Kel O'Neill

Kel is one of the founding members of LEED and an independent Counsellor / Psychotherapist and Educator primarily working in the field of eating disorders. As a Therapist Kel runs a busy private practice working from an Integrative-Existential-Humanistic perspective, and is the creator of ‘The Eating Disorder Recovery Companion’, an online self-help portal for those stuck on waiting lists and struggling to access Eating Disorder care.

Kel’s main interests are in eating disorder education, weight bias, risk management and iatrogenic harm in eating disorder care. She also delivers UK wide CPD events and runs the three times award nominated eating disorder awareness blog ‘Mental Health Bites’, as well as the YouTube channel by the same name.

Kel is a fully Accredited member of the BACP and a Fellow of the International Society for Psychotherapy and Counselling (ISPC). She is also one of the longest serving Ambassadors (lived experience volunteer) for the eating disorder charity Beat, having been involved in a wealth of co-production and lived experience participation.

When not working, you can usually find Kel cuddled up with her dogs, Tilly and Lexie, or busy nurturing a small veg garden.

• Understanding the use of BMI as a referal and treatment criteria for Eating Disorders: Qualitative study (LEED Project).
• Body Happy Schools Programme Evaluation: Portfolio of studies.
• Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Brain Science Research: A co-production project.
• Eating Disorder Recovery Companion Evaluation: Conducting a longitudinal study to assess user outcomes.
• Weight Management Programmes: Exploring adults’ experiences on  attending childhood weight management programmes.
• Risk Perception in Eating Disorders: Investigating how therapists’ responses to client weight influence risk perception.

Not necessarily a complete list

• Recovery Companion Platform Development: Created and launched an innovative subscription-based tool to support individuals waiting for or struggling to access treatment for eating disorders.
• Former Co-Chair for the Social Media Committee of the Academy for Eating Disorders (AED): Led international team in rebranding and operationalising social media use.
• Ambassador for Beat: Supported campaigns, presenting at events and co-production over many years.
• Eating Disorder Service Assessments: Undertook assessments of services to evaluate their effectiveness, accessibility, and alignment with the needs of service users, incorporating lived experience insights.

Not necessarily a complete list

• Frances, T., O’Neill, K., & Newman, K. (2024). ‘An extra fight I didn’t ask for’: A qualitative survey exploring the impact of calories on menus for people with experience of eating disorders. British Journal of Health Psychology, 29, 20–36. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjhp.12685
• O’Neill, K. (2018). Eating Disorders: Is Inaction Tantamount to Negligence? Healthcare Counselling and Psychotherapy Journal, 18(1),8-12

Not necessarily a complete list