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:
  • body image concerns
  • disordered eating
  • orthorexia
  • bulimia nervosa
  • binge eating disorder 

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:
  1. Weight Inclusivity: Accept and respect the inherent diversity of body shapes and sizes and reject the idealising or pathologising of specific weights. 
  2. Health Enhancement: Support health policies that improve and equalise access to information and services, and personal practices that improve human well-being, including attention to individual physical, economic, social, spiritual, emotional, and other needs.
  3. Respectful Care: Acknowledge our biases, and work to end weight discrimination, weight stigma and weight bias. Provide information and services from an understanding that socio-economic status, race, gender, sexual orientation, age, and other identities impact weight stigma, and support environments that address these inequities.
  4. Eating for Well-being: Promote flexible, individualised eating based on hunger, satiety, nutritional needs, and pleasure, rather than any externally regulated eating plan focused on weight control.
  5. Life-Enhancing Movement: Support physical activities that allow people of all sizes, abilities, and interests to engage in enjoyable movement, to the degree that they choose.

​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

Email:
anna@annahenry.com.au

​Phone:
0455 023 383

Fax:
​9489 1402

Location:
Clifton Hill, Hawthorn & online therapy
Please feel free to contact me by phone, email, or the contact form below.  I will respond promptly during business hours, Tuesdays to Thursdays.  I do not take bookings or requests via SMS.  

I’m always happy to answer any questions, chat about what's going on for you and make a plan for how we might work together.  

Reaching out to make that first appointment can be daunting, but it's also an opportunity to move towards greater self care and wellbeing.  Remember, it's my job to make you feel comfortable and safe!