“As the Chinese philosopher Lao-Tzu is quoted as saying ‘A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step’, and thankfully I believe my time in Cotswold House gave me the skills, incentive and motivation to facilitate such a movement. I am sincerely grateful to CHM and feel honestly blessed to have had such an experience…I owe great thanks to the team of dedicated, skilled and caring staff.”

“Every other form of help I have received has pushed me into doing things that I wasn’t ready to. Cotswold House was slightly different in their approach. I wasn’t rushed into doing things that I couldn’t manage. I wasn’t forced into situations that would make me feel uncomfortable, but gradually over time I became used to a more normal outlook and made my own decisions to take the giant leap.”

“Cotswold House has been for me
A place to feel and be serene
With many staff so kind and true
Without their help I would not pull through
The thoughts are there, but staff are too!
They listen, they talk, they are there for you,
We need to fight, we know that’s true,
But without great staff, what would we do?”

My Journey
Walking through the doors,
I’ve never been so afraid,
But the kindness I received,
What a difference that made.

The staff, all so caring and kind,
Always there to listen, never seeming to mind.
There to help me, through thick and through thin,
They would never give up, and together we’d win.

Now I am healthy in body and mind,
I will never go back, can never rewind.
Looking forward to the rest of my life,
To being a sister, a daughter, and maybe a wife.

Without Cotswold House I’d never have won,
And let’s face it, my life would be done.
So thank you and thank you a thousand times more,
I will never forget as I walk back out that door.

“Coming to Cotswold House initially saved my life and from that it has gone to ..changing my life. When I arrived I was so frightened and poorly; consumed in an illness that was more than determined to make me starve myself to death. It scares me to think how much of a reality death could have been for me. However during my time in Cotswold House I have been able to see things very differently and it has opened my eyes to a world of possibilities. It has not been an easy journey for me, but the staff here are the best I have every known.

For so long my anorexia had made me an outcast from my friends and family…now I can join in and be a part of things and it is so fantastic to feel wanted and involved.”

“I’ve made so much progress. My future will be completely different because of coming here. I never imagined I could get to a place of optimism as I feel now. Staffs patience and support have helped me to feel safe and able to talk about how I feel”

“I have managed to gain weight, increase my BMI and conquer many ED behaviours that I had not even recognised as ED behaviours. I have faced challenges I would otherwise have avoided and learnt to face them head on and deal with any problems arising from them. I’m more willing to open up and confront my emotions and discuss them openly and calmly in order to reduce my anxieties. I am now more aware and accepting of food portion sizes and the calorific intake necessary to gain/maintain weight.”

“The programme has given me so many practical skills to help turn my thinking around and challenge eating disorder thoughts especially in goal setting, cooking, shopping, psychoeducation, motivation and DBT. For the first time I have learned easy to use practical skills that have helped me move forward considerably. I am able to eat “difficult” foods much more easily when on my own and maintain a good balanced diet. The staff have been amazing in supporting, helping and motivating me to achieve this.”

“I believe my stay at Cotswold House has equipped me with the skills needed to progress from being an inpatient to living at home.”

“The whole care package provided by the team here at Cotswold house has been fantastic.”

“My time at Cotswold House, especially my work with the OT and my individual therapist has enabled me to develop skills to continue making progress alone at home and at work.”

“I have made the most progress in battling my eating disorder whilst being here than I have in the 7 years that I have been ill. I have been able to attend a program that has treated all parts of my illness and has not been focused solely on gaining weight. Through the therapy and group program I have been able to focus on recovery and have gained a huge amount of insight to the underlying issues. I have been able to work on and challenge these and I have also been given hope and a belief that it is possible to recover. I have also learnt a healthier approach towards food and no longer need to calorie count. I can eat a wide variety of foods now and I am able to do things like go out and eat with friends, which I could never do before.”

“From all the eating disorder units I’ve been in, it’s the most professional and lovely place to deal with your problems. It’s a very supportive environment.”

“I have found out who I am here, I’m no longer frightened or scared, I can make my own decisions, be independent, and have control over my life. Cotswold House are heroes…I’ll never forget the support and patience the staff had.”

“The groups, patients and my care team/staff have helped me achieve my goal with constant care and support.”

“Cotswold House has prepared me for continuing to make progress at home. Meal planning and food prep has contributed greatly to this.”

“Cotswold House has a therapeutic, realistic, humanistic approach… they have helped me help myself.”

“During my admission at Cotswold House I have gained many skills to help manage my eating disorder. The staff were very supportive and have encouraged me to help myself in all areas of my illness from taking one mouthful of food to finding my independence to make good food choices and plan ahead for my future. I am more independent, gained more confidence and feel able to move on to the next level in the community. Cotswold House has helped me to help myself, I am truly grateful on behalf of my family, as well as myself.”

“All the staff are so understanding of this illness and are so dedicated and supportive. They have all been amazing!”

“I found the group programme a great help as well as practical sessions such as sandwich making and meal prep. The staged progression of snacks and meals out in the canteen to going into town was a very worthwhile part to participate in.”

“Cotswold House has provided with the skills to take responsibility for myself as well as getting me into a normal eating pattern, it has taught me that there is an alternative to exercise and i feel i have more confidence to try new skills.”

“I have made great progress in confronting fear foods and challenging my rigid behaviours with regards to food. My confidence eating in public has improved as well as my ability to choose different foods.”

“Every member of my team definitely helped.  Actually, every member of staff who I talked to, I benefited from. I thought the male staff were very approachable and helpful. Everyone had something different to help from humour, listening, coping skills, sometimes strictness, general interaction. When you have all the above offered to you, what more could you ask for!”

“Cotswold House Marlborough has rebuilt my confidence and I have done things I’ve not done for years.”