Empower Your Journey to Recovery
Binge Eating Disorder Counselling UK
If binge eating has become exhausting, confusing, or something you hide from everyone around you, you don’t have to face it alone. I offer specialist binge eating disorder counselling online across the UK and in Canterbury, providing a safe, non-judgemental space to understand what’s really driving the cycle and how recovery can begin.
Recognizing the Signs
Does any of this sound familiar?
You eat past the point of fullness and feel a wave of shame before you have even finished. You tell yourself it will be different tomorrow, but tomorrow comes, and the same cycle starts again. You hide what you have eaten. You cancel plans because of how you feel about your body. You have tried every diet going and nothing has stuck, not because you lack willpower, but because willpower was never the issue.
Binge eating disorder is the most common eating disorder in the UK. It affects people of every size, gender, age, and background. It is often hidden, often misunderstood, and almost always accompanied by a level of shame that makes asking for help feel impossible.
If you are reading this page, you are already doing something brave.
Binge eating is not a character flaw. It is a coping strategy.
Something in your life, past or present, has meant that food became a way to manage feelings that felt too big, too painful, or too overwhelming to face any other way. That might be stress, loneliness, anxiety, or trauma. It might be the exhaustion of holding everything together for everyone else. It might be that you spent years dieting, restricting, and following rules around food, and your body finally had enough.
Whatever has brought you here, there is a reason beneath it. Finding that reason, gently and without judgment, is where real recovery begins.
You are not out of control. You are doing your best with tools that no longer serve you. That is what we work on together.
There is a brain-based reason you binge, and it is not your fault
Research shows that binge eating disorder involves complex interactions between emotion regulation, reward pathways, previous experiences, and restrictive eating patterns. It is not a simple problem with a simple cause.
Binge eating often activates the brain’s dopamine reward system, providing short-term relief from emotional pain or numbness. Over time, the brain begins to associate food with comfort, regulation, and release. This is not weakness. This is your nervous system doing what it thinks it needs to do to help you cope.
For many people, binge eating is also connected to blood sugar instability. Skipping meals, under-eating during the day, or following restrictive rules around food creates a physiological state where the brain shifts towards survival-focused decision-making, making it much harder to use planning and self-control. The urge to eat becomes overwhelming and feels impossible to resist.
This is not you failing. This is biology.
What we work on in counselling is not stopping the urge through willpower. It is understanding what the urge is telling you, and building new ways to meet those needs
ADHD and Binge Eating: A Complex Relationship
Binge eating and neurodivergence: an important connection that isn't always recognised
If you have ADHD, autism, or suspect you might, binge eating can look and feel different to the textbook description. Research suggests ADHD is associated with differences in dopamine signalling, reward processing, and impulse regulation. For some people, this can make food feel particularly rewarding and increase the likelihood of binge eating behaviours, especially when combined with difficulties in recognising hunger cues, emotional dysregulation, and the exhaustion of masking.
Some people find that traditional therapeutic approaches don’t fully fit how their brain works. The structured homework felt impossible to keep up with. The worksheets felt clinical and disconnected. The pace was wrong. If that has been your experience, it is not you that failed. It was the fit between you and the approach that was the problem.
I work in a way that is specifically adapted for neurodivergent minds: flexible, practical, honest, and built around how your brain actually works rather than how it is supposed to work. I also offer ADHD-informed support for clients who are exploring a diagnosis or awaiting assessment.
Binge eating and neurodivergence: an important connection that isn't always recognised
If you have ADHD, autism, or suspect you might, binge eating can look and feel different to the textbook description. Research suggests ADHD is associated with differences in dopamine signalling, reward processing, and impulse regulation. For some people, this can make food feel particularly rewarding and increase the likelihood of binge eating behaviours, especially when combined with difficulties in recognising hunger cues, emotional dysregulation, and the exhaustion of masking.
Some people find that traditional therapeutic approaches don’t fully fit how their brain works. The structured homework felt impossible to keep up with. The worksheets felt clinical and disconnected. The pace was wrong. If that has been your experience, it is not you that failed. It was the fit between you and the approach that was the problem.
I work in a way that is specifically adapted for neurodivergent minds: flexible, practical, honest, and built around how your brain actually works rather than how it is supposed to work. I also offer ADHD-informed support for clients who are exploring a diagnosis or awaiting assessment.
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Becky Stone
I know what it is like to be in that cycle, because I have been there
As a teenager, I did not have the words for what I was experiencing. I would eat past the point of fullness, spend money I did not have on food, and then feel a shame so heavy I could barely look at myself. I was overwhelmed, lost, and unable to understand why I could not just stop.
What I did not know at the time was that I had undiagnosed ADHD and dyslexia, which had quietly shaped my relationship with food, my self-esteem, and my ability to regulate my emotions for years. Food was not the problem. That does not mean everyone’s experience is the same, but it helped me understand how complicated binge eating really is. Food was the solution my brain had found to feelings it did not know how to handle any other way.
That experience did not break me. It shaped me. It gave me something no training manual can teach: a genuine understanding of what it feels like to sit where you are sitting right now.
I am not the therapist I needed back then. But I have spent the years since then becoming her.
Understanding, not blame
Before we look at what you are eating, we look at why. We explore the emotional, neurological, and historical factors that have shaped your relationship with food, without judgment and at your pace.
Practical, brain-friendly tools
I use a combination of approaches including schema therapy, trauma-informed work, and neuroscience-based strategies. Where helpful, I use the Recovery Record app, a specialist tool that helps people track emotions, eating patterns, and progress between therapy sessions. It is particularly useful for neurodivergent clients who find it hard to recall how they felt in the moment.
Therapy that fits your life
There is no meal plan and no food rules. Recovery from binge eating disorder is about building a relationship with yourself that no longer needs food to manage it. We work at your pace, with your brain, and without any rigid framework that does not fit who you actually are.
Therapeutic Approach
What our work together looks like
Sessions are 50 minutes, online or in person at my therapy practice in Canterbury. In your first session, we talk about your history, what has brought you here, and what you would like your life to look like without the binge-shame cycle running it.
From there, we build. Some sessions are led by what has come up in the week. Others are more structured, working through specific patterns, beliefs, or memories that are keeping the cycle in place. I adapt to what you need, not to a fixed agenda.
Many people begin to notice changes in how they understand themselves and their relationship with food over time, although everyone’s journey is different. There is no set timeline and no pressure to be further along than you are.
I work with adults and young people aged 11 and over. Counselling is available online across the UK and in person in Canterbury, Kent.
When Additional Support is Needed
When I may recommend additional support
As a private counsellor, my work is most effective when a client’s physical health is stable and they are able to engage in the therapeutic process. If at any point I have concerns about someone’s physical health or safety, I will discuss this openly and may recommend working alongside their GP or a specialist NHS eating disorder service, either instead of or alongside our sessions.
This is not a barrier to coming to me first. Many clients come to me while waiting for NHS assessment, or because NHS waiting times are too long. I am happy to work collaboratively with other professionals involved in your care.
If you are unsure whether private counselling is right for your situation, please do get in touch. I would rather have that conversation with you than leave you wondering.
Common Questions About Therapy and Eating Disorders
Here are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about therapy and eating disorders. We hope this provides clarity and reassurance as you consider your options for support.
What is binge eating disorder?
Binge eating disorder (BED) is characterised by repeated episodes of eating large amounts of food in a short period of time, often to the point of discomfort, accompanied by a sense of loss of control and significant distress or shame afterwards. Unlike bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder does not typically involve compensatory behaviours such as purging. It is the most common eating disorder in the UK.
Can people recover from binge eating disorder?
Yes. Recovery from binge eating disorder is possible, and many people experience significant and lasting change with the right support. Recovery is rarely linear. There will be better periods and harder ones, and the timeline is different for everyone. What matters most is finding support that fits, and taking things at your own pace. You do not have to be fully ready to begin. You just have to be willing to try.
Can therapy help with binge eating disorder?
Yes, therapy can be highly effective for binge eating disorder. We focus on understanding the underlying triggers and developing healthier coping mechanisms to manage urges.
Will you tell me to go on a diet?
No. Diet advice is not part of how I work. Restriction is frequently one of the driving factors behind binge eating, not the solution to it. My approach is non-diet, shame-free, and focused on understanding your relationship with food and yourself, not on controlling what you eat.
Is binge eating disorder a real eating disorder?
Yes. Binge eating disorder was formally recognised as a diagnosable eating disorder in the DSM-5 in 2013. It affects people of all genders, ages, and body sizes, and can cause serious emotional and physical harm. It is not a lifestyle choice or a sign of greed, and it is not something you should be expected to manage alone.
Can I get help for binge eating on the NHS?
NHS support for binge eating disorder exists, but waiting times can be long and provision varies considerably across England. Private counselling offers faster access to specialist, tailored support. If cost is a concern, please raise it during your free consultation and I will do my best to point you towards any appropriate options.
Do I need to be a certain weight to get help?
No. Binge eating disorder is not defined by weight, and you do not need to meet any body weight threshold to deserve support. Many people with binge eating disorder are at a so-called “normal” weight, which can make it harder to access NHS services and easier to dismiss their own experience. It is serious enough.
Is binge eating linked to ADHD?
Research increasingly shows a meaningful connection between ADHD and binge eating. Differences in how the ADHD brain processes reward, impulse control, and emotional regulation can make food a particularly compelling coping strategy. If you suspect you are neurodivergent, this changes how support should be delivered, not whether you can access it.
How many sessions will I need?
This varies for every person. Some clients experience significant shifts within 8 to 12 sessions. Others prefer longer-term work to address deeper patterns. We discuss this together from the start, and you are never locked into a set number of sessions.
Do you work with young people?
Yes. I work with adults and young people aged 11 and over. For clients under 18, I ask for parental consent before we begin.
How do I get started?
The best first step is a free 20-minute consultation. We simply talk, and you can decide whether working with me feels right for you. You can book directly from this page.
Empowering Your Journey
Qualifications and experience
Becky Stone is a trauma-informed counsellor and eating disorder specialist based in Canterbury, Kent. With over 15 years of experience in mental health, she specialises in binge eating disorder, emotional eating, body image, and the overlap between eating disorders and neurodivergence.
Professional credentials:
- Registered Member of the BACP (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy)
- Completed Master Practitioner training in Eating Disorders with the National Centre for Eating Disorders (NCFED)
- Clinical Supervisor (qualified since 2018)
- Qualified Life Coach
- 15+ years’ experience supporting adults and young people in mental health settings
- Trauma-informed integrative counsellor
- ADHD and neurodivergence-informed practitioner
Lived experience
Becky brings both professional training and lived experience to her work. She has personal experience of binge eating, body dysmorphia, and undiagnosed ADHD, and uses that understanding to offer a depth of empathy that goes beyond the therapeutic model.
Who she works with
She offers private online counselling across the UK and in-person sessions from her therapy practice in Canterbury. She works with adults and young people aged 11 and over.