Make peace with food and your body
Compassionate counselling and hypnotherapy for eating difficulties and body image, at your pace, without judgement.
Counselling, CBT & hypnotherapy in Fareham, Hampshire, and online
Support with food, eating and how you see yourself
Whether food has become something you battle with daily, or your relationship with it has quietly slipped out of your hands, you will be met here with warmth and no judgement at all.
Fareham, Hampshire, plus online therapy UK wide
Free · Confidential · No obligation · You set the pace
Free, specialist support while you decide what to do next
- Beat, the UK eating disorder charityAdults: 0808 801 0677
- Beat YouthlineUnder 18s: 0808 801 0711
- Beat StudentlineStudents: 0808 801 0811
- SamaritansFree, any time of day or night: 116 123
Beat's helplines are open every day of the year. Current opening hours are on their website.
Wherever you are with it
You do not have to have a diagnosis to come
Some people arrive with a formal diagnosis and a treatment team already in place. Others have never said any of this out loud, and are not sure their difficulties count as serious enough to bother anyone with. Both are welcome, and there is no threshold you need to reach first.
What we can offer is a calm, confidential space, an experienced therapist, and a pace that you set. What we will also do is be honest with you about whether we are the right support, and say so if you need something more specialist alongside us.
Eating disorders & body image
Caring support for difficult struggles
Gentle, individualised therapy alongside your medical care, never instead of it.
Anorexia
Gentle, individualised support to help you rebuild a safer, calmer relationship with food and with your body.
Learn moreBulimia
Compassionate help to ease the cycle and, more importantly, the distress sitting underneath it.
Learn moreBinge eating and other eating disorders
Whatever your relationship with food looks like, and whether or not it has a name yet, there is support here.
Learn moreBody dysmorphic disorder
Support to loosen the grip of appearance worries, ease the checking and comparing, and rebuild self-worth.
Learn moreSupport, never judgement
Nobody here will comment on how you look, weigh you, inspect what you eat or ask you to justify any of it. You will be met with warmth and understanding, and you can share as much or as little as you are ready to.
Why OLIP
Care built around you
Compassionate
A warm, judgement free space where you can feel safe and understood, exactly as you are.
Alongside your care
We work with your GP and any treatment team, as part of your wider support rather than in place of it.
Experienced
Over twenty years of practice, BACP registered therapists, and Practice of the Year 2025.
Online or in person
See us in Fareham, or from your own home anywhere in the UK, whichever feels more manageable.
A separate kind of support
If your difficulty is with weight and habits rather than an eating disorder
The support below is a different thing from the support above, and it matters that we say so clearly.
If you have an eating disorder, are recovering from one, or are not sure whether you have one, weight loss work is not the right place to start, and we would not offer it to you. Please speak to your GP or Beat first, and come back to the section above.
A calmer relationship with food
When diets and willpower have not been enough
If you feel stuck in emotional eating, cravings or yo-yo dieting, the missing piece is often the link between food and feeling. We look beneath the surface, at the habits, beliefs and triggers driving it.
Weight loss hypnotherapy
Rather than relying on willpower, this works with the habits and emotional triggers around eating, drawing on CBT and mindful eating alongside hypnotherapy. The aim is a calmer relationship with food rather than a target on a scale.
Learn moreGastric band hypnotherapy
A non-surgical approach using hypnotherapy and suggestion to support changes in eating habits, without the risks or recovery of surgery. To be clear about what it is: no procedure takes place, nothing is fitted, and the research behind it is limited. It suits some people well and we will be honest with you about whether you are one of them.
Learn moreWe do not set targets, prescribe eating plans or give dietary advice. If you want nutritional guidance, your GP can refer you to a registered dietitian, and the two work well together.
No surprises
What happens when you get in touch
- 1
You send a message or call
A line or two is plenty. You do not have to explain anything you are not ready to explain.
- 2
A free 15 minute call
A relaxed, confidential chat with an experienced therapist. If we think you need specialist NHS care alongside or instead of us, we will say so.
- 3
We match you with the right therapist
We suggest the approach and therapist we think fits, in person in Fareham or online, and you decide whether to start.
Counselling from £72 a session. CBT and hypnotherapy from £90. See all fees
Gentle answers
Questions people ask us
Will I be judged?
No. Nobody here will comment on how you look, weigh you, inspect what you eat or ask you to justify any of it. You can talk openly, at your own pace, exactly as you are.
Do I need a diagnosis to come?
No. Many people who contact us have never told anyone and are not sure their difficulties count as serious enough. There is no threshold you need to reach first, and it is not for you to work out where you fit before you ask.
Can therapy really help with an eating disorder?
For many people, compassionate individualised therapy is an important part of recovery, helping to understand and ease the patterns underneath. Where the illness is more serious, therapy works alongside specialist medical treatment rather than in place of it, and we will always be clear with you about which you need.
Do you work alongside my GP or treatment team?
Yes, and we would encourage it. Eating difficulties affect physical health as well as wellbeing, so having your GP involved matters. With your agreement we are glad to be one part of a wider team.
Can I have weight loss hypnotherapy if I have had an eating disorder?
No, and we would not offer it. Weight focused work is not appropriate for anyone who has, or is recovering from, an eating disorder, and it can do real harm. If that is your situation, please speak to your GP or Beat, and let us support you in a different way.
Will you tell me what to eat or set me a target?
No. We do not set targets, prescribe eating plans or give dietary advice. Our work is with the thoughts, feelings and habits around food. If you want nutritional guidance, your GP can refer you to a registered dietitian.
What actually is gastric band hypnotherapy?
It is hypnotherapy using imagery and suggestion around eating habits. No procedure takes place and nothing is fitted. It is not surgery and it is not a substitute for it. Many people find it useful, though the research behind it is limited, and we would rather tell you that than let the name do the talking.
Is it confidential?
Yes. Your sessions are private and treated with the strictest confidence. In the rare situation where there is a serious risk to your safety, a therapist may need to involve others to help keep you safe, and they would talk that through with you.
Do you work with young people?
Several of our therapists work with children and teenagers. For a young person with an eating disorder we would always want the GP involved as well, since NHS specialist services have a particular role here. The free call is a good place for a parent to start.
Can sessions happen online?
Yes. We offer secure online sessions across the UK as well as in person support in Fareham. Many people find starting from home easier, and you can move to the room later if you want to.
Take a gentle first step
Reaching out takes courage, and you do not have to do it alone. A free 15 minute call with an experienced therapist, with no cost and no obligation, whenever you feel ready.
hello@oliptherapy.co.uk · Beat helpline 0808 801 0677