Dr Bryony Bamford

Founder & Clinical Director, Clinical Psychologist · she/her

BSc(hons), DClinPsy

Registration

Quick facts

  • Year qualified: 2007
  • Years in eating disorders: Over 25 years
  • Consults at: Central London, Richmond, Remote

Biography

I am the Founder and Clinical Director of The London Centre, with nearly 25 years’ experience specialising in eating disorders across NHS, private, inpatient and outpatient settings. I founded TLC in 2013 to offer timely access to high-quality, evidence-based and person-centred eating disorder treatment. My clinical work focuses not only on resolving symptoms, but on understanding the underlying psychological processes that maintain eating difficulties.

approach to treatment

I learned relatively early on in my career that, whilst no two people with eating disorders are the same, treatment is only really effective when a deep understanding of what works with eating disorders and what works for the individual is combined. My job as an eating disorder therapist is to be knowledgeable and skilled, but also patient, compassionate and committed to helping my clients in the best way I can.

areas of interest / specialism

My areas of particular interest include severe and longstanding eating disorder and the role of trauma in eating difficulties. Earlier in my career, I worked in international research developing psychological treatments for severe and enduring anorexia nervosa, a complex but deeply rewarding area of practice. I later trained in Family Based Treatment, which broadened my work with young people and their families. More recently, I have trained in EMDR and SPEAKS, both of which offer powerful ways of helping people process trauma, move through stuckness and make meaningful change.

specialised Training

  • CBT-E – Enhanced Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (2007)
  • Family-Based Treatment (FBT) – Maudsley Method (2013)
  • Schema-Focused Therapy (2014)
  • EMDR – Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (2017)
  • CBT-AR – Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (2023)
  • SPEAKS – Specialist Psychotherapy for Eating Disorders in Adults with Anorexia Nervosa (2026)
  • Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
  • Third Wave Therapies – Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) & Mentalization-Based Treatment (MBT)
  • International Research Expertise – Psychological treatments for severe and enduring anorexia

Senior Roles and Notable Prior Posts

  • Founder and Clinical Director of The London Centre.
  • International research career involved training, supervising and promoting development of cutting-edge eating disorder treatments across the spectrum.
  • International eating disorders research career, developing psychological treatments for severe and enduring anorexia.
  • NHS and private settings, inpatient and outpatient.

Media & Press:

Dr Bryony Bamford has contributed to a range of media, research and public education work in the field of eating disorders and body image. She is co-author of Bulimia, Binge-eating and Their Treatment with Professor Hubert Lacey and Amy Brown, and has published research on eating disorders, including quality of life in eating disorders, severe and enduring anorexia nervosa, therapeutic alliance, personal values in anorexia nervosa, and treatment outcomes. She has also contributed to podcasts and media discussions on eating disorders, body image, social media, relationships and recovery, including appearances on Full of Beans, Well Far: The Running Podcast, The Silent Epidemic, and Relational Lives. She has also contributed expert commentary to media outlets including Stylist, Grazia, Dazed Beauty, Women’s Health, Paper Magazine, Mail Online and GB News.

  • Outside of my professional life, I am a busy mum of four, as well as a wife, friend, sister and daughter. These relationships are a huge part of who I am, and I try to balance the busyness of family life with a career that I truly enjoy and feel very privileged to do.
    Dr Bryony Bamford

Q&A with Bryony

I know that coming for an assessment can feel extremely nerve-wracking, especially when you are seeking support for something that may feel difficult or unfamiliar to talk about. My aim is for you to feel comfortable, understood and not judged, and to leave with a clearer sense of what treatment might need to focus on and how we might approach this together. It is also a chance for you to get a feel for me as a clinician and as a person, and to consider whether I feel like someone you could trust to support you in your recovery.

One misconception is that eating disorders are simply about food and weight, or that body image difficulties are rooted in vanity. In reality, these difficulties are often deeply connected to experience, emotion, relationships and self-identity. Of course, symptoms need to be addressed, but treatment should not stop there. Meaningful recovery involves understanding what sits beneath the symptoms, so that change feels more sustainable beyond the end of therapy.