Our Services
Individual, Group & Family Based Treatment.
Family-Based Treatment (FBT) for Anorexia Nervosa
“The Maudsley Model”
This outpatient treatment for adolescent anorexia nervosa involves the entire family and has been shown to be effective for those under 18 who have been ill for less than three years. The model asserts that young people with eating disorders often cannot make sound decisions about food, so the family is seen as a crucial resource in their treatment rather than a contributing factor to the disorder.
Treatment focuses on strengthening the parenting team to take charge of the eating disorder.
Three Phases of Treatment
Phase 1
Parents, guided by clinicians, take charge of all eating decisions to help their child regain health. Siblings offer emotional support to create a positive home environment.
Phase 2
Phase 3
The way we think can affect the way we feel and behave
The primary goal of CBT is to help individuals identify and change these unhelpful patterns. Through CBT, individuals can develop healthier coping mechanisms that reduce distress and decrease reliance on harmful habits, such as addictions or avoidance behaviors. CBT’s effectiveness is widely supported by research, showing significant and lasting improvements across various mental health issues.
Personal suffering stems from our attempts to avoid the experience
ACT is a treatment approach based on the idea that personal suffering often arises not from emotional pain itself, but from our efforts to avoid it. This pain may include distressing thoughts, feelings, sensations, and memories. While avoidance might offer short-term relief, it’s often unhelpful in the long run. For instance, alcohol use is a common avoidance tactic that may provide immediate comfort but tends to have negative, long-term consequences.
“Autopilot”
Many people arrive at destinations without fully realizing how they got there, often living on autopilot.
In therapy, mindfulness is a state of openness and awareness focused on the present moment. When we practice mindfulness, difficult thoughts and feelings have less control over us, promoting curiosity and flexibility in our interactions.
Mindful strategies can help us:
- Distance ourselves from unhelpful thoughts and feelings
- Accept and experience painful emotions instead of avoiding them
By being fully present, we can become more aware of the feelings and experiences we often try to evade. This approach encourages less judgment in our lives and helps us recognize that our emotions can come and go, much like the tides. By not resisting our emotional experiences, we open ourselves up to deeper connections with ourselves and our surroundings, ultimately fostering greater compassion, especially toward ourselves.
Although mindfulness is a relatively recent addition to modern psychology, it has emerged as a powerful, evidence-based tool for improving psychological health. Research continues to support mindfulness as an effective intervention for various clinical challenges, including anxiety, depression, trauma, and eating disorders.
Readiness to change a given behaviour
MET therefore supports clients in exploring their readiness to change a given behaviour, such as their drinking, or giving up an eating disorder, and pitches therapy at their particular level of motivation to change. It uses strategies to support clients in enhancing and fostering their readiness to change, and has been shown to be a helpful adjunct to therapy for a number of concerns including eating disorders and alcohol/substance use as well as other addictive behaviours.
Let’s Get in Touch
We offer a warm and empathic space in Sydney for individuals with eating disorders.
Making the decision to reach out can be overwhelming, but our experienced team will work with you to understand your fears and your motivations to change, so they can support you to achieve your goals.