Vulnerable Groups
& LGBTQIA+

Specialized psychological support is also provided to vulnerable groups, with the aim of strengthening resilience, providing relief, and improving quality of life during periods when daily living may become particularly demanding.

1.1 People living with chronic pain
1.2 Older adults
1.3 LGBTQIA+ individuals
1.4 People who have experienced violence / domestic violence / abuse
1.5 Support for Expats, Economic Migrants, and People with Cultural Specificities
1.6 Single‑parent families/ Solo- parent families
1.7 People living with eating disorders

What is it?

Chronic pain is a complex and multifaceted experience that doesn’t have a single explanation or cause. It can affect each person differently and is shaped by interactions between the body and the brain in ways we do not always fully understand. Pain can be unpredictable and can influence quality of life, relationships, work, and social functioning.

According to the NHS, chronic pain is defined as pain that continues for more than 12 weeks, even after medication or treatment. Others describe it as pain that lasts far beyond the expected recovery period. It may be due to nerve damage, an overactive nervous system, or conditions such as fibromyalgia, endometriosis, rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, or spinal injuries. It also appears in chronic, poorly understood conditions such as chronic fatigue syndrome (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis), and as a side effect of medical procedures or illnesses (e.g., neuropathy from diabetes). People describe chronic pain in many ways: burning, tightness, sudden “shocks,” stiffness, tingling, or a deep, exhausting ache that drains the whole body.

Some common examples of chronic pain include:

• Lower back pain: one of the leading causes of limited activity in adults
• Cancer pain: affects most people with advanced cancer
• Arthritis pain: affects more than 50 million adults annually in the U.S.
• Headaches: migraines, cluster headaches, tension headaches affecting millions of people
• Other pain disorders: nerve-related pain such as neuropathies, neuralgias that affect nerves throughout the body, pain due to central nervous system damage (brain and the spinal cord), or even pain without clear physical cause (psychogenic pain)

Even when there is no clear medical explanation, chronic pain is real and has both physical and psychological consequences. It can lead to generalized anxiety, depression, fatigue or feelings of excessive tiredness, insomnia or sleep difficulties, and irritability or mood swings. Unlike acute pain, which usually resolves, chronic pain can persist and affect every aspect of life; physical, emotional, social, and economic.

Life can become stressful, frightening, and lonely. Lack of understanding from others or the invalidation of pain (“it’s psychosomatic”) can intensify suffering. For these reasons, psychological support, both from loved ones and professionals, is essential.

How psychotherapy can help

Counselling and psychotherapy can provide important support. They offer a safe space where people can speak openly, without fear of judgment, feel seen and believed, and develop coping strategies that enhance autonomy and quality of life. Being seen, believed, and supported is crucial for finding acceptance and developing coping methods. Self-care and active participation in decisions around life and therapeutic management are fundamental elements for individuals to feel balance and strength.

Psychotherapy can help individuals living with chronic pain by offering evidence-based approaches that improve quality of life, emotional wellbeing, and daily functioning. Through therapies such as cognitive-behavioural therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, and mindfulness-based practices, psychotherapy can support people in understanding the relationship between thoughts, emotions, and pain, building coping skills, and reconnecting with a sense of purpose. Treatment often focuses on acceptance, loss, stress management, sleep, assertiveness, and adaptive thinking rather than eliminating pain altogether. Psychotherapy may also provide vocational guidance, address co-occurring anxiety or depression, and work with those living with chronic pain to ease pain-related strain. Because chronic pain is complex, care is often delivered within interdisciplinary teams, which research shows can be as effective as medical interventions for reducing pain intensity and even more effective for improving mood, reducing medication use, enhancing daily functioning, and supporting return to work.

Depending on each person’s needs and goals, psychotherapy can help with accepting thoughts and emotions, cultivating compassion toward the internal critic, and changing dysfunctional thought patterns and replacing them with more practical coping methods. In therapy, various approaches and techniques are used to help people with chronic pain improve their quality of life, rediscover a sense of purpose, and strengthen their functional abilities. Holistic therapy combines different approaches, such as mindfulness and proper pacing that help people stay in the present and manage pain more effectively. The primary goal of therapy is improving functionality and quality of life, not necessarily eliminating pain. In therapy, someone can process issues such as acceptance and loss, receive support through education, and develop skills in areas like relaxation, mindfulness, problem-solving, goal-setting, sleep, assertiveness, and adaptive thinking.

What is it?

The mental health of older people is often overlooked, despite being a critical public health issue. Thanks to advances in medicine and health sciences we now live longer than our parents and grandparents, but expectations for life in older years remain low. Ageing is frequently associated with loss, sadness, or depression, even though older adults continue to contribute meaningfully to society. Despite the common perception that the elderly constitute a “burden,” they actually continue to contribute through work, childcare, volunteering, and community participation, although over time they may face increasing physical disabilities and mental health difficulties.

As we age, however, we face events and changes that test our resilience and may create confusion or emotional strain. Loneliness, social isolation, and abuse, affecting roughly one in six older adults, are major risk factors. Consequences include serious mental burden, reduced functionality, and increased suicide risk (WHO, 2025). The mental health of older adults constitutes a critical public health issue, as the global population ages rapidly. It’s estimated that by 2030, one in six people will be over 60 years old. At the same time, approximately 14% of people over 70 live with some mental disorder, primarily depression or anxiety. Often, however, depression and anxiety go unnoticed and remain undiagnosed and untreated.

Highlighting the positive aspects of aging is necessary not only to combat ageism, mental illness stigma, and disability discrimination, but also to offer hope to patients and their caregivers (e.g., Reynolds et al., 2022).

How psychotherapy can help

Counselling and psychotherapy can make a meaningful difference by supporting healthy ageing and enhancing wellbeing. Psychotherapy helps older adults understand and make sense of life changes, process difficult events, and strengthen resilience. Access to tailored mental health services, for older adults, caregivers, and people with dementia or cognitive challenges, is essential.

Psychotherapy can help older adults by offering evidence‑based support for the emotional, cognitive, and practical challenges that often arise later in life. Research shows that psychotherapies such as cognitive‑behavioural approaches, psychodynamic work, behavioural strategies, memory training, and life‑review techniques are effective for concerns like depression, sleep difficulties, cognitive changes, and the emotional impact of aging. Therapy for older adults often includes space to process grief, navigate caregiving stress, adjust to medical conditions, and maintain a sense of identity and purpose.

Counselling and psychotherapy can make a meaningful difference by supporting healthy ageing and enhancing wellbeing. Therapy helps older adults understand and make sense of life changes, process difficult events, and strengthen resilience. Access to tailored mental health services, for older adults, caregivers, and people with dementia or cognitive challenges, is essential.

While the core principles of psychotherapy remain the same, therapists adapt their approach to account for the client’s life context, generational experiences, health‑related challenges, and the environments in which many older adults receive care. With these thoughtful adjustments, psychotherapy can meaningfully enhance wellbeing, resilience, and quality of life for older adults, helping them feel understood, supported, and empowered as they navigate later‑life transitions.

What is it?

Mental health concerns everyone and is everyone’s responsibility. However, issues such as depression and self-destructive behaviours appear with increased frequency in LGBTQIA+ community members, primarily as a consequence of experiences of discrimination, bullying, social isolation, and rejection.

Many LGBTQIA+ community members often face challenges such as social stigma, family rejection, violence, and harassment, which affect their mental health and lead to higher rates of anxiety, depression, and social isolation. Factors such as age, religion, place of residence, and ethnicity can further complicate experiences.

According to the Trevor Project report (2023)  on LGBTQIA+ youth mental health, the findings are particularly concerning. 41% reported seriously considering suicide in the past year, with even higher rates among trans, non-binary, and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Colour) individuals. At the same time, 65% showed symptoms of anxiety and over half showed depression. Importantly, these risks don’t stem from identity or sexual orientation itself, but from stigma, mistreatment, and political hostility, with 90% of youth reporting that their wellbeing has been negatively affected. These data highlight the urgent need for supportive services, safe environments, and policies that promote acceptance to protect the mental health and lives of LGBTQIA+ youth.

No one needs to suffer alone. When difficulties arise, seeking help early is essential, regardless of the problem’s magnitude. Signs indicating that someone may benefit from support include intense fatigue, sleep problems, anxiety or prolonged sadness, isolation, loss of interest, substance use to regulate emotions, as well as self-harm or suicidal thoughts.

How psychotherapy can help

Psychotherapy can offer LGBTQ+ individuals a safe, affirming space to explore their identities, relationships, and life experiences without fear of judgment or discrimination. Understanding the concerns of LGBTQIA+ individuals and developing therapeutic environments that are affirming and inclusive constitute critical steps for strengthening mental health. Best practices and models show that safety, acceptance, and access to specialized care can make a substantial difference in this community’s wellbeing (e.g, APA, 2011).

Psychological support can also be important for individuals experiencing discrimination at work, school, or in the family, as well as for those who have experienced traumatic experiences due to their identity. The therapeutic relationship can function as a stable and safe space where someone can speak openly, without fear or judgment, process difficult experiences and emotions, and begin building a life that reflects their values and needs.

Psychotherapy can substantially help with difficulties such as accepting sexual orientation and the process of gender identity acceptance, addressing reactions from others (such as social or family environment), gender dysphoria, the transition process, addressing internalized homophobia, low self-esteem, depression, suicidal thoughts, as well as the experience of violence and rejection and relationship difficulties. The approach is holistic and adapted to each person’s unique needs, with the goal of empowerment, mental wellbeing, and creating a life with meaning and satisfaction. Psychological support can make the difference, offering a safe space of understanding, acceptance, and meaningful empowerment.

What is it?

Relationships are meant to enrich our lives, and offer is safety, support, and joy. Sometimes, however, they may develop a hidden or unspoken dark side, that remains unseen or isn’t easily addressed. Abuse can take many forms, physical, sexual, emotional, economic, or domestic, and always results in physical and/or psychological harm. It can happen anytime, to anyone, regardless of gender, age, social environment, or relationship with the perpetrator, in any setting, from family members, partners, acquaintances, or even strangers, both in daily life and online.

Emotional abuse involves a repeating pattern of behaviours that makes someone feel bad about themselves and can include isolation, humiliation, intimidation, threats, constant criticism, or belittling. It’s a form of psychological pressure that gradually wears down the victim, makes them question themselves and their worth, and deny their needs. It’s often difficult to recognize and address, which is why it’s important for people experiencing it to know there are safe environments where they can speak without fear and without judgment and receive help.

Sexual abuse involves any sexual act that a person does not want, does not agree or consent to, or cannot understand. It often includes use of force, threats, or exploitation of the victim’s inability to give consent. The perpetrator can be a partner, family member, acquaintance, or stranger.

Physical abuse includes deliberately causing harm or injury such as hitting, kicking, biting, scratching, hair pulling, throwing objects, or even burns. Domestic abuse often combines physical, emotional, and sexual violence within a couple’s relationship or between family members, such as siblings or parents with children. It can happen in any couple, regardless of gender or sexual orientation, and the abuser can be a spouse, ex-partner, or someone with whom there’s a relationship. The consequences are serious for both physical and mental health, while profoundly affecting children who experience or witness it. While immediate effects may not be severe, long-term impacts can include low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, and substance use as coping mechanisms.

Statistics show that relationship violence is much more common than we believe. In the US, one in four women and one in nine men have reported experiencing physical or sexual violence or stalking during their lifetime. The actual rates, however, are unknown, as many fear speaking out or reporting. Many people don’t speak out from fear, shame, or sense of responsibility. Even a single incident of violence can have serious consequences and should never be underestimated.

Violence isn’t only physical. It can take many forms and often evolves gradually, making recognition difficult. Domestic violence can manifest in many ways and may include:

• Physical violence: hitting, kicking, slapping, or other forms of physical assault
• Sexual violence: coercion into sexual acts without consent, in person or online (e.g., sexting)
• Psychological violence: verbal or non-verbal behaviours that diminish self-esteem and exert control (e.g., threats, belittling, manipulation, control, or constant criticism)
• Stalking: repeated, unwanted communication or monitoring that causes fear
• Controlling behaviours: restriction of freedom, isolation from friends and family, deprivation of money, food, or access to healthcare

Recognizing and understanding these forms of violence is the first critical step for prevention, early recognition, protection, and providing support to victims. According to the APA, approximately 20% of survivors develop mental disorders, such as depression, anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress, or substance dependence. Chronic abuse can lead to self-blame, self-destructive thoughts, and difficulty in future relationships. Children who experience or witness violence are profoundly affected and show increased risk of mental difficulties, lower academic performance, and greater likelihood of reproducing the cycle of violence in adult life. Social support from family, friends, and community is crucial for recovery, but abusers often isolate victims to maintain control.

It’s vitally important to recognize the signs of violence. It’s important to remember that if you feel unsafe in your relationship, it’s not your fault. Seeking help is the first and most essential step. Communication with a trusted person outside the home, or with a domestic violence prevention center or shelter can be crucial. If you’re in immediate danger, contacting the appropriate authorities is necessary. Keep in mind that abusive partners often monitor phone calls and online activity, so it’s important to know where necessary documents and items are located in case you need to leave quickly.

How psychotherapy can help

Psychotherapy and counselling offer a safe space where people can speak without fear or judgment, process their experiences and emotions, and restore self-esteem and sense of safety. The journey toward “recovery” can be difficult and is often accompanied by feelings of loss, grief, and loneliness, while requiring time, patience, and self-care. Through the therapeutic process, mental resilience can be strengthened, the sense of safety restored, and gradual reconnection with self and others supported.

Psychotherapy can offer women experiencing intimate partner violence a safe, confidential space to make sense of their experiences, rebuild emotional safety, and regain a sense of control. Therapy can help them understand the dynamics of abuse, strengthen self‑worth, and counter the fear, shame, or self‑blame that often accompany intimate partner violence (IPV). Psychotherapy can support women in developing safety plans, processing trauma, and navigating complex emotions such as grief, confusion, or ambivalence about the relationship. Therapy also helps address depression, anxiety, and post‑traumatic stress, while building coping skills, problem‑solving abilities, and social support. For many, it becomes a place to explore options, clarify needs, and make empowered decisions at their own pace. When grounded in culturally competent, trauma‑informed practice, psychotherapy can be a stabilizing force that helps women move toward safety, healing, and a renewed sense of possibility

Psychological support constitutes a crucial step for restoring wellbeing and building a safe and healthy life after abuse. Depending on each person’s particular needs, individualized support is provided with respect for the experience and its impacts, with the goal of beginning a journey of recovery and empowerment, centred on safety, mental wellbeing, and the possibility of a life with greater stability and meaning. Through specialized psychological support, people often manage to create new support networks, reconnect with friends and family, participate in creative or relaxing activities, and strengthen self-confidence and resilience. With appropriate support, many survivors find safety and manage to create healthy relationships with security and respect.

What is it?

Living between cultures can be enriching, but it can also bring emotional strain, identity conflicts, and a sense of disconnection. In contemporary multi-racial and multicultural society, people often need help adjusting both to their own culture and to that of the country or environment where they live. Personal, family, or professional relationships between different cultural frameworks can create pressure, confusion, and difficulty maintaining identity and values. Often these experiences are accompanied by feelings of anger, anxiety, isolation, low self-esteem, or a sense that “we’re different” and can’t “fit in.”

Moving/migrating to a new country can be an exciting but simultaneously demanding experience, even when accompanied by professional opportunities. Research shows that adjusting to a new country/abroad can be challenging and is often accompanied by social isolation, changes in identity, cultural adjustments, professional stress, loneliness, and homesickness; elements that can significantly affect health, mental health, and work performance (Hack-Polay, 2020). Homesickness has been associated with serious impacts on mental health, performance, and commitment of employees living abroad (e.g., Hack-Polay, 2020). Research indicated that it can also be associated with a range of symptoms, such as irritability, sadness, lack of cooperation, and difficulty taking initiative, which are connected to adjustment stress. Conversely, the ability to communicate in multiple languages appears to function protectively, facilitating relationship building, as those who spoke more languages seemed to have an advantage in creating relationships with people of different nationalities more.

Economic migrants and diaspora communities may also carry the weight of responsibility toward family back home, financial pressure, or the emotional burden of separation. Cultural expectations, intergenerational differences, and the need to navigate multiple identities can create internal conflict or confusion.

How psychotherapy can help

Counselling for people living abroad (expat counselling) constitutes a specialized form of psychological support that offers a safe space to discuss the psychological, social, and emotional challenges of life in a foreign country. With knowledge of intercultural experiences and sensitivity to diversity, the therapeutic process can substantially support adjustment, mental resilience, and personal development, helping people thrive in their new environment, although they may be far from family and friends.

Counselling can substantially help by offering support in cultural adjustment, understanding feelings of displacement or cultural conflict and managing culture shock, strengthening mental resilience, identity and belonging against loneliness, anxiety, or depression, while simultaneously providing help with family issues and relationships with emphasis on communication and raising children in a multicultural environment. At the same time, it can offer support to professionals facing new work conditions and career challenges and provide a safe space for exploring their identity and values within a multicultural framework.

Support is tailored to each person’s cultural background, values, and lived experience, helping them build stability, resilience, and a sense of home, wherever they may be.

What is it?

Single-parent families (single-parent households) are now a common reality, perhaps even more common than the traditional “nuclear” model consisting of two married parents: a mother, a father, and their biological children living in one household. They can start that way or result from divorce, death, or other significant life changes. The single-parent role can be particularly demanding, as all daily life responsibilities, from household chores to childcare and work, all concentrate on one person. Life as a single parent, especially as a mother, is often accompanied by difficulties such as intense stress, depression, exhaustion, burnout, feeling that “you can’t keep up,” financial pressures, lack of social support, loneliness and isolation and limited time for self-care. The responsibility of raising and caring for the child/children, along with daily obligations, can lead to intense stress and emotional burden.

Financial difficulties are also common, as in many cases one parent must cover all expenses. At the same time, disagreements with the other parent around upbringing or custody can be a source of tension and may require creating clear boundaries and cooperation plans that help protect mental health and the children’s welfare.

Lack of personal time and loneliness are two more major challenges. Support from friends, family, or single-parent groups can offer relief and a sense of community. Assigning small responsibilities to children and accepting help from others are also ways to lighten the burden. Research shows that having satisfactory and supportive social relationships is directly connected to better mental health and wellbeing, while their absence increases the risk of anxiety and depression. The existence of positive, supportive, and complementary relationships is necessary for maintaining mental health and happiness. Therefore, social support must be strengthened through counselling and psychoeducational groups, so single-parent mothers feel they’re not alone and can build a more balanced and happy life (e.g., Muarifah et al., 2019).

How psychotherapy can help

Single‑parent families often navigate a unique set of stressors, including custody and visitation tensions, ongoing conflict between parents, limited time together, shifts in children’s school or peer relationships, changes in extended family dynamics, and the complexities of new relationships. While open communication and support from friends, family, or community can help, these pressures can still feel overwhelming. Therapy offers a steady, supportive and non‑judgmental space for parents to process their experiences, strengthen coping skills, and work through challenges together, making it easier to rebuild stability, connection, and confidence as a family.

It can help shift unhelpful thoughts and perceptions, strengthen resilience, and clarify priorities so challenges feel more manageable. Through practical problem‑solving, stress‑reduction strategies, emotional validation, and guidance in building support networks, therapy empowers single parents to navigate their responsibilities with greater confidence, balance, and wellbeing.

Furthermore, it can help navigate co‑parenting challenges, improve family communication, and create supportive routines and boundaries that make daily life feel more manageable. Counselling and psychotherapy also provide room to process grief, separation, or major life changes, while expressing emotions safely, and building resilience. Counselling also supports families in understanding children’s emotional and behavioural reactions to stress, improving communication, and rebuilding routines that feel safe and predictable. By helping parents reconnect with their own strengths and access supportive resources, therapy can foster healthier, more resilient family dynamics where both parent and child feel understood, supported, and empowered to move

What is it?

Eating disorders constitute an often misunderstood but serious category of mental health conditions that affect both body and mind. They involve difficult thoughts and feelings about food, weight, and body shape, which can lead to harmful eating behaviours. These behaviours can negatively affect physical and mental health, emotions, and make daily life harder.

Eating disorders don’t simply concern one’s relationship with food or weight control. In reality, such difficulties are rarely about food – they often constitute “hidden” symptoms of deeper struggles, such as trauma, low self-esteem, need for control, or difficulty managing intense emotions. For many people, they become a way to cope with difficult emotions, internal pain, or to feel control in their lives. They’re usually associated with problems in thinking around food, weight, and body image, as well as unhealthy eating behaviours. If left untreated, they can become chronic, threaten life and quality of life, or even lead to death. In most cases, recovery without help is difficult, while treatment and professional support are deemed essential, especially in the first three years since their appearance.

However, eating disorders are not a deliberate choice. Instead, they should be viewed as complex mental health conditions caused by a mix of biological, psychological, and social factors. People develop them as coping mechanisms, often in response to stress, trauma, or difficult life experiences, and no two people’s journeys look the same. Early support can make recovery easier, but it’s never too late to get help. If you’re struggling, you deserve care, understanding, and professional support.

Eating disorders can affect men and women of all ages and aren’t related to vanity or need for attention, as has mistakenly prevailed. Behavioural symptoms and signs may vary but often include intense preoccupation with weight or body, eating very little or skipping meals, binge eating or food restriction, inducing vomiting or using laxatives, excessive exercise, or avoiding social situations involving food. These signs may be accompanied by physical signs, such as changes in weight and mood, dizziness, intense fatigue, fainting, feeling cold, sleep problems, stomach pains, dry skin and hair, unusual sweating, brittle nails, while in women they can lead to cessation of menstruation or irregular periods.

Main forms of eating disorders include:

• Anorexia nervosa: attempting to keep weight very low with minimal food or excessive exercise. Characteristics may include very low weight, intense fear of weight gain, and unrealistic body image. Often includes extreme calorie restriction, excessive exercise, or use of laxatives, which often seriously interfere with health and daily life.
• Bulimia nervosa: characterized by binge eating episodes followed by “purging” (vomiting, excessive exercise, laxatives) to prevent weight gain. Often associated with guilt, shame, and preoccupation with weight.
• Binge-eating disorder: Repeated episodes of excessive consumption of large quantities of food without purging. Accompanied by discomfort, guilt, and shame, creating a vicious cycle.
• Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID): someone eats very little or avoids certain foods, not because of worries about weight or body shape, but because eating feels difficult or frightening. A person may have no interest in food, avoid foods with certain textures or smells, or fear choking, vomiting, or stomach pain. This can lead to poor nutrition, problems with growth, and difficulties in daily life. More common in children, can lead to serious developmental and health problems.
• Pica: Represents systematic and persistent/compulsive attempts to consume non-edible, consequently non-nutritional, objects.
• Rumination disorder: Involves repeated regurgitation of food where undigested food returns to the mouth after swallowing, where it’s re-chewed, re-swallowed, or expelled.

It’s important to know that eating disorders don’t only appear in people with low weight; many people living with them have normal or increased weight. They don’t exclusively affect young women but affect men and women of all ages and communities. They’re not a matter of vanity or attempt to seek attention but serious mental illnesses that aren’t a choice or phase. Although their exact causes aren’t known, research shows many factors can lead to an eating disorder. Often these disorders may arise from a complex combination of biological, psychological, and social factors. For example, heredity plays a role, as certain disorders often run in families. Brain biology also influences, with chemicals like dopamine and serotonin connected to behaviours around food. At the same time, social and cultural standards, pressure to meet unrealistic ideals, and media influence can affect self-esteem. Finally, mental health difficulties often lead to unhealthy habits around food, as someone tries to cope with painful emotions or feel control in their life.

Eating disorders, when untreated, can cause serious physical health problems. Calorie restriction, vomiting, or excessive exercise burden the body and can lead to cardiac arrhythmias or failure, gastrointestinal problems, low blood pressure, dehydration, osteoporosis, organ and brain damage, cessation of menstruation and infertility, stroke, as well as tooth decay.

How psychotherapy helps

When living with an eating disorder, you may feel that food is an enemy or harming you, that you’ve done something wrong or that it’s shameful when you eat, or that you don’t have the “right” weight and body size. You may believe you’re failing if you don’t follow specific rules around food, fear others’ negative judgment, or feel that the only thing you can control in your life is what and how you eat. Often this leads to isolation and avoidance of social contact. These feelings aren’t a choice; beyond physical health, an eating disorder can profoundly affect decision-making, emotions, and your relationship with others.

Psychotherapy for eating disorders adapts to each person’s needs and can offer a safe space to explore your emotions, understand the causes of the difficulties you face, and find new coping methods that can replace food. It helps people explore the thoughts and feelings that drive harmful patterns, build healthier coping strategies, and reconnect with a sense of safety and trust in their bodies. For many people, eating habits are the only way they feel they have control, but therapy can help you find out how to take back that control. Eating disorders are coping mechanisms that may offer temporary relief, but in reality, burden the body and psyche. Counselling and psychotherapy increase recovery chances while strengthening self-esteem and relationship with the body.

Therapy can offer a steady, compassionate space for anyone struggling with an eating disorder to explore and understand their relationship with food, body image, and emotions. Through supportive, evidence‑based approaches, therapy can strengthen self‑worth, reduce shame, and address the anxiety, depression, or trauma that often accompany eating disorders. While recovery takes time, psychotherapy provides guidance, structure, and encouragement, helping individuals move toward more balanced eating habits, improved emotional wellbeing, and a more peaceful relationship with themselves.

Knowledge about what truly helps with eating disorders is crucial, both for professionals and for people themselves seeking support. A recent rapid review showed that cognitive-behavioural approaches have strong research evidence of effectiveness for disorders like anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating. Although for certain forms of eating difficulties the evidence is still more limited, increasingly more findings support the usefulness of therapy and self-help programs. The important message is that options exist and that help can be adapted to each person’s needs, capabilities, and pace (Russell et al., 2023).