​

**Alongside global Eating Disorders Awareness Week, The LightHouse Arabia expands professional offering and launches school conference provision for teachers and counselors **

Marking global Eating Disorder Awareness Week, running until March 6th, The LightHouse Arabia, Dubai’s leading community mental health and wellness center has bolstered its international team of over 25 licensed psychologists and psychiatrists with the appointment of two new expert clinicians to develop its Eating Disorders support offering.

Previously working at prestigious clinics in Abu Dhabi, and the UK, Dr. Teizeem Dhanji, Consultant Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist and Dr. Victoria Mountford, Clinical Psychologist are Joint Leads for the Eating Disorder Service at The LightHouse Arabia. The support services offered extend across children, teens and adults, in addition to working with families and carers, schools (staff, parents, students) and corporate organizations in the form of educational talks, workshops, support groups, and training.

According to new research from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, emergency room admissions for eating disorders amongst girls aged 12 to 17 years doubled during the Coronavirus pandemic in America, with clinicians seeing not only a growth in the volume of patients, but also increasing severity. With reasons given as both complex and various, the social isolation and confusion for young people over the past two years has certainly played a part in the noticeable need for an increase of provision in mental health services for children and young adults.

Whilst the research is US based, this is no isolated phenomenon. A pre-pandemic study of university students in Abu Dhabi, found 24% of adolescent girls had significantly disordered eating attitudes and approximately 75% were dissatisfied with their body image. In the UAE, a tremendous need for support is apparent, alongside very few providers. The LightHouse Arabia aims to expand its reach in offering support for Eating Disorders by creating educational resources via its website, with a full range of support available alongside its first schools conference for school counselors and educators, held on 2nd March.

The LightHouse Arabia offers evidence-based treatment for Eating Disorders such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, other eating and feeding disorders in children, adolescents and adults including management of body dysmorphia and comorbidities such as depression and anxiety.

Dr. Teizeem Dhanji obtained her Medical degree in the UK, and went on to complete Core Psychiatry & Specialist Child and Adolescent training at the renowned Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust in London. She has worked in specialist Eating Disorder outpatient and day-care services in the UK. Dr. Teizeem says “My experience of working with individuals and their families gives me a greater understanding that mental health difficulties affect all systems around the individual. I am particularly passionate about the systemic and cultural aspects of managing Eating Disorders. I therefore work holistically and am an advocate for early intervention and treatment.”

Dr. Victoria Mountford has over 20 years of experience in working with individuals with eating disorders and body image concerns and their families, and has worked in specialist NHS outpatient, in patient and day-care eating disorder services including the Maudsley Hospital Eating Disorder Service. Dr. Victoria was part of the founding team who developed FREED, the first early intervention eating disorder service in London, UK, and in 2020 was joint recipient of the Academy for Eating Disorders Outstanding Clinician Award. Dr. Victoria adds: “I am passionate about improving treatment and outcomes for people who experience eating disorders and body image concerns. Such difficulties often have huge emotional, physical, social and financial costs for both the individual and their family.”

The LightHouse Arabia, situated at 821 Al Wasl Road, Al Safa 2, Dubai was founded in 2011 by clinical psychologists Dr. Saliha Afridi and Dr. Tara Wyne, whose shared mission and vision is to make the region happier and healthier. With an international team of over 25 licensed psychologists and psychiatrists, The LightHouse Arabia is a community mental health and wellness center providing quality care to children, adults, couples and families. The LightHouse Arabia also works with corporations, schools, hospitals and other institutions to promote mental wellness through education and training programs.  They are the only authorized and licensed provider of Mental Health First Aid training in the U.A.E., and the center is also home to the Raymee Grief Center, a free-of-charge grief support service – the first of its kind in the region.