapy can reduce binge eating in bulimia nervosa and related binge eating presentations. (Cochrane)
Binge Eating Disorder
Binge eating disorder involves repeated episodes of eating with a sense of loss of control, often followed by shame, secrecy and distress.
It may be linked with dieting, trauma, ADHD, poor sleep, blood sugar changes, stress, hormonal shifts, low mood, gut symptoms or emotional overload.
Disordered Eating
Disordered eating may not meet criteria for a formal eating disorder, but it can still significantly affect your life. It may include rigid food rules, repeated dieting, food guilt, emotional eating, fear foods, secret eating, body checking or anxiety around meals.
Body Dysmorphic Disorder and Body Image Distress
Body dysmorphic disorder involves intense preoccupation with perceived flaws in appearance. NICE guidance covers recognising, assessing, diagnosing and treating body dysmorphic disorder in adults, young people and children aged 8 and over. (NICE)
Body image distress can also occur without a formal diagnosis. You may feel unable to trust what you see, accept your body, enjoy intimacy, attend events or feel comfortable being seen.
The Counselling Experts Clinic – Our Clinical Framework
1. Understand the pattern
We begin by identifying what is happening, when it happens and what keeps it going.
This may include eating routines, binge patterns, restriction, body checking, purging, exercise rules, cravings, digestive symptoms, trauma history, hormonal factors, medication, sleep, stress, relationships, neurodivergence and medical risk.
2. Reduce immediate risk
If there are signs of medical risk, Claire may recommend GP involvement or other appropriate healthcare input.
This is particularly important if you are fainting, purging, misusing laxatives, experiencing chest pain, rapidly losing weight, missing periods, feeling weak, vomiting frequently or struggling to eat enough.
3. Stabilise food and the nervous system
Many people need structure before deeper emotional work can feel safe.
This may include regular eating, reducing long gaps without food, understanding cravings, improving sleep, reducing all-or-nothing thinking and creating safer routines around high-risk times.
4. Work with subconscious patterns
This is where Clinical Medical Hypnotherapy, sometimes combining RTT, and Clinical Hypotherapy with mind coaching can be especially relevant. We will work together in a way that best meets your needs.
Some eating and body patterns are not only conscious choices. They may be automatic responses connected with fear, shame, comfort, control, old beliefs, trauma reminders, habit loops or body-based anxiety.
5. Address the deeper emotional drivers
Counselling and Psychotherapy can help you explore the emotional roots of the pattern.
This may include anxiety, depression, grief, betrayal, separation, relationship stress, people-pleasing, perfectionism, low self-worth, trauma, childhood messages, criticism, bullying, body shame or fear of rejection.
6. Build a life beyond food and body distress
The goal is not just fewer symptoms.
It is more mental space. Better energy. Calmer eating. Less shame. More confidence. A steadier body image. Stronger relationships. More freedom in daily life.
Clinical Medical Hypnotherapy for Eating and Body Image Concerns
Clinical Medical Hypnotherapy is a structured therapeutic approach that uses focused attention, guided clinical language and nervous system settling to help the mind become more receptive to healthier patterns.
It is not stage hypnosis. It is not loss of control. You remain aware and able to respond.
In the context of eating distress, Clinical Medical Hypnotherapy may help with:
Food anxiety
Binge urges
Emotional eating
Sugar cravings
Stress eating
Body shame
Fear of eating socially
Confidence around meals
Habit patterns
Compulsive checking
Sleep disruption
Nervous system overactivation
Self-sabotage patterns
Subconscious beliefs about food, weight and worth
It may be especially useful where a person says:
“I know what I should do, but I cannot seem to do it.”
“I understand it logically, but my body still panics.”
“I keep repeating the same pattern.”
“I feel calm for a while, then something takes over.”
“I use food to cope, then I hate myself afterwards.”
Clinical Medical Hypnotherapy can be integrated with Counselling, Psychotherapy and Registered Nutritionist Services so the work addresses both the emotional and practical sides of eating.
Published evidence on hypnosis for eating disorders is mixed, so it should be positioned responsibly as an additional clinical tool, not a replacement for medical monitoring or evidence-based eating disorder care where risk is present. (NICE)
Registered Nutritionist Services for Disordered Eating
Food is not just emotional. It is also biological.
When your body is underfed, over-restricted, stressed, exhausted or nutritionally depleted, your brain may become more preoccupied with food. Cravings may intensify. Mood may dip. Digestion may become unsettled. Sleep may worsen. Concentration may drop.
Registered Nutritionist Services may help you understand:
Meal timing
Energy stability
Protein, fibre and blood sugar balance
Gut symptoms and eating anxiety
Restriction and rebound eating
Cravings and sugar patterns
Food fear and gradual food confidence
Hormonal influences on appetite and mood
Perimenopause and menopause changes
PCOS, PMS, PMDD and endometriosis considerations
Autoimmune symptoms such as coeliac disease, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis
The gut-brain axis, which is the two-way communication between the digestive system and the brain
The work is not about strict dieting. It is about reducing fear, improving stability and helping your body feel safer.
Counselling and Psychotherapy for the Emotional Roots of Eating Distress
Eating and body image concerns often carry emotional meaning.
Food may represent safety, rebellion, comfort, punishment, control, invisibility, achievement or protection. Body image distress may be linked with shame, criticism, bullying, comparison, trauma, grief, intimacy, rejection or fear of being judged.
Counselling and Psychotherapy can help you explore:
Why the pattern began
What triggers it now
What feelings food helps you avoid
What beliefs you hold about your body
How shame affects your choices
How relationships influence eating
How trauma may affect body safety
How perfectionism keeps the cycle going
How to respond differently without self-attack
This work is steady, respectful and paced.
When Eating Distress Overlaps With Trauma
Trauma can change how safe you feel in your body.
For some people, eating patterns become a way to manage unbearable feelings. Restriction may bring control. Binge eating may bring numbness. Purging may bring temporary relief. Body checking may become an attempt to feel certain. Avoidance may become a way to feel less exposed.
A systematic review found growing evidence around trauma and trauma-related symptoms in eating disorder populations, while also noting the need for further research into how trauma affects treatment outcomes. (PMC)
At Counselling Experts, trauma-related eating and body distress is approached carefully. You are not rushed. You are not pushed to disclose more than you are ready to share. We work at a rate and speed that is best for your nervous system, your mental and emotional health. Meeting each person where they are on the day.
When Eating Distress Overlaps With Addictions
Eating distress can overlap with alcohol, vaping, smoking, drugs, gambling, porn, sex or other compulsive patterns and addictions
These behaviours may all involve reward pathways, stress relief, escape, shame and loss of control.
Clinical Hypnotherapy, RTT, Clinical Medical Hypnotherapy, Counselling and Psychotherapy can help you identify triggers, understand cravings, reduce automatic responses and build safer coping patterns.
Who This service Is For
This page may be relevant if you are:
An adult struggling privately with food or body image
A teenager feeling anxious around eating, weight or appearance
A parent worried about a child’s eating patterns
A person with binge eating, emotional eating or sugar cravings
A person with restriction, fear foods or food guilt
A person affected by purging, laxatives or compulsive exercise
A person whose eating patterns changed after trauma, grief or stress
A person with ADHD, OCD or autism spectrum differences and food distress
A person experiencing gut symptoms, hormonal changes or metabolic health concerns
A person who wants ONLINE eating disorder help in Ireland
A person looking for counselling, psychotherapy, Registered Nutritionist Services or Clinical Medical Hypnotherapy
What Makes Counselling Experts Different
A full and complete clinical perspective
Food, body image, mental health, trauma, digestion, hormones and habits are considered together.
Strong professional experience
Claire Russell brings over 20 years of clinical experience across Registered Nutritionist services, Functional Medicine, Trauma Therapy, OCD Therapy, Disordered Eating and Body Dysmorphia Therapy, Counselling, Psychotherapy, Clinical Medical Hypnotherapy, Clinical Hypnotherapy and RTT®.
ONLINE and in-person access
Appointments are available ONLINE across Ireland and internationally, with in-person appointments in key Irish locations.
Adults, teenagers and children
Claire works with a wide age range, adapting the work to developmental stage, family context and safety needs.
Calm, confidential and practical
The work is professional and warm and caring. You are met with respect, not judgement.
What Progress Can Look Like
Progress may mean:
Eating more regularly
Fewer binge episodes
Less fear around food
Reduced body checking
Less shame after eating
Improved digestion
Better sleep
More emotional steadiness
More confidence in social situations
Greater trust in your body
Less secrecy
Better communication with loved ones
More identity beyond weight, shape or food control
Recovery is not always linear. That does not mean you are failing. It means the work needs patience, adjustment and the right support.
Some Recent Case Examples
Case Example 1: Binge Eating and Stress
A woman in her 30s came for help with binge eating, sugar cravings and shame. She had tried dieting repeatedly and felt she could not trust herself around food.
Work included Registered Nutritionist Services, Counselling and Clinical Medical Hypnotherapy. Sessions focused on regular eating, blood sugar stability, stress triggers, self-criticism and subconscious beliefs around comfort and control.
Over time, binge episodes reduced, eating became less secretive and she felt calmer around food.
Case Example 2: Teen Restriction and Anxiety
A teenager presented with restrictive eating, anxiety, body checking and withdrawal from meals with others.
Work focused on emotional safety, food confidence, family communication and gradual reduction of rigid rules. GP input was encouraged where appropriate.
Over time, eating became less tense, school concentration improved and meal-related conflict reduced.
Case Example 3: Body Image, Trauma and Relationship Strain
A client sought help because body image distress was affecting intimacy, confidence and mood.
Psychotherapy and Clinical Medical Hypnotherapy were used to explore body safety, trauma-related beliefs, shame and fear of being judged.
Over time, avoidance reduced and the client began to feel more present in relationships and daily life.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is disordered eating?
Disordered eating means eating patterns, food rules or body image behaviours that cause distress or interfere with life. It may include restriction, binge eating, food guilt, secret eating, emotional eating, purging, excessive exercise or body checking.
2. Do I need a diagnosis to book an appointment?
No. You do not need a formal diagnosis. If food, weight or body image is affecting your mental health, confidence, relationships or daily life, you can seek help.
3. Can Counselling Experts help with binge eating?
Yes. Binge eating may be linked with restriction, stress, ADHD, trauma, sleep problems, hormones, gut symptoms, blood sugar swings or emotional overwhelm.
4. Can Clinical Medical Hypnotherapy help with binge eating?
It may help some people by working with cravings, emotional triggers, habit loops, anxiety and subconscious beliefs. It is used as part of a wider clinical approach, not as a replacement for medical care when risk is present.
5. Can you help with emotional eating?
Yes. Emotional eating often has a purpose. It may help you cope, numb, soothe, distract or manage stress. The work helps you understand the pattern and build steadier alternatives.
6. Can you help with body image distress?
Yes. Body image work may include reducing checking, avoidance, comparison, shame and fear of being seen.
7. What is body dysmorphic disorder?
Body dysmorphic disorder involves intense preoccupation with perceived flaws in appearance. It can cause significant distress and avoidance. Specialist assessment may be appropriate if symptoms are severe.
8. Can you help if I am not underweight?
Yes. Eating disorders and disordered eating can affect people in all body sizes.
9. Can you help with food anxiety?
Yes. Food anxiety may involve fear foods, fear of fullness, fear of eating socially, fear of weight gain or fear of digestive symptoms.
10. Can you help with purging?
Yes, but GP involvement may be important. Purging can affect electrolytes, heart rhythm, throat, teeth and digestion.
11. Can you help with laxative misuse?
Yes, but medical advice is important. Laxative misuse can affect hydration, digestion and electrolytes.
12. Can you help with compulsive exercise?
Yes. Compulsive exercise may be linked with anxiety, body image distress, fear of weight gain, trauma or perfectionism.
13. Can you help teenagers?
Yes. Claire works with teenagers and adapts the work to age, safety, family context and emotional needs.
14. Can you help children?
Yes. Claire works with children where appropriate. Parent or caregiver involvement may be discussed.
15. Are appointments available online?
Yes. ONLINE appointments are available across Ireland and internationally.
16. Where are in-person appointments available?
In-person appointments are available in Adare, Newcastle West, Limerick, Abbeyfeale, Charleville, Kanturk, Midleton, Youghal, Cork, Lismore, Dungarven and Dublin.
17. Can gut symptoms make eating distress worse?
Yes. IBS-type symptoms, reflux, bloating, constipation or pain can increase food fear and body anxiety. The gut-brain axis may be relevant.
18. Can hormones affect eating and body image?
Yes. PMS, PMDD, PCOS, endometriosis, perimenopause, menopause and thyroid issues may affect mood, cravings, appetite, energy, body composition and confidence.
19. Can ADHD affect eating patterns?
Yes. ADHD can affect planning, impulse control, dopamine-seeking, emotional regulation, sleep and food routines.
20. Can OCD affect eating or body image?
Yes. OCD can involve intrusive thoughts, rituals, checking, reassurance-seeking and fear-based patterns around food, weight or appearance.
21. Can autism spectrum differences affect eating?
Yes. Sensory sensitivity, routine, anxiety, interoception and food texture preferences may all influence eating patterns.
22. Is weight loss the goal?
The main goal is a safer and calmer relationship with food, body and health. If metabolic health is relevant, it is addressed carefully and without shame.
23. Can you help with sugar cravings?
Yes. Sugar cravings may relate to restriction, blood sugar patterns, sleep, stress, hormones, emotional regulation or habit loops.
24. What if I feel embarrassed?
Many people feel embarrassed. Sessions are confidential, respectful and focused on understanding, not judgement.
25. Do I need to involve my GP?
Sometimes, yes. If there are signs of medical risk, GP involvement is important.
Contact us if you need help
Eating Disorder Help in Limerick, Cork, Dublin and Online
Counselling Experts offers eating disorder counselling, body image therapy, Registered Nutritionist Services and Clinical Medical Hypnotherapy ONLINE across Ireland and in person in Adare, Newcastle West, Limerick, Abbeyfeale, Charleville, Kanturk, Midleton, Youghal, Cork, Lismore, Dungarven and Dublin.
Our services are relevant for people looking for:
Eating disorder help Ireland
Binge eating counselling Ireland
Body image therapy Ireland
Disordered eating counselling Ireland
Clinical Medical Hypnotherapy for emotional eating Ireland
Registered Nutritionist eating disorder help Ireland
Online eating disorder counselling Ireland
Food anxiety help Ireland
Sugar cravings help Ireland
Body dysmorphic disorder help Ireland
Eating disorder therapist Limerick
Eating disorder counselling Cork
Body image therapy Dublin
Online Registered Nutritionist Ireland
Other services we provide:
Counselling Ireland
Psychotherapy Ireland
Clinical Medical Hypnotherapy Ireland
Registered Nutritionist Services Ireland
Online Therapy Ireland
Trauma Therapy Ireland
Addiction Therapy Ireland
Anxiety Counselling Ireland
ADHD Therapy Ireland
Gut-Brain Axis Nutrition Ireland
Perimenopause and Emotional Eating
Binge Eating Help Ireland
Body Image Therapy Ireland
RTT® Ireland
Eating Disorder Counselling Ireland | Body Image Therapy Online
Eating disorder counselling, body image therapy, Registered Nutritionist services and Clinical Medical Hypnotherapy in Ireland and online.
Eating disorder counselling Ireland
Other additional helpful therapy and help we provide:
Body image therapy Ireland
Disordered eating counselling Ireland
Binge eating counselling Ireland
Online eating disorder therapy Ireland
Clinical Medical Hypnotherapy emotional eating Ireland
Registered Nutritionist eating disorder Ireland
Food anxiety help Ireland
Sugar cravings help Ireland
Body dysmorphic disorder therapy Ireland
Eating disorder help Limerick
Eating disorder counselling Cork
Eating disorder therapy Dublin
Online Registered Nutritionist Ireland
Counselling Experts eating disorder help
Service Description
Counselling Experts provides eating disorder counselling and therapies, body image therapy, Registered Nutritionist Services, incorporating Functional Medicine, Counselling, Psychotherapy, Disordered Eating Therapy, Trauma Therapy, OCD Therapy, ERP, CBT, NLP, Clinical Medical Hypnotherapy, Clinical Hypnotherapy and RTT for adults, teenagers and children in Ireland and online.
Location Details
Business name: Counselling Experts
Practitioner: Claire Russell
Phone: 00 353 87 616 6638
Website: https://www.counsellingexperts.ie
Service area: Ireland and international ONLINE appointments
In-person locations: Adare, Newcastle West, Limerick, Abbeyfeale, Charleville, Kanturk, Midleton, Youghal, Cork, Lismore, Dungarven and Dublin
Author
Claire Russell is a Registered Nutritionist, Counsellor, Psychotherapist, Clinical Medical Hypnotherapist, Clinical Hypnotherapist and Advanced Rapid Transformational Therapist with over 20 years of clinical experience.
Claire works with adults, teenagers and children experiencing eating distress, emotional eating, body image concerns, binge eating, restriction, anxiety, trauma, addictions, ADHD, OCD, neurodivergence-related challenges, gut-brain symptoms, hormonal concerns, chronic stress and relationship difficulties.
Her work combines evidence-aware psychological care, Registered Nutritionist Services and Clinical Medical Hypnotherapy, with appointments available ONLINE across Ireland and internationally, and in person across Limerick, Cork, Dublin and other Irish locations.
Educational Disclaimer
This article/resource is for educational purposes only and does not replace medical, psychiatric, dietetic or emergency care. Eating disorders can be medically serious. If you are fainting, purging frequently, misusing laxatives, experiencing chest pain, rapid weight change, suicidal thoughts, severe restriction or significant medical symptoms, contact your GP, out-of-hours medical service or emergency services.
Book a Consultation Now
Counselling Experts
Eating disorder counselling, body image therapy, Registered Nutritionist Services, Psychotherapy and Clinical Medical Hypnotherapy.
ONLINE appointments across Ireland and internationally Contact Claire to discuss your needs today
In-person appointments in Adare, Newcastle West, Limerick, Abbeyfeale, Charleville, Kanturk, Midleton, Youghal, Cork, Lismore, Dungarven and Dublin.
Book your consultation today and take the first step towards a calmer relationship with food, your body and yourself.
Clinical References and Further Reading
- NICE. Eating disorders: recognition and treatment. NG69.
- NICE. Obsessive-compulsive disorder and body dysmorphic disorder: treatment. CG31.
- Academy for Eating Disorders. Eating Disorders: A Guide to Medical Care. 4th Edition.
- Cochrane. Psychological treatments for people with bulimia nervosa and binging.
- Medical Considerations and Consequences of Eating Disorders.
- Trauma and eating disorder treatment outcomes systematic review.
- Hypnotherapy and eating disorders review.
- CBT-E and eating disorder treatment studies.
- Family-based treatment and adolescent eating disorders research.
- Gut microbiota, gut-brain axis and eating disorder research.
