Eating Disorders in the Pandemic, What Makes Good Therapy and Altum Health, with Dr. Courtney Raspin

Today I’m talking to Dr Courtney Raspin, who is a Chartered Psychologist registered with the Health and Care Professions Council. Courtney is working to raise awareness of eating disorders, the significant effects the pandemic has had on sufferers, and how ‘good’ therapy can enable people to understand and manage their symptoms, as well as start living fuller, happier and more meaningful lives.   Courtney was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. The daughter of influential media psychologist, Dr Toni Grant, and a physician, she grew up with a keen interest in both mental and physical health. Courtney moved to London in 2000 and worked for 10 years in the NHS before launching her private clinic, Altum Health in 2010.  Altum Health is London’s premier private psychology practice specialising in the treatment of eating disorders and body image difficulties. To date, it has treated over 500 patients. Following a significantly high increase in enquiries during the UK’s lockdown, Courtney is now actively engaged in raising awareness of how increased stress is affecting young people during the pandemic. She is also exploring how this is stimulating a resurgence of mental health issues, including eating disorders – what causes them, what keeps them going and the therapies that can help. Alongside her work at Altum Health, Courtney is an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society and regularly lectures in the Counselling Psychology Doctoral Programme at City University. A member of the Eating Disorders Association (b-eat), she has appeared in documentaries and contributed to numerous articles on not only eating disorders and body image, but mental health in general. Courtney is a full-time working mum with two children, has been married for over 20 years and also plays mum to the family’s cockapoo – Luna, who is hoping to become a fully trained therapy dog in residence at Altum Health. In this episode, we explore Courtney’s history and how she came to work in eating disorders. We talk about the work of Altum Health and how they approach treatment for eating disorders, so providing good therapy that is effective for each individual. We also talk the impact of the pandemic on young people’s mental health and the surge in eating disorder referrals and how we can protect young people with their wellbeing going forward. I hope that you enjoy the conversation.   To find out more: Website: https://www.altumhealth.co.uk/ Instagram: @drcourtneyraspin