Eating Disorders & Body Image |
Recovery from disordered eating and eating disorders
Many people have a difficult relationship with food and let's face it, our modern obsession with dieting and body shape doesn't help! Disordered eating can involve feeling out of control around food and becoming fixated on dieting, 'health' and restrictive food rules, leading people to lose touch with the body's natural hunger and fullness signals. There can be repeated cycles of bingeing followed by dieting or so called 'clean' or 'healthy' eating. Food and weight can become the central focus of life, with fulfilment, meaning and connection left by the wayside. Instead of bringing nourishment and pleasure, food can become a source of misery, guilt and shame. It is important to recognise that these symptoms can be warning signs of an eating disorder. Eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder, are serious illnesses. Eating Disorders Victoria (EDV) and The Butterfly Foundation provide excellent information about these conditions. Complete recovery from an eating disorder is possible. I treat adults struggling with:
Changing your relationship with food and improving body image During our time working together, we will unpack the issues underlying your relationship with food and your body (heads up - food isn’t really the problem...and neither is your body). But treatment isn’t just about talking. I will offer you practical day-to-day strategies to help you understand what triggers your difficulties with food and/or body image and learn what you can do differently to start the healing process. Working together, we can bring balance back into your relationship with food and your body. Remember, stable, long-term and complete recovery is possible! Health at Every Size® My passion for assisting people struggling with food and body image led to seven years work with Body Positive Australia in Melbourne, co-facilitating the fabulous RIPE (Recovery is Possible for Everyone) group therapy program, for women diagnosed with binge eating disorder or bulimia nervosa. I am a passionate Health at Every Size (HAES) advocate, and offer a non-dieting and weight-neutral approach that focuses on health and wellbeing rather than numbers on a scale. If you're interested in learning more about HAES, you can have a look at the Association for Size Diversity & Health website. The HAES principles are described below:
Emotion-Focused Therapy The struggle with food and body image is often underpinned by difficulties in dealing with and expressing emotions. Some people may feel shut off and disconnected from their emotional life, while others may feel overwhelmed and swamped by difficult emotional experiences. Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) is a powerful evidence-based approach that helps people identify, understand, express, manage and transform their emotions. Anna is currently working towards her international accreditation in EFT via the Australian Institute for Emotion-Focused Therapy (AIEFT). For more information about EFT, please see the AIEFT website. |
Contact
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Unfortunately I'm currently not accepting new clients or offering a waitlist, as my caseload is full.
For food and body image concerns, please contact The Butterfly Foundation or Eating Disorders Victoria for information, support and referral options. For general mental health concerns, your GP can offer referrals. |