Meet Us
Deirdre Reddan
Hi I am Deirdre Reddan.
I help parents, partners, friends and family members to understand the important role that they play in their loved one’s eating disorder recovery and I teach them tools and techniques so that they can provide help and support. Partners, parents and family members deserve their own support too – it is a crisis.
I work with:
- parents who have a loved one suffering from an eating disorder
- individuals who wish to heal their relationship with food, body image and exercise
- mums (and dads!) who now wish to reclaim their own lives having devoted so much time and energy to their loved one’s recovery.
I well remember the feelings of loneliness, isolation, fear and guilt I felt as a parent of a loved one with an eating disorder. By bringing together my own (hard-earned) personal experiences and professional knowledge, I now help other parents, partners, friends and family members who are on the path that I was once on.
It breaks my heart when I think of parents (both mums and dads!), partners, friends and family members out there feeling terrified, lost, alone and hopeless. Often they are struggling to find the information, tools and skills they need to both support their loved one – and themselves.
I understand how priceless it is to work with someone who:
- has been there – and who understands
- can help you to understand the illness better and help you to understand that you didn’t cause this, this is NOT your fault and
- can help you to understand that you HAVE a role to play in supporting your child’s recovery – no matter their age
- can help you feel empowered, listened to, understood and supported
I love seeing the sense of lightness, confidence, ease (and courage) appear after working with me – the knowledge that there are actually things that you CAN do to support, encourage and guide. It has also been proven that supporters/carers developing these skills can also help accelerate the recovery journey.
I love seeing mums who have devoted every waking hour to fighting the eating disorder in their child reclaiming their own sense of self, fun and enjoyment in life.
Seeing the positive impact of my work with parents over the past two years on a 1:1 basis has led me to expand my work to a group setting – and I am really delighted to be working with Zuzanna. Giving parents the opportunity to benefit from peer support – the support of other parents who can understand in ways that no-one else can – has been so rewarding and worthwhile.
I am passionate on the topic of disordered eating and eating disorders, and the importance of educating and raising awareness around this complex and often misunderstood area. I have delivered numerous workshops and webinars to both sporting and large commercial organisations, and to healthcare professionals.
I hold an Advanced Diploma in Coaching and a Diploma in Eating Disorders (approved by the British Psychological Society)and am a member of the European Coaching and Mentoring Council. I am also an Associate Instructor with Youth Mental Health First Aid Ireland.
I’d like to work with you!
Zuzanna
Meet Zuzanna
People suffering from an eating disorder are often referred to as
“super-feelers” or as Highly Sensitive People. They experience the environment and other people’s emotions very intensely; they usually are super intelligent deep thinkers who become very aware of the problems in the world. This increased intensity of the inner experiences, anxiety, and deep empathy (feeling what others feel) coupled with our highly pressured world makes Highly Sensitive People more prone to eating disorders.
I never had an eating disorder, but, as a Highly Sensitive Person, I connect very well with the fantastic sensitive or neuroatypical souls who often struggle with eating disorders and disordered eating. I am also equipped to work with highly withdrawn people (yes, Eating Disorders can lead to people being so shut down that therapists struggle to work with them). I also guide and support parents to navigate both the eating disorder and the genetic traits that their loved ones struggle with.
You can see by my many trainings and credentials that I studied hard and tried many therapeutic modalities. Things started to shift and make sense for me (both personally and professionally) when I dived deeper into the trauma recovery field – the neuroscience of the nervous system was the missing piece I always felt was lacking in psychology. Finally, there was an explanation – scientific proof that we are all wired differently, have unique needs and if those needs are not fulfilled, we suffer.
What was even better was that I learned that there are many ways to heal together (we can’t heal in isolation). I also fell in love with Non-Violent Communication.
So now I am a bit obsessed with brain science and interpersonal
neurobiology and love teaching it to anyone who listens! 🙂.
My mission in life is to help people heal from shame (this feeling that there is something wrong with you and you have to hide it) and create, support and cultivate deep connection between people, especially in families. I still hope for a world in which we can be ourselves and all our parts and needs are welcome.
When I am not obsessively learning about the brain and ways to heal or teaching it, I play with my two Highly Sensitive (surprise, surprise) kids, ride a motorcycle, horse ride or practice yoga.
Zuzanna’s Qualifications:
Zuzanna has over 10 years’ experience working with people suffering from eating disorders and their families. She worked in all levels of care – from residential to outpatient and private practice. She helps and guides people on all stages of recovery from physical healing through body image issues and towards full recovery. Zuzanna is a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist and Supervisor (CEDS-S), Clinical Psychologist, Family and EMDR therapist. She also consults, teaches, and supervises other therapists.
What you can be sure of with Zuzanna is tons of empathy, the right dose of challenge and push and a warm invitation to laugh.