Counselling & Psychotherapy
Patients who present for bariatric surgery have a higher than average rate of psychological problems as compared to the general population or as compared to individuals with obesity who do not present for bariatric surgery.
Many patients experience improvements in psychological and interpersonal functioning post-surgery although, when surgical outcomes are not met, behavioural and psychological factors are common key contributors.
Specifically, as many as 20 % of patients report suboptimal weight loss or weight regain at some point in the post-operative phase. In particular, patients who eat in response to negative emotions are reported to experience poorer post-operative weight loss. A minority of patients receiving bariatric surgery, go on to experience increased rates of psychological problems such as depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation and suicide, increased relationship problems, and problematic eating behaviours.
Psychological support
Individual or group psychotherapy are recommended by the National Institute of Care Excellence to support and sustain weight loss in bariatric procedures
Assessment
A psychological assessment and screening process occurs prior to surgery to enable the best possible outcomes, with a follow up session scheduled 4-6 weeks later. Further sessions are recommended to sustain your weight loss and sustain your healthier lifestyle
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a type of talking treatment which focuses on how your thoughts, beliefs and attitudes affect your feelings and behaviour, and teaches coping skills for dealing with emotional eating behaviour. These techniques are useful to adopt change behaviour short term and in the initial stages of your recovery process
Individual Psychotherapy
Psychological therapy of an analytical nature; essentially, a form of indepth psychology that focuses on the unconscious experiences to determine current behaviour. It is used to treat a multitude of problems ranging from stress to eating disorders and even obesity. While psychotherpy isn’t a substitute for proper lifestyle decisions such as getting appropriate amounts of exercise or limiting caloric intake, it’s often used as a supplemental approach to help patients sustain lifestyle changes longer term
Group Psychotherapy
Psychological difficulties for patients seeking bariatric surgery are greater and in the post-operative phase, a significant minority go on to experience significant psychosocial difficulties, increasing their risk of poorer post-operative adjustment and associated weight regain
A Psychotherapy group was developed and implemented at Soma Bariatrics for post-operative bariatric patients. Its aim is to assist patients in developing coping strategies for managing day-to-day stressors, interpersonal conflicts, and difficulties adjusting to post-operative status; to assist patients in increasing awareness of behavioural, cognitive, and physiological cues associated with negative affective states; to support patient attempts to maintain healthy behaviour change; and, to develop relapse prevention skills. Ultimately, the psychotherapy group aimed to improve post-surgical outcomes by addressing psychosocial issues that could contribute to poor post-operative adjustment and associated weight re-gain
We offer an intensive group therapy which includes 6- 8 weekly group sessions covering;
Introduction to overeating & stress responses
Coping techniques including relaxation
Emotions and food
Self monitoring and reducing emotional eating
Negative self talk & reframing
Body image
Communication strategies
High Risk situations & Relapse prevention
How does it works?
At Soma Bariatrics we believe emotional wellbeing is paramount to the success of any procedure and we will do all that we can to help you to build resilience before, during and after the operation to sustain weight loss. We offer an initial Free 50 min Minute Session as part of your bariatric treatment and a follow up.
Experience tells us that good rapport between client and therapist is essential for successful therapy, and that’s why we offer an initial get to know your therapist session complementary.You get a chance to meet and describe the changes you are looking for, and your therapist will explain how individual therapy can best work for you. Together you can then decide if working together feels right.
This will usually take place in two 50 minutes sessions before the operation and 4-6 weeks after. You will then be recommended an initial course of treatment which includes either individual, group or immersive group therapy. If these options are not suitable for you then we can signpost you to other services to ensure your psychological needs are met. The length of therapy depends on your individual needs and requirements, and you and your therapist will agree a number of sessions during your initial consultation. These can always be negotiated to agree the right time to end.
What happens during a session?
The sessions usually takes place using video conferencing or face to face. Psychodynamic therapy relies on the interpersonal relationship between client and therapist or the dynamics of the relationship.
You are encouraged to talk about relationships and other events, the primary focus being to reveal the unconscious content of your psyche in an effort to alleviate tension, with a focus on the dynamics of your emotional eating habits and food to create a greater tolerance for coping with past, present and future issues.
This is where we explore the reasons why you struggle with your eating behaviour. Understanding your ‘food script’ helps us identify why, when and how your distorted patterns of eating took hold, and gives us a clear focus for psychological interventions that will support you in moving forwards.
What are the benefits of weight loss counselling?
Here are some of the key things weight loss counselling at Soma Bariatrics will give you:
Strategies to get out of the diet deception
Confront negative inner self-talk
Learn how to separate emotions from eating
Fix your broken thinking
Find new ways to calm your feelings
Learn how to break behaviours
Build self-worth and self-confidence
A space to be heard and comprehended
BINGE EATING DISORDER
Binge eating disorder is a psychiatric disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating (ie, eating large amounts of food) and is associated with a loss of control and significant distress in the absence of the regular compensatory weight-reducing behaviours commonly observed among patients with bulimia nervosa. The prevalence of BED in the normal adult population varies from 2% to 5%, but this proportion rises up to 50% among obese adults seeking weight reduction.
Please if you are looking for bariatric treatment please fill this BED test first to be sure you are going to have the correct treatment.
If you have score high please let us know to address your binge eating habit first before going to any invasive procedure.