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Coming Home to Your Body: A 6 Week Embodiment Skills Group for Eating Disorder Recovery
A 6-week, in person, embodiment skills group designed to help those recovering from an eating disorder to develop a more respectful, trusting, and kind relationship with their body, mind, and self.
This group will support you to discover new ways of feeling at ease in your own skin, especially when you’re experiencing unpleasant emotions and critical thoughts about your body.
Learn practical tools and discover how somatic practices, such as embodied movement, yoga and self-compassion can help you develop a more nurturing and easeful relationship between your body, mind, and self.
About the Embodiment Skills Group
This 6-week embodiment skills group provides additional support to anyone recovering from an eating disorder; whether you’re one of our clients, or getting support elsewhere.
An eating disorder manifests in the body, as well as the mind. Therefore, it is essential to include body work during the process of eating disorder recovery.
You’ll learn practical tools, and develop your understanding of how somatic practices, such as embodied movement, yoga and self-compassion, can help you build a new relationship with your body and mind. Rather than seeing the body as something to be punished, criticised, or negatively labelled, the group will support you to relate, listen, and connect to your body in a more respectful, trusting, and curious way.
By learning the skills of embodiment, you’ll discover how you can turn inward, and understand yourself, and use the body as a resource during difficult times. With our help, you’ll discover how your body can be your greatest informant, teacher, guide, and a true home.
Please note – this isn’t group therapy. Rather it’s a body-centred, therapeutic skills group. It will also complement your existing talking therapy if you’re currently seeing a therapist or psychologist.
Who is the embodiment skills group for?
We have created the embodiment skills group especially for people who are in the process of recovery from an eating disorder. You do not have to be being treated by Altum Health, but please ensure that you meet the safety guidelines below. All participants must be over 18.
Details
Dates: 5th October 2022 – 9th November 2022 (weekly on Wednesdays)
Times: Wednesday evenings, 6pm – 7.30pm
Location: The training room at our office, 16 Upper Woburn Place, London, WC1H 0AF
Fee: The fee for this course is £250.
This includes all six classes, of 90 minutes each. We’ll also provide the additional equipment you’ll need such as blocks, hand sanitiser and guidance for your practice between sessions.
What to bring: Your own yoga mat, a soft scarf, water, a journal or notebook, and a pen.
What to wear: Soft clothes that you feel comfortable moving in. A pair of socks.
We will provide: Yoga props, wet wipes, hand sanitiser
How to book place in the embodiment skills group
The current Embodiment Skills group is now fully booked. If you’d like to take part next time, please click one of the buttons on this page and add your details to our waiting list. We’ll contact you when we have a date for our next group intake.
If you have questions, please email: natalie.chua@altumhealth.co.uk or contact us on 020 7193 5974 for more information.
About your teachers
This group has been created by Dr Natalie Chua, eating disorder specialist, certified yoga, mindfulness and self-compassion teacher. Natalie will facilitate the group, alongside Marie Bech, a junior associate psychologist at Altum Health, who will be assisting her.
Dr Natalie Chua
Natalie is a clinical psychologist and a certified yoga, mindfulness and self-compassion teacher, specialising in the treatment of eating disorders, disordered eating, and trauma. She’s committed to helping her clients overcome their difficulties, develop greater self-trust, and live more fulfilling and meaningful lives. She believes that each person holds immense capacity for growth and transformation regardless of the nature of their struggles.
Natalie earned her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at the University College of London, and her Master of Arts degree in Psychology and Education with a concentration in Spirituality and Mind-Body Practice at Columbia University.
She’s passionate about sharing somatic practices with her students to help them live more balanced, peaceful, and embodied lives. Natalie truly values every opportunity to share these teachings and learns as much from her students as she teaches. Natalie’s teaching is informed by her daily practice, multiple trainings and studies in eastern and western psychology, and her time in meditation retreat.
Marie Bech
Marie is a trainee counselling psychologist in her final year of training at City University of London. She is a graduate member of the British Psychological Society and in-training member of the Division of Counselling Psychology. Marie is committed to offering clients a ‘real’ human relationship through which to explore their difficulties, make sense of their experience, and empower personal growth and healing. She offers evidence-based therapeutic practice with authenticity, creativity, and a sense of humour.
Following her undergraduate studies, Marie worked in the homelessness sector supporting vulnerable adults in supported accommodation before pursuing her MSc in Mental Health and Clinical Psychology. She has completed core training in humanistic, psychodynamic and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) approaches and has gained experience working with people with a variety of psychological and emotional difficulties and diagnoses, including substance addiction, depression, anxiety, OCD, bipolar disorder, complex trauma, personality disorders, and psychosis.
On a personal note, Marie is originally from Germany and moved to London in 2012 to pursue her studies, after which she decided to stay.
Safety Guidelines:
- Please note that by taking part in this embodiment skills group you agree that Altum Health Limited is not liable for any injury or harm that you may incur during the classes. You agree to practise only as YOU feel able to, within your body’s abilities and take full responsibility for yourself, your health, your well-being and all of your belongings during the sessions.
- We have carefully considered ways in which to keep everybody safe in the group. As such, we ask that all participants are in generally good health so that their participation in this group would not unduly destabilise any pre-existent physical/mental health difficulties.
- Please be advised that should your clinician be concerned with your safety, or that of others in the group (where you do not meet the above requirements), they are obliged to explore this further with you, in line with their duty of care and may ask you to stop attending the group.
- If you have any concerns regarding our safety guidelines, please contact pa@altumhealth.co.uk, and we’ll be more than happy to support you with any queries you have so that you can understand whether this group is right for you at this stage.
- We encourage body diversity at Altum Health, and we encourage people living in all size bodies (granted they are safe to practise) to join us. However, we cannot ensure that all body sizes will be proportionally represented in all of our groups. Please contact us if you have concerns about this and we will get back to you with more information.
- The equipment used will be adequately santised. We will also provide hand sanitiser and wipes.
What is the structure of the sessions?
The session will consist of a blend of didactic teaching, group sharing, guided meditation, embodied movement, and self-reflection.What kind of practices does it involve?
The types of practices we’ll use during the sessions include embodied movement, guided meditations, gentle yoga, breathing techniques, self-compassion, mindfulness, and self-reflection.How many people does the group consist of?
The group will be limited to six participants.What should I do if I start experiencing strong emotional and/or physical discomfort during the group?
We will be discussing safety guidelines for the group during the very first session to ensure that everyone understands what they can do and how to manage such a situation should it arise. As well as providing clear instructions on how you can monitor your own emotional and physical safety during Session 1, you can always approach/speak to Dr Natalie Chua or Marie Bech during the session if you are experiencing any difficulty during the group, and one of us will make ourselves available to speak and support you.When would you need to know if I wanted to secure a place?
The embodiment skills group is available to book until we fill the six places, or until the closing date for booking: Monday 1st August at 10am.
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