TESTIMONIALS

At OCED we have recently begun to ask our patients and carers for more formal feedback on the care that they or their loved one have received within our service. We feel that it is important for our patients and carers to hear that there is much hope for recovery from an eating disorder, directly from those who have already been through the process of getting better.

As testimonials are collected they will be added here, so please do check back to this page over the coming months.

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 “I wanted to share our experience of The Oxford Centre for Eating Disorders and say how incredibly grateful I am for the care and support they gave my daughter and I while she was receiving treatment. 

She had previously been treated for her eating disorder through CAMHS until she was 18 years old.  She finished her treatment and all appeared well until lockdown in April 2020, when it became apparent that due to many reasons she had relapsed, and we needed to seek professional help again. The Oxford Eating Disorder Clinic were amazing, and we could not have got through the last 7 months without the support of Julia. 

As a parent it becomes so much harder to support your child (because they will always still be “your child” however old they are!), once they turn 18 and are considered an adult who has to decide for themselves whether they want to engage with therapy or not. Initially my daughter was extremely reluctant to acknowledge she had relapsed and that she needed professional help, but Julia ensured that she remained in control of her treatment, guiding and supporting her back into the CBT-E programme with sensitivity and professionalism. My inclusion was always negotiated between my daughter and Julia, but I always felt that my concerns were being heard. The care and support from the Oxford Clinic has enabled my daughter to begin to move forward again, and has given her the strategies to continue to lead a healthy independent life”.

~ Anonymous (mother of a patient)

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“Having lived with anorexia and bulimia for 6 years, I genuinely didn't think that recovery was a possibility. Over and over again, I would convince myself that I could overcome it alone and that tomorrow would be a new day. Yet, like the majority of people battling an eating disorder, I would wake up to find myself more helpless and further into a downward spiral than the day before. When my sister eventually convinced me to seek help, I agreed to begin a course of CBT with Dr. Kristin Bohn. I didn't know what to expect from the treatment and was sceptical as to whether it would be able to help me after all these years. In fact, the decision to show up to my first appointment turned out to be one of the best I have ever made. CBT gave me the tools and support I needed to challenge the thought processes underpinning my eating disorder and, day by day, I began to overcome them.

It has by no means been an easy journey, but the weekly one-to-one support from Dr. Bohn meant that the hardest parts of recovery became more manageable. Now, thanks to this treatment, I can proudly say that I am recovered. It is hard to put into words how liberating it is to live a life no longer overshadowed by an eating disorder. I can go out and enjoy normal things without being overwhelmed by fear and guilt and, more than that, I have regained my sense of self. I am incredibly proud of myself for getting to this point, but I don't think I would be where I am without my CBT treatment. I could not recommend this treatment more highly to anyone.”

~ Anonymous

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"A year ago all my decisions and choices were dictated by thoughts of food and weight, and I genuinely didn’t believe things could ever be different for me. Through compassion, understanding and care, Julia has helped me turn my life around so that food is no longer at the forefront of my mind and no longer controls where I go, what I do and how I do it. Julia has been an incredibly insightful, present and supportive influence and I couldn’t recommend her enough. Thank you from the bottom of my heart – I still can’t believe how far we’ve come."

~ Anonymous

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“When I came to Julia, I was stuck in my recovery - not wanting to go backward but apathetic in moving away from my eating disorder. Although starting was difficult, Julia was patient and compassionate and helped me in finding many reasons to recover. I did not think it was possible but here I am, so much happier and not constantly worrying about social situations! I can enjoy going out with friends and visiting different places without feeling the rise of panic that was part of my life for many years. The CBT-E approach was a much better fit for me than previous treatments, and being a leader in my own recovery really helped. I wouldn’t be where I am now without Julia’s support - thank you so much!”

~ Zoe

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“Prior to starting treatment with Julia, I was reluctant to think about recovery, as food and exercise ruled my life. I had virtually no social outlets, no energy, very little happiness and a constant and exhausting battle with a critical voice in my head. The sheer thought of freedom with eating and exercise terrified me and I did not believe that I could change things and be happy with it. My eating problem was my life despite all the negativity and hopeless thoughts it brought. Treatment and recovery seemed like something I would be unable to control and brought lots of anxiety for me. 

However, Julia and her approach to treatment really made me see light and hope in being able to change things. Julia made me feel as though I was in control of my treatment and would always orientate it with what outcomes I wanted. She helped me understand my feelings when challenges arose and encouraged my progress. Initially, I was sceptical of the process as it all felt so against my normal habits. However, with Julia guiding me and giving me confidence to trust my self, I began to trust the process and engage with recovery. I must say that it wasn’t plane sailing; I had periods of time where I would slip back to disordered habits that comforted me. Julia gave me a “strategy tool box”, as so to speak, that I could use whenever I found myself struggling in between sessions. 

Although I progressed hugely with my ED and was starting to feel comfortable eating more and exercising less, I still struggled with overwhelming anxiety and periods of low mood, which held me back from the last push with recovery. I came back to Julia and she spoke with me about the option of EMDR as this was an option she suggested to help with my recovery and previous trauma. EMDR helped me to overcome some regular triggers and connect with my feelings and trauma to validate them. Suddenly things that felt heavy began to melt away and life felt some what “normal”!  

After an unforgettable journey with Julia through CBT-E and EMDR, I can finally say I feel comfortable in myself and my body. I feel I have learnt priceless, life long skills that I still use when necessary and has meant I can have MY life back and manage my mood and eating disorder. 

I really never thought I could get to where I am now and feel at peace with myself. Thank you Julia from the bottom of my heart for all you have done and continue to do for others.”

~ Alice

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"I first began CBT-E treatment with Julia at the beginning of my second year of university. At that point in time, I was in the throes of an eating disorder that saw me severely malnourished and struggling every day with anxiety and dark, intrusive thoughts. My life felt colourless and often meaningless, revolving solely around restricting each and every meal. It is not an overstatement to say that CBT-E with Julia truly changed my life. At first I was terrified of making dramatic changes, but the treatment process provided me with a very clear and manageable structure towards recovery, equipping me not with short term fixes but with tools and coping mechanisms that I will continue to hone and cultivate in the long run. Prior to treatment, I could not even imagine life without an eating disorder, let alone recovery from one. It was only thanks to Julia and the CBT-E method that I was able to unlearn those old thought patterns, and expand my life beyond obsessive thoughts of food. I will always be grateful to Julia for her time and her help."

~ Megan

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“I contacted The Oxford Centre of Eating Disorders once I was finally ready to face the patterns of self-destructive behaviours that were taking over my life. This was a difficult step to take but one that I now see as being transformative. I started CBT-E with Kristin a few months later and at a time when my eating behaviours were probably at their worst. I was underweight and eating very little. The space with Kristin helped me turn towards my eating disorder and accept that this was something that had been around for most of my adult life. I had never seen myself as having anorexia until it was hitting me in the face. I never thought I would ever be able to eat without feeling guilty or ashamed. I never thought I’d be able to exercise without it becoming self-destructive. I didn’t feel ill enough or worthy of help. My course of CBT-E was extensive and thorough; Kristin and later Julia held me during the worst times – I knew I wanted to get better and they helped me to understand that this was something I deserved. Believing it was a different matter! Even once I was weight restored, I had many months of feeling “this is as good as it will get”, I felt like eating was a process part of recovery, rather than something I could ever really enjoy. It was tough. With Julia’s help I found myself tolerating and pushing through these feelings – finding strength to make changes in my life that would help to quieten the eating disorder voice until it finally disappeared. 18 months later and I am now enjoying life in a way I could never have imagined; this would never have been possible without the high quality of professional care I was offered by OCED. Thanks to Kristin and Julia, I am now eating disorder free; my time is spent living life rather than trying to fight all that feels painful. I never believed recovery would be possible but experience has shown me that it absolutely is.”

~ Anonymous female, age 41

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“I can't recommend Joel and the team enough. They are extremely knowledgeable and experienced, I felt I could trust them without doubt. Saying they have totally changed my life for the better is an understatement. Thank you Joel, for being so warm and welcoming when I felt most broken”.

~ Anonymous

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“Dr Julia Bouska was brilliant helping our daughter understand and reassess her relationship with eating. She was insightful, compassionate and consistently supportive of both our daughter and of us as parents. She was able to work confidentially with our daughter, at the same time reassuring us of the healing process. Our daughter gained in self-knowledge, confidence and awareness while she was working with Dr Bouksa. Their work together enabled our daughter to be able to recognise internal and external triggers and how to change her relationship with eating. We as parents gained in awareness, self-knowledge and in an understanding of how best we could support our daughter. We are extremely thankful to Dr Bouska”.

~ Alicia Drake