Role: Psychotherapist and Lead Therapist
Company: Weight Management Clinic
Track Record:
Bridin McKenna specialises in treatment of addictive behaviours including obesity, eating disorders and gambling addiction. Alongside running a busy private practice for the last 5 years, she has also volunteered at a local substance misuse charity, pioneering and developing new treatment strategies for addictions and obesity.
At the beginning of this year Bridin opened Northern Ireland’s first weight management clinic. The NI Weight Management Clinic (NIWMC) offers tried and tested psychological techniques to help people manage their weight promising results – making the clinic the very first of its kind in Northern Ireland.
The NIWMC focuses on the psychological issues around weight management and, through a combination of nutritional rehabilitation, cognitive behavioral techniques, clinical hypnotherapy, psychotherapy, cognitive energy therapy (EFT), virtual gastric bands, group therapy, workshops and neurolinguistic programming (NLP – a process which provides a deeper understanding of how the brain works and develops behavior patterns), the clinic helps people to change their relationship with food by changing their thinking, attitude and behavior for good.
Bridin said: ‘Most people are aware of the shocking statistics by now which revealed over half the people in Northern Ireland are overweight or obese. The timing couldn’t be better for the clinic to open and I’m delighted to be the first to open a clinic of this kind in Northern Ireland.
Exercise and a healthy diet are, of course, vital to health and well-being, but in terms of weight management, very often people fail to realise that their relationship with food is linked with their emotions, coping mechanisms and how they deal and respond to stress in day to day life.”
6.30am
My alarm sounds i.e. my dogs barking! They’re always eager to get out for their morning walk. I usually get up and tend to them first. I have lots of pets including a 19 year old cat and a 17 year old Jack Russell!
6.45am
I usually take an hour to squeeze in some work on my laptap in order to organise my busy day ahead and prepare sessions for clients.
7.45am
Off to the park with the dogs (depending on the weather!) I love watching my puppy’s boundless energy and passion, it really sets me up for the day ahead.
8.30am
Try and practice what I preach and eat some breakfast! It really is the most important meal of the day, setting us up both mentally and physically for a busy day, so a quick cup of tea is not going to keep my energy levels up!
9.00am
Arrive at the clinic and spend a quiet half hour ‘grounding’ myself to prepare for my first clients of the day. In this line of work you never know what is going to come through the door, and clients can often arrive in great emotional distress, so a calm and emphathetic welcome is vital.
1.00pm
Break for lunch after a busy and intensive morning. I do try and eat a nutritionally balanced lunch to keep my blood sugars and mood balanced for the busy afternoon ahead.
2.00pm
Back to the clinic for another busy afternoon of clients. I also do some voluntary work for a local substance misuse charity in Belfast, this work can be very challenging but immensely rewarding and can often involve crisis management, so I have to make sure I am on my toes!
5.00pm
I take a break after a busy day of meeting with clients and take the chance to get caught up with returning client calls, emails and writing up client notes before the evening clinic starts.
6.00pm
My next client arrives for the beginning of evening clinic. My work is so varied and interesting so I find that I am immediately captivated by the next issue in front of me.
8.30pm
My last client of the day departs, and as usual I find myself energised and stimulated from a very rewarding day helping clients move forward and heal emotional pain. Of course not all days are like this and thankfully psychotherapists are well trained to deal with any eventualities!
9.00pm
Home to a very warm welcome from my very excited dogs who are always delighted to see me! Loads of doggy cuddles and out to the park for a quick walk.
9.30pm
A late dinner followed by more work as I follow up on the day’s clients with emails.
11.00pm
Off to bed for a great night’s sleep! For more information on NIWMC visit www.niweightmanagementclinic.com
Visit the clinic at:
3 Anna House,
Dunmurry Business Park
31a Upper Dunmurry Lane
BT17 0AA