About Eileen Murphy

Eileen has been working within the field of psychiatric rehabilitation for 25 years where she worked with those suffering with severe mental health diagnoses. She was instrumental in helping to establish several ground breaking and innovative services during that time.

These services included an Alternative to Hospital Admission for those with a mental health diagnosis, a Diversion from Custody Scheme also for those with a mental health diagnosis and a forensic background and the setting up of Therapeutic Community practice on a hospital ward working with eating disorders.

Eileen took a year’s sabbatical to study eating disorders and the effects of food and hormones on mental health. She has specialised in working with those suffering, their families and significant others for the past 10 years.

Pondtail House was set up by Eileen as the first therapeutic community for the treatment of eating disorders outside of a hospital setting in the UK. Eileen sought the support of Jacqui Smith the then MP for Residential Care, as the Care Standards Commission did not have a category within which to register the service at that time.

Eventually Eileen was registered as Clinical Director, Unit Manager, Service Provider and Responsible Individual with the Commission for Social Care Inspection under the Care Standards Act 2000.

The entire Care Programme, staff training and Policies and Procedures necessary for this registration and acceptance by the NHS as being of a standard for referrals, was written and activated by Eileen.

Since then Eileen returned to private practice and has been able to work with some clients in the same “living, learning” environment when they came to Spain for intensive one to one therapy over a period of several days.

This emulation of a therapeutic community environment proved to be very effective and now Eileen wishes to share learning she has acquired with the subsequent benefits of practice, with others who are finding that working in this field is a continuous voyage of self-discovery even if they are as anxious as they are excited by the thought.

Eileen is registered with the European Association for Psychotherapy and the UKCP.