Got questions about what to expect when contacting Beat for eating disorder support? We're here to help. Have a read below to find out more information about our Helpline services.
You can contact Beat through phone, one-to-one webchat or email. Our advisors will be on hand to support you via each method to match your communication preferences.
When you call, you’ll be put through to a recorded message briefly explaining which helpline you’re through to, our confidentiality policy and how a record of the call will be kept. You will then be connected to an advisor. If there is nobody immediately available to speak with you, you’ll be placed into a queue with an automated message informing you of your place in the queue until an advisor becomes available.
The advisor will introduce themselves and ask for your name (though you can choose to remain anonymous). They will then check whether you understood the confidentiality policy, whether you are calling on behalf of yourself or somebody else, your age, which part of the UK you are calling from and explain our scope of service to you. To enable as many people to be supported as possible, calls typically last between 20 and 30 minutes. Please be reassured that an advisor will not terminate the call prematurely, we understand that a longer call may be necessary due to your circumstances.
During the call, the advisor will support you and work with you to create an action plan going forwards. We aim to provide an action-focused service directing you towards information and support that will help yourself or loved one in recovery.
This can vary due to your individual needs, though it may include support such as: signposting to support, referral to one of our own support services or support with next steps of recovery.
At the end of the call we will ask your region, postcode, ethnicity, how you heard of Beat and you will then be put through to a short automatic phone survey.*
*We ask these questions for equality monitoring purposes and to understand who is using our services. Some of our support services are age and location based so it will also help our advisor work with you to offer you as much support as possible.
You’ll be connected to an advisor. You will then receive an automatic message asking for your name, age, ethnicity and area of the UK you are contacting from. *
We aim to respond to all emails within a 24 hour period to our helpline, except when we have replied once that day. We will then respond the next day.
Our support services are here for anyone who may be experiencing eating disorder behaviours. You do not need a formal diagnosis to contact us for support. Our advisors are not medically trained and therefore are unable to make a diagnosis. Speaking to your GP may be a good first step towards seeking a formal diagnosis. You may wish to take our GP leaflet with you as it is designed to guide you through the appointment.
Our advisors are here to offer information and support around eating disorders. We are an action-focused charity who believe that recovery is always possible. As such, we aim to work together with you to create an action plan for the next steps towards recovery by the end of your contact with us. However, our helpline does not currently offer long term support and therefore we are unable to provide therapy or counselling. To search for therapists in your local area, please use our HelpFinder tool.
Everyone’s experience of an eating disorder is different. We want to ensure that you get the most of your support by focusing the conversation on you so our advisors will not share whether they have had an eating disorder before. However, you may wish to join our online groups where you can connect with others who may be facing similar challenges to yourself.
Our advisors can provide general guidance and information on eating disorder treatments. We will not provide direct opinions on your current eating disorder treatment, although we can support you with your feelings around your treatment as well as guide you on how to raise your concerns. You can find more information on different treatments by clicking on the different eating disorders page here https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/get-information-and-support/about-eating-disorders/types/
Our advisors are not medically trained. Therefore, we are not able to offer advice on meal plans, but we are here to offer you a safe space to support you with any feelings about your current meal plan.
The advisor will introduce themselves and ask for your name (you can choose to remain anonymous). They will then check your understanding of our confidentiality policy, whether you are calling on behalf of yourself or somebody else, your age, which part of the UK you are calling from and explain our scope of service to you. To enable as many people to be supported as possible, calls typically last between 20 and 30 minutes. Please be reassured that an advisor will not terminate the call prematurely, we understand that a longer call is sometimes necessary.
We do not currently offer a listening service. We aim to provide an action-focused service directing you towards information and support that will help you or your loved one work towards recovery. During the call, the advisor will therefore work with you to create an action plan going forwards.
At the end of the call, we will ask some data questions and you will then be put through to a short optional survey where you can provide feedback on your experience.
We cannot guarantee that you will get through to the same advisor each time you contact. However, all of our advisors are trained to provide a consistent level of high-quality support.
You are more than welcome to contact us more than once if you require further support on the next steps towards recovery. However, please be advised that we are currently unable to offer long term support via our helpline.