Dietetics, Nutrition and Occupational Therapy Team

Alexia Dempsey
Registered Dietitian
Cognitive Behavioural Therapist

  • Alexia is a Registered Dietitian with over 10 years clinical experience working with eating disorders and gastrointestinal conditions. During her career she has worked in adult and CAMHS eating disorder services’ in both an NHS and private setting, as well as medical hospitals working in gastroenterology.

    Alexia prides herself in her client centred approach to her work, helping individuals mend their relationship with food whilst supporting medical stability and metabolic recovery.

    She provides advice and psycho education around eating disorders and the effects on both body and brain. As well as supporting families and individuals in managing the process of refeeding, weight restoration and/or stabilisation, supporting nutritional variety and practical advice around meal times.

    Alexia has also completed Intuitive Eating training which supports individuals to take a step back from diet culture and heal their relationship with food, as well as an MSc in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.

  • Alexia is available Tuesday’s 9am-6pm & Friday's 9am-1pm. Please visit The Eating Disorder Service to find more information on booking with Alexia.

Áine Loi
Specialist Occupational Therapist
Registered Associate Nutritionist

  • Áine is a registered occupational therapist and associate nutritionist, specialising in eating disorders. She has over 12 years’ experience working as an occupational therapist in physical and mental health settings in both the NHS and private sector.

    Áine works with young people and adults using a holistic, client-centred approach which focuses on the ‘whole person’. She also offers support and skills-based training to families, partners and carers, providing psycho-education and practical tips for managing eating disorders in the home environment. Áine can work with clients via online sessions or face-to-face.

    In her spare time, Áine enjoys performing in shows with her local musical theatre group, taking ballet and Irish dancing classes, and playing piano.

  • Áine is available Wednesday's 12pm-6:10pm

    Book Now

Humaira Shaikh
Occupational Therapist

  • Humaira conducted her undergraduate degree in Psychology before completing her Masters in Occupational Therapy. She is also an ADOS trained and DBT trained therapist. Since qualifying she has spent a significant amount of time working in inpatient, outpatient and community settings working with both adults and children with neurodiversity as well as complex mental health issues. She also works in schools providing assessment and interventions for children needing extra support, often with diagnoses of Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD and dyspraxia. Her experience working in these settings has allowed her to gain a deeper understanding and awareness of how differently these conditions can present in each individual and the impact they can have on daily functioning and carrying out meaningful activities, whether that be in an educational, social or personal setting. Acknowledging that there is no ‘one size fits all’ model when it comes to neurodiversity, she is passionate about adopting a holistic approach with each client she sees. Furthermore, Humaira conducts ADOS assessments for both adults and children. Following these assessments she may provide appropriate support where necessary to support individuals with diagnoses with various strategies to help manage symptoms that may be present. Some of these interventions may include working on developing fine and gross motor skills which may assist with washing and dressing, hand writing and refining balance, strength and coordination. Additional interventions include sensory strategies, and DBT informed approaches to manage anxiety which is often paired with difficulty in carrying out tasks.

  • Humaira is available Tuesday's 9:15am-1:30pm

    Book Now