Support for how you feel, not just what you weigh – get started today
Psychological support isn’t an add-on at Oviva, it’s part of your programme from day one.
Losing weight isn’t only about food and exercise. How you feel – about food, about your body, about yourself matters just as much. So when you join our NHS specialist weight management programme, we ask about your emotional wellbeing as well as your physical health, using questions designed by our own psychology team. And we keep checking in every few months, so your support keeps pace with your journey – whether that’s content and webinars in your app, short self-guided courses, one-to-one coaching, or sessions with a Clinical Psychologist.
“The psychologists genuinely care about my mental wellbeing, not just the physical side.”
“A psychologist talked to me about how I truly felt about my weight. Not just how I looked, but how it affected me underneath. Having someone take the time to understand that side of things, rather than just focusing on the number on the scales, meant a lot.”
Read Jackie’s fully story (Button to BLOG or video)
How it works
Everyone on the programme gets psychological support. What yours looks like depends on what you need – and it can change along your journey.
- Level 1: For everyone, from day one.
You’ll have access to psychological support as standard — no need to ask. Our psychology webinars and Learn content in the app are created by Oviva’s own psychology team, covering things like emotional eating, motivation and being kinder to yourself. - Level 2: Guided self-help, in your own time.
If our questions show there’s a specific area where more support would help, you can work through a short course — up to five 15-minute audio or app-based sessions, at whatever pace suits you. Each one is designed by our psychology team and grounded in approaches that are proven to work. - Level 3: One to one coaching, focused on you.
If you’d benefit from more personal support, you’ll have 20-minute one-to-one sessions with a member of our psychology team – focused on whatever is getting in your way, like emotional eating patterns or low confidence. - Level 4: Specialist support with a Clinical Psychologist.
Some people need more in-depth support – and that’s okay. If that’s you, you’ll have one-to-one sessions with a Clinical Psychologist who takes the time to understand your situation properly, including your mental health and your relationship with food, and shapes your care around it.
“We ground our programme in psychological principles to make sure we’re supporting people in making sustainable changes to their lives, so they can move towards their own personal goals. We ask everyone on our weight management programme about their psychological health, so we can personalise support to what each person actually needs. Everything we offer is created by our psychology team, grounded in evidence, and shaped by what our patients tell us.”
Lisa Debrou, Clinical Expert for Psychology at Oviva [link out to Lisa’s author page once ready]
If you are taking weight loss medications as part of the programme
Some people on our programme take weight loss medication as part of their journey. If that’s you, psychological support matters just as much -maybe more.
Medication can change your appetite – not your relationship with food.
Emotional eating, how you feel about your body, habits built over years — medication doesn’t reach those. Our psychology team helps with the parts it can’t.
It helps you keep going – now and after.
Side effects, plateaus, slow weeks: they happen. Support with the emotional side helps you stay on track through them — and builds habits that last if your medication is ever reduced or stopped.
We keep an eye on how you’re feeling.
We check in on your emotional wellbeing regularly throughout your treatment — so if something changes, we notice, and we’re there.
Patients don’t just lose weight – they feel better
We ask people how they feel when they start with us, and again after nine months. Here’s what they told us:
Over five times as many people rated their quality of life as “excellent” or “very good” after nine months
44% said they rarely ate for emotional reasons — up from 30% when they started
Half as many people said they were always struggling with feelings like sadness or anxiety
Data source: From a study of 1,270 people on Oviva’s NHS weight management programme, presented at the European Congress on Obesity 2026.
About Oviva’s Weight Management programme
The Oviva NHS weight management programme gives you up to two years of structured support from a whole team that works together: doctors who specialise in weight, dietitians, psychologists, nurses and health coaches – with weight loss medication where it’s right for you. One programme, one team, all around you.
“It’s been life-changing and I know it can help so many others who feel stuck like I did.”
“I feel brighter, more confident, and happier overall, and I’m proud of how far I’ve come.”
“I look at old photos of myself and think: I never want to go back there.”
“The mindset is there now and that’s what matters. I know I can lose it again even when I have small setbacks.”
“I don’t see food as good or bad anymore. I recognise what my body needs. I don’t feel guilty anymore. I can’t recognise the old me.”
“I feel like I’m becoming my old self again, but better.”
“I can’t remember the last time I used my inhaler. I can run up the stairs and I’ve got so much more energy.”