Eating disorders are awful illnesses - they have a way of weaving their way in to every part of life. As well as being medically serious illnesses, they have a profound cost on the quality of life of those living with an eating disorder, and often of those who love and care for people with eating disorders. We also know that eating disorders “work” for a period of time. A key goal for our eating disorder psychologists and specially trained eating disorder dietitians is to understand what function an eating disorder is serving, and replace that with more helpful strategies so that the grip of the eating disorder can slowly loosen.

Providing high quality, evidence informed and person centred treatment for those seeking recovery from eating disorders was the founding focus of Person Centred Psychology & Allied Health. Over the last 12 years as well as building our in-house team of passionate and highly skilled psychologists and dietitians, we have built strong relationship with GPs, eating disorder coaches, and other allied health professionals. This means we are able to connect you to experienced and compassionate professionals in South Melbourne, Port Melbourne, Southbank, and surrounding suburbs, and provide a cohesive multidisciplinary team to support your eating disorder recovery.

If you’re reading this, you likely already know that eating disorders are a complex mental illness which have a serious impact on individuals psychological, social, medical and economic well-being. Influenced by a range of factors including neurobiology, early learning experiences, psychological traits and social influences such as diet culture and weight stigma, eating disorders can take hold of people’s lives. We oriented our treatment from a place of deep compassion for individuals experiencing eating disorders, and also understand the impact on carers and loved ones who may require independent support.

Characterised by restrictive eating behaviours, attempts to compensate for nutritional intake, binge eating, poor body image, and significant distress eating disorders have more in common across the diagnostic spectrum than differences. While diagnoses of Anorexia, Bulimia and Binge Eating Disorder may fit for some people, many individuals with serious illness fit in to a broader category of OSFED (Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder). While diagnoses can support access to some services, our therapists are focussed on each individuals unique experiences and distress. Everyone is deserving of support and it is our purpose to be here to help or to support you to find the service most suited to you.

Disordered eating of any kind can have a serious impact on an individual’s emotional and physical wellbeing, and those suffering often report higher levels of anxiety, depression, guilt, shame, and self-loathing. These additional factors, coupled with uncertainty about change, can make it very difficult to ask for help. Our skilled eating disorder psychologists also understand eating disorders don’t happen in isolation and are trained to deliver formulation led treatments with treatment that integrates other mental health symptoms and difficulties.

Seeking support:

While the evidence supports early intervention, the team at Person Centred Psychology & Allied Health firmly believe that eating disorders can be treated at any time. Working with experienced psychologists and dietitians who understand eating disorders is important in successful recovery-oriented treatment. The psychologists and dietitians who work within our eating disorder team are credentialed with ANZAED, or are working towards their credentialing with additional training. This team meets once a fortnight to continue to learn and grow together, supporting a high quality of contemporary evidence based treatment for our clients.

If you would like to discuss whether we are the right team for you, please reach out to our triage team who will take the time to speak with you and ensure we have a good uderstanding of you as an individual. From there we will be able to match you with the most suitable clinicians on our team. We advocate for the effectiveness of a multidisciplinary approach when undertaking the complexities of eating disorder treatment and encourage the involvement of psychology, dietetics, and a general practitioner as part of the baseline care team.

If you, or someone you care about is showing signs of an eating disorder or disordered eating, we recommend contacting your general practitioner, or us to discuss your concerns. Our team of talented eating disorder psychologists and dietitians will walk beside you or your loved one on the path to recovery.

Are you ready to take back control of your life?