Who I am
Erin Gallagher
I am a BACP registered psychotherapist and Certified Intuitive Eating Counsellor. I specialise in anti-diet, HAES (Health at Every Size) psychotherapy and maladaptive daydreaming. I support clients working to free themselves from daydreaming addiction, disordered eating, body image, identity and self-esteem issues. All sessions are online or via telephone.
Intuitive Eating
What is Intuitive Eating?
Intuitive Eating is the term used to describe the approach to eating that every single person was born knowing. The term 'intuitive eating' was developed as a necessary reaction to the damaging effects diet culture has inflicted on so many people in modern society. Diet messages, along with health and nutrition fear-mongering have caused so many of us to mistrust our own inner wisdom.
Through Intuitive Eating Psychotherapy you can finally break out of diet culture, tune into your inner wisdom about what and when you need to eat and move, reclaiming your mental, physical, emotional and relational well-being.
Intuitive Eating is about regaining trust in food and movement, your body and most importantly yourself. I'll show you how to trust your body, and not to micromanage it. We doubt ourselves for many reasons, one being a culture which champions the control of food and bodies, and so we turn to dieting and restrictive eating behaviours. What isn't advertised is that 95% of diets fail. We are led to believe that we have failed the diet but the truth is the diet failed us. Dieting and weight cycling have a profound negative effect on our bodies and brains and they impact our emotions enormously.
Intuitive Eating Psychotherapy challenges and disregards the negative and controlling beliefs about how your diet, body and life "should" be. You will have the change to experience mental, emotional and physical freedom once you choose to engage in this effective and authentic way to perceive food, your body and yourself.
I am skilled in working with clients who can't face another diet or restrictive behaviours but who also aren't at peace with food and their bodies. They feel stuck, have reached an impasse and are struggling to know how to go forward. Clients enter sessions feeling at war with what to eat, how they feel and how they look. As an anti-diet intuitive eating psychotherapist I will guide you through the principles of intuitive eating, challenging all of the toxic beliefs about your body and food that will be blocking you from being able to enjoy life peacefully.
What is Intuitive Eating Psychotherapy?
I will guide you through the principles of intuitive eating, helping you to recognise beliefs and thought patterns that are blocking you from feeling free and happy in your body and around food.
As a registered psychotherapist, I am experienced in responding to the underlying issues that have led you to turn to dieting and the pursuit of weight loss in the first place. We explore dieting beliefs but also identity, self-esteem and relationship issues.
I encourage my clients to recognise their own choice and freedom to live fulfilling and happy lives. I remind them of their own autonomy, individuality and strengths which are often muted when trying to embark on restrictive eating plans.
Where dieting is involved there is little room in our lives for much else.
How would I benefit from a session?
The benefits of having Intuitive Eating and Psychotherapy are far-reaching. You may initially come to sessions with the goal of healing your relationship with food and your body image and that will be our primary purpose and wonderful in itself. But you will be surprised at how you see other areas of your life flourish, become clearer and hopeful as a consequence of your new found perspective and freedom.
What I don't provide are eating plans, exercise schedules and rules.
You are the expert of your own body and mind.
Maladaptive Daydreaming
Are you addicted to daydreaming?
Maladaptive Daydreaming is a psychological addiction which begins as a coping mechanism. It often - but not always - starts in childhood, and affects people globally, in all cultures, of all ages.
I specialise in working with clients whose daydreaming interferes with their lives and causes them feelings of shame, isolation and disconnection to themselves and the world around them.
I also offer a self-led course 'Awakening' for those suffering with an addiction to daydreaming. The course guides you through everything you need to break free from it.
Similar to the thoughtful and explorative enquiry you experience in therapy sessions, this course will ask provoking questions that delve into your personal experience of Maladaptive Daydreaming. You will be given exercises and prompts to discover more about yourself and your daydreams and help free yourself from addiction all at your own pace.
In addition to learning about Maladaptive Daydreaming and breaking free from the addiction, you will discover ways to dispel the feelings of guilt, shame that often accompany it.
If you are interested in this self-led course, please contact me and I will be happy to share the introductory chapters with you for free. From there you can make an informed decision as to whether you would like to purchase the full course. The cost of the course is £20.
Sessions, Costs, Location
Session length
How many sessions will I need?
Session length
We will have an initial scheduled 15 minute telephone consultation free of charge.
The consultation will give you the opportunity to find out whether you would like to arrange further sessions, and whether we can work together.
Full sessions are 50 minutes and will ordinarily be on a weekly basis.
Session Costs
How many sessions will I need?
Session length
Individual sessions are £50.
How many sessions will I need?
How many sessions will I need?
How many sessions will I need?
Clients initially commit to between 8 - 12 sessions. This can be negotiated depending on individual requirements.
Clients often decide to continue to work on an ongoing basis after their initial sessions are complete. In line with the philosophy of Intuitive Eating and Psychotherapy there is no obligation, each individual will tune into what is right for them.
Payments
Professional Qualifications
How many sessions will I need?
Payments are made via PayPal or bank transfer 48 hours in advance of each session.
Professional Qualifications
Professional Qualifications
Professional Qualifications
MA in Psychotherapy and Counselling, Middlesex University
Registered member with British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy
Certified Intuitive Eating Counsellor
Location
Professional Qualifications
Professional Qualifications
All sessions are conducted remotely via Google Meet or telephone.
Testimonials
“My experience with Erin has been life-changing. And I don’t say that lightly. After around 40 years of being steeped in diet culture and constantly being unhappy with my body and trying to shrink myself, then beating myself up when diets didn’t work, I feel a freedom that I didn’t think was possible. Because I’m no longer constantly thinking or worrying about my food intake, I feel like a huge weight is lifted (the irony is not lost) and I can’t believe the amount of headspace I now have available to focus on other much more important things. I still have work to do, of course, but the way I view my own body has improved dramatically and this is all thanks to Erin’s support.
I wasn’t sure at first about doing online sessions. But Erin’s approach is both highly flexible but also structured in a way that really works. Erin works in a truly collaborative way. You can ask her anything and she will approach any idea with openness and from a place of care and understanding. I miss our sessions now and would definitely return to working with Erin if I felt I needed it. Thanks a million, Erin!”
G.H.
"Erin has helped me overcome years of dieting, my negative relationship with both food and myself. Erin is so lovely, supportive and brings her bubbly personality to each session. The work we’ve done together means I am now free of diet culture, food guilt and am now an intuitive eater! Erin helps you become an intuitive eater, but also supports all aspects of your life allowing you to live intuitively. I would recommend Erin to anyone in a heartbeat."
A.G.
"I feel very grateful to have met Erin. When I reached out to her I was struggling with obsessive calorie counting, food restriction and over-exercising.
I don't think it would be an overstatement to say that she changed my life. It has been a couple of weeks since our last session and I am pleased to say that I am exercising daily for the joy of movement and I rarely think about calories anymore. My boyfriend is eternally grateful for her help because he can now buy snacks (including biscuits!) with the confidence that I'm not going
to eat them all before he can touch them.
Family gatherings used to be an anxious time because I used to be meticulously counting my calories and would need to make excused for not eating. It was mental torture to see everyone else around me enjoy the foods I love whilst I only allowed myself to eat a certain amount out of fear of gaining weight. I am really excited for Christmas Day with my family this year.
The work is ongoing, but I would not be where I am without Erin's help."
C.I.
"Erin is an exceptional therapist. Through a personalised approach, she has helped me to recognise the negative impact of diet culture, allowing me to better connect with my needs and feelings around food. Although I contacted Erin to address my problem with disordered eating, the sessions helped to change the way I think on the whole, providing improvements in all areas of my life."
P.S.
Contact Me
Please contact me to arrange a free 15 minute telephone consultation.
Professional Registration
Erin Gallagher Psychotherapy
Sheffield, England, United Kingdom
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