Our work together will involve an initial assessment period of 2 to 4 sessions. This is a time for me to get a better understanding of you and what you’re struggling with, and for you to assess whether I am the right person to assist you. During these sessions, we will discuss your current concerns and the history of your difficulties with eating, weight and shape, as well as your broader life history. Following assessment, we will negotiate an individualised treatment plan.

I require eating disorder clients to be engaged with their GP for regular medical monitoring throughout the course of therapy. If you do not have a GP who can provide this, I can make recommendations for GPs with eating disorder knowledge in Brisbane.

My practice is primarily informed by relational psychodynamic theory. However, I am trained in a range of eating disorder therapies including Focal Psychodynamic Therapy (FPT), Enhanced Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT-E), and Specialist Supportive Clinical Management (SSCM), which are outlined below. The approach we choose depends on your goals, personal preference, and current medical stability.

Focal Psychodynamic Therapy (FPT)
Psychodynamic therapy sees eating disorder symptoms as an attempt to cope with underlying difficulties. The therapy seeks to tease apart the underlying precursors of your eating disorder – this may include childhood and adult traumas, losses that have not been fully mourned, the impact of parental misattunement, or other difficulties. You can read more about psychodynamic therapy here. There is a growing evidence base that shows psychodynamic therapy is effective in reducing eating disorder symptoms and improving psychological wellbeing (Tasca & Balfour, 2019).

Enhanced Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT-E)
CBT-E is a structured therapy that occurs in four stages over a total of 20 or 40 sessions. Self-monitoring is a major component of CBT-E – you will monitor eating habits, thoughts, and feelings, and document these on a self-monitoring record. We will use your self-monitoring records in sessions to build practical skills and address factors that maintain your eating disorder, such as over-evaluation of weight and shape, dietary restriction, mood intolerance, low self-worth, and perfectionism.

Specialist Supportive Clinical Management (SSCM)
SSCM is a practical, gentle, and supportive approach that focuses not only on eating disorder symptoms, but on improving enjoyment and quality of life. This is a much more flexible approach compared to other structured skills-based approaches (such as CBT-E). In each session, we will review your eating disorder symptoms and progress towards goals . The remainder of the session is then dictated by your needs, feelings, and desires. My role is to support and encourage you to use skills and knowledge that you already have to move towards your treatment goals. In this sense, SSCM builds on a your pre-existing strengths, rather than providing you with a new set of skills.