Compassionate Support for Eating Disorders
Your relationship with food, eating or your body may feel confusing, exhausting, or hard to explain to the people around you. You don't need to have the right words, or be certain about what's going on, to reach out.
At Aura Mind Clinic, you can find support to explore the emotional and personal challenges associated with eating disorders.
Understanding Eating Disorders
Eating disorders are complex mental health conditions, not a choice, a phase, or a matter of self-control. They can develop for many reasons, and often involve a difficult relationship with food, eating, exercise or body image that affects emotional wellbeing, relationships and daily life.
Eating disorders can affect people of any age, gender, body size or background. For some people, eating-related concerns may involve strict food rules or fear around eating. Others may experience episodes of binge eating, distress about body image or feel that their thoughts about food are taking up too much of their day.
Whatever you're experiencing, and however long it's been going on, support is available.
Signs to Look For
You May Be Experiencing
- Persistent worry about weight, shape or body image
- Eating patterns that feel hard to control or predict
- Strong feelings of guilt, shame or anxiety around food
- Eating in secret, or avoiding eating with others
- Using food, eating or exercise to manage difficult emotions
- Feeling that your thoughts about food or your body take up a lot of your day
- Experiencing shame, isolation or a sense of losing control around eating.
You may recognise some of these experiences without identifying with a particular eating disorder. Whatever you are going through, your concerns deserve to be taken seriously.
How Therapy Helps with Eating-Related Concerns
Building a Healthy Relationship With Food and Yourself
Therapy can provide an opportunity to understand the thoughts, feelings and experiences connected to your relationship with food. Depending on your needs, this may involve exploring:
-
Understanding Emotional Triggers
Recognise situations, emotions and experiences that may contribute to distress around food, eating or body image.
-
Managing Difficult Thoughts and Feelings
Explore ways to respond to anxiety, shame, guilt and self-criticism with greater understanding and compassion.
-
Developing Healthier Coping Strategies
Identify other ways to manage stress and emotional discomfort without relying on patterns that may be affecting your wellbeing.
-
Exploring Self-Worth and Body Image
Consider how expectations, past experiences and beliefs about yourself influence the way you feel about your body.
-
Strengthening Everyday Relationships
Explore how eating-related concerns affect relationships, social activities and other areas of life that matter to you.
-
The focus of therapy will depend on your circumstances, needs and goals. Progress does not have to happen all at once.
Eating Disorder Support in Perth
Eating disorders can involve real risk to physical health, so psychological support alone is often not enough. Depending on the nature and severity of your difficulties, support may involve a coordinated approach with your GP, an eating disorder specialist, a qualified dietitian or other healthcare professionals.
Psychological support can be one part of this process. Where more specialised or medical care is needed, appropriate assessment and referral are important.
If you are unsure what kind of support would suit your situation, an initial conversation can help you explore your options.
Frequently Asked Questions
Disordered eating describes eating behaviours that may negatively affect a person's wellbeing but do not necessarily meet the criteria for a diagnosed eating disorder. An eating disorder is a recognised mental health condition. Both can be distressing and may benefit from professional support.
You can contact Aura Mind Clinic to enquire about an initial appointment. However, a referral and an eligible Eating Disorder Treatment and Management Plan are required to access Medicare rebates for services under Australia's eating disorder treatment scheme.
Possibly. Depending on your needs, support may involve your GP, a qualified dietitian and other healthcare professionals alongside psychological therapy. Working together can help address both the physical and emotional aspects of an eating disorder.
Medicare rebates may be available for eligible eating disorder treatment services if you meet the requirements and have a valid referral and treatment plan. Coverage depends on your circumstances and the provider's eligibility. Contact Aura Mind Clinic to ask about fees and available Medicare options.