My name is Charlotte Long and I am the FREED Champion and Senior Eating Disorders Practitioner for Adult Eating Disorders Services in Lincolnshire (Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust).

I qualified as a Registered Mental Health Nurse in 2004 and subsequently worked as a Community Psychiatric Nurse within a Community Mental Health Team for the following 6 years, which provided me with a good grounding in working with individuals with a wide range of mental health conditions. I started working within the Eating Disorders Service in January 2010 and since then, have gained valuable experience and knowledge in working with individuals with eating disorders.

My experience has taught me the importance of early intervention and this is why I am so passionate about FREED and delivering high quality interventions at the right time.

In Lincolnshire, we have a growing team of Psychologists, Nurses, Psychiatrist, CBT Therapists and Dietitians to provide a multi-disciplinary approach to treatment. We offer NICE (National Institute for Clinical Excellence) interventions through 1-1 psychotherapy and also run a day programme on 3 days per week, which provides a more intensive level of support for those who need it.

We work closely with our Lincolnshire CAMHS Eating Disorders Service and the CAMHS Freed Co-ordinator (Emily Brewer), to help facilitate finding the right services and smooth transitions for the young people who we are supporting.