Testimonials

My daughter has been attending FREED-Beeches for help with anorexia for nearly two months now, and in that time she has been transformed by the service and care she has received. FREED-Beeches is a friendly, welcoming, and highly professional caring organisation that provides very personal service that has generated a real sense of confidence that her problems are being dealt with by people who understand them and have practical solutions.
We still have some way to go but I am confident that with time the FREED-Beeches service will free my daughter from the misery of her illness. I cannot recommend the service, or the people who provide it, highly enough.
Thank you.

Male: Parent


Thank you for existing and for letting me be a recipient of what this unique place has to offer. You’ve helped me to find choices I would not otherwise have given myself, and played a major part in making me a healthier and happier person.

Female aged: 38 EDNOS


FREED-Beeches have helped me with my problems, if I had not referred myself here I have no idea what would have happened. All the staff have been so helpful with all my problems, always putting my best interests first in all circumstances.

The counselling sessions with Pauline have gave both myself and my family a greater understanding of the illness and allowed me to cope with new challenges, improving my confidence and aiding my recovery. The dietetic sessions allow me to keep control over my weight and Ellie has given me advice that I actual felt I could take on board and achieve from. The complementary therapy is brilliant for my anxiety, allowing me time to relax each week.

Overall my experience here has been so much help and is a continuing aid to my recovery from anorexia.

Female aged: 22 Anorexia.


My partner over a period of time started to lose a battle with what I didn’t know then was anorexia. I love her deeply and this was really hard for me to see and watch with the feeling of helplessness. I didn’t know what to do or where to turn, a friend told me about FREED-Beeches, she looked it up on the internet and gave me the contact number. So I nervously rang them and from that moment on I felt a lot more at ease. They knew exactly what to say to me and since then I have had full support from a counsellor. I would like to express my gratitude to FREED-Beeches in helping me try to understand and get through this testing very difficult period in my life. Without FREED-Beeches I don’t know how I would have coped with it all. My partner is well on the road to recovery and I can’t thank FREED-Beeches enough for giving us our life back. I cannot believe this is a free service as I would have given them my last penny for what they have done for us/

Male aged: 43 Carer


I first began to lose weight in November 2010.This soon became an obsession and took over my life. I began to cut food groups out and increase my exercise feeling a sense of achievement as the weight began to drop off. My partner expressed his concerns and this caused many arguments, friends and family also started to express concern but I had convinced myself that I was on a ‘healthy’ diet and that I was doing the right thing. I had a lot of stresses in my life but I felt I could control my diet and fitness, I didn’t realise at the time that it was controlling me.

My partner contacted FREED and I agreed to an initial assessment, I had some recognition that what I as doing was wrong. Caroline was very friendly and reassuring and helped to put me at ease. I began to attend weekly to see a dietician and counsellor. Despite this input I still continued to lose weight, due to the illness I didn’t see what everyone else was seeing, I still believed that I was fat and needed to lose weight. I had no social life, my relationship was deteriorating and I was damaging my health. I attended one afternoon and Ellie advised me to take time off work and off the gym. I was completely shocked and upset; this was then reiterated by Laura my counsellor who also referred me to my GP. I can honestly say this was the worst time of my life, but both Ellie and Laura were fantastic.

The team at FREED have helped me to get through this from Paula on reception who always makes you feel welcome and laugh with her stories and puts you at ease as soon as you get through the door. Ellie my dietician has helped me to realise what a ‘healthy diet’ is and has helped me to be comfortable with food, she is always supportive and has a wealth of knowledge, and she continues to be supportive despite me not listening for many weeks!!!!!!

My counsellor has been fantastic, she has helped me to explore why this is happening, helped me to see that I had anorexia despite me denying it for many weeks and helped me get through this most difficult time in my life. She has been supportive, kind, patient and made me realise that I had an illness and was damaging my health.

Finally my afternoon would end with the magic touch of Complementry Therapy. One of my problems was anxiety and being unable to relax,  and over the weeks has helped to ease my stress and anxiety and improve my sleep with Indian Head Massage and Reflexology, you feel comfortable as soon as you walk in the room and despite body image issues I felt very relaxed with her.

The illness changed my personality from a fun confident person full of energy to someone who didn’t laugh, didn’t smile and had no energy. I was eating minimal calories a day, over exercising, and my social life was non-existent. I didn’t sleep, I was irritable all the time and my skin and hair was dull.

Thanks to FREED I have got my life back. I have taken some time off work and the gym and have realised what is important in my life, my partner, family and friends, I now feel like a different person, I have my energy and social life back and am enjoying food again. It hasn’t been easy but I’m well on the road to recovery, I start a new job soon and I’m starting it with confidence thanks to FREED. I can safely say I would not have gotten through this without them, what a fantastic team and a fantastic service.

Female Aged: 33 Anorexia


My time with FREED-Beeches has been fantastic. Everybody within this service is so helpful and I don’t know what I would have done without this service. Thank you so much.

Female Aged: 18 Anorexia


Without FREED there is no way my daughter would be at home now as we would not have survived as a family without the treatment and support they have given us.

Female Aged: 47 Parent

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