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Stepping Stones with Helen Dean
I provide specialised support for children, adolescents, and adults experiencing eating disorders, ARFID, and complex feeding challenges. Many of the individuals and families I work with have tried strategies that haven’t helped — or have been told their eating is “just fussy,” “behavioural,” or something they will grow out of.
Often, it is far more complex than that. My work integrates nutrition therapy with counselling, allowing me to support not only nourishment, but the emotional, sensory, and nervous-system factors that shape a person’s relationship with food.
I have a particular interest in working with neurodivergent individuals — including those with Autism and ADHD — and understand how sensory sensitivities, predictability needs, anxiety, and cognitive style can deeply influence eating.
Rather than focusing on compliance, my approach prioritises safety, trust, and gradual change.
I also work closely with parents and families, offering guidance that brings structure to mealtimes while protecting connection — because sustainable progress rarely happens in isolation.
Sessions with me are thoughtful and collaborative. I take the time to understand the whole person, not just the eating concern, and often work alongside GPs, psychologists, paediatricians, and schools to provide integrated care.
My aim is not simply symptom change — but helping individuals move toward a more flexible, peaceful, and sustainable relationship with food and their body.
Upcoming Events
Tue, 24 FebZoomOnline Binge Eating Support Group for Teens & Adults
Registered Counsellor and Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD)
Helen provides specialised counselling and nutrition support for individuals experiencing anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, ARFID, and complex eating challenges.
Her work integrates evidence-based nutrition therapy with counselling — supporting both the physical recovery process and the psychological factors that maintain eating disorders.
Helen is trained in Family-Based Treatment (FBT) and Adolescent & Parent Treatment (APT), and works closely with parents while also creating a thoughtful, developmentally attuned space for the young person.
She brings a calm, structured approach to treatment — balancing clinical direction with compassion — and is comfortable supporting presentations ranging from early intervention through to more entrenched eating difficulties.
Helen has a particular interest in working with neurodivergent individuals, including those with ADHD and Autism, and understands the significant role sensory processing, predictability, anxiety, and emotional regulation can play in shaping eating patterns. Care is always adapted to the individual’s neurotype rather than expecting them to fit a traditional treatment model.
Our Services
When Eating Becomes Difficult: Understanding ARFID
Is your child avoiding foods, eating very little, or becoming highly anxious at mealtimes?
These patterns can be consistent with Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) — a complex eating difficulty that goes far beyond typical fussy eating.
At Stepping Stones with Helen Dean, families are supported to understand what is happening while receiving practical, psychologically-informed guidance to help move eating forward.
Parents Recommended
HELEN S.
Helen is a very caring, dedicated, non judgemental therapist who quickly forms a positive relationship with her clients.
Helen has been a valuable resource through at times what can be a difficult journey which touches not only our young person but also our whole family unit.
Our daughter feels comfortable to contact Helen independently for advice and we feel 100% supported on this road to recovery.
Eating Disorders & Recovery Resources
