Media Release: Nurses Weighing at Schools Eating Disorder Alliance (EDA)
September 13, 2024
September 9, 2024 Eating Disorders Alliance (EDA) says school nurses weighing children will create more
OUR PEOPLE
OUR PEOPLE
We are a team of caring, qualified individuals, many with a lived experience with eating disorders, who are here to help you.
Belinda Chelius (She/Her)
Chief Executive Officer
A skilled, dedicated and passionate feminist Senior Social Work Clinician.
LEADERSHIP TEAM
Poppy-Louise Batts (She/Her)
Lead Senior Practitioner & Clinical Team Supervisor
Poppy is a registered psychotherapist with PACFA and holds a Master of Psychotherapy (Hons) and Bachelor of Science (Psychology).
Sarah L (She/Her)
bITE Coordinator
Sarah is an Eating Disorder Practitioner and coordinator of the bITE program.
Mandy Long
Lived Experience Coordinator & North QLD Coordinator.
Mandy has been working and volunteering in community settings and private practice since mid 1990’s. Her multiple decade lived experience background in eating disorders, family breakdown and trauma formed her heart for humanity, advocacy and personhood.
Nat Scales
Senior Eating Disorder Practitioner
A practitioner in the Individual Clinical stream, with a Masters in Counselling.
Vanessa Cardillo (She/Her)
Senior Finance Officer
Vanessa is a Chartered Accountant with a Bachelor of Commerce. In her role she is responsible for payroll execution and financial reporting.
OPERATIONS/PUBLIC HEALTH TEAM
Stella Taylor (She/Her)
Indigenous Liaison Officer & Practice Administrator
Stella is the practice administrator and the first point of contact for general enquiries and administrative duties.
Jess Tone (She/Her)
Research Lead
Jess is an early career investigator who leads research and evaluation at EDQ. She overseas research projects, data quality assurance, and internal program evaluation for EDQ’s individual and group services.
Hannah Kirby (She/Her)
Care Navigator
Hannah is our dedicated care navigator. She is often one of the first points of contact when accessing EDQ services and will help you get connected to the appropriate supports.
Victoria (She/Her)
Health Promotion & Communications Officer
Victoria manages EDQ’s social media platforms, and is involved in the organisations advocacy and health promotion strategy. She has qualifications in BHSc Nutritional Medicine, Post Graduate Certificate in Health Psychology & Bachelor of Arts (Media Communications).
CLINICAL TEAM
Sarah Larsen (She/Her)
Eating Disorder Practitioner
Sarah is a practitioner in the individual clinical stream.
Laura (She/Her)
Eating Disorder Practitioner
Laura holds a Bachelor of Psychology (Honours), Postgraduate Degree in Adolescent Mental Health and a Masters of Counselling.
Amira Hassan (She/Her)
Eating Disorder Practitioner
Amira is a lived-experienced practitioner in the clinical stream, with a background in Lived Experience Work at EDQ and a Master of Social Work.
Kayla L (She/Her)
Eating Disorder Practitioner
Kayla is an eating disorder practitioner in the clinical stream delivering individual counselling and group work.
Amy D (She/Her)
Eating Disorder Practitioner
Amy holds a Bachelor of Psychology and a Masters in Counselling.
Alex Rodriguez (He/Him)
Dietetics
Alex is an accredited practising dietitian and credentialed eating disorder clinician, who practices from a weight neutral and non-diet approach to nutrition.
bITE TEAM
Sophie Zammit
Brief Intervention Eating Disorder Practitioner
Located in Brisbane
A counsellor with a Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours).
Elise Chatterton
Brief Intervention Eating Disorder Practitioner
Located in Cairns
Elise holds a Masters of Social Work, delivering brief intervention counselling and group work in-person in Cairns and via telehealth.
Clancy G (She/Her)
Brief Intervention Eating Disorder Practitioner
Located in Cairns
Clancy holds a Masters of Social Work, delivering brief intervention counselling and group work in-person in Cairns and via telehealth.
Marion Battig-Franks (She/Her)
Brief Intervention Eating Disorder Practitioner
Located in Brisbane
Marion holds a Master of Counselling and uses an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) framework to help clients identify their strengths and values and live a meaningful life.
Romina 'Romi' Vella (She/Her)
Brief Intervention Eating Disorder Practitioner
Located in Brisbane
Romina (Romi) is dedicated to lifelong learning and serves as a Brief Intervention Practitioner in our bITE Program at the EDQ Office in Brisbane and she is a registered counsellor through PACFA.
LIVED EXPERIENCE WORKERS
Alex Rodriguez (He/Him)
Lived Experience Worker
Alex is a deeply empathic and caring person who brings genuine curiosity to people’s diverse lives. He is a passionate advocate against diet culture, unrealistic body ideals and toxic fitness culture, and dreams of a world which is kind, welcoming and accepting of a diverse range of bodies, lives, and people.
Michelle Van Eps (She/Her)
Lived Experience Worker
Michelle was inspired to join the lived experience workforce following volunteer work with EDQ as a peer mentor, senior mentor, and lived-experience speaker.
Olja Hadzi-Andonova (She/Her)
Lived Experience Worker
Olja is an Eating Disorder Lived Experience worker with a Diploma of Counselling and experience as a lived experience speaker and peer mentor.
Sharday Price (She/Her)
Lived Experience Worker
Sharday is an Eating Disorder Lived in Experience Worker based in Cairns with a passion for health, wellbeing and self-love. Sharday has a lived experience through late childhood and adolescence.
Georgia (She/Her/They/Them)
Lived Experience Worker
Georgia is a part of the LGBTQIA+ community and wishes to provide a judgement free and inclusive space for all. Georgia’s lived experience began in adolescents and continued into early adulthood. She hopes to use her experience to support others through their own unique journey and to help others feel less alone.
CARER & KEY SUPPORT TEAM
Mary-Ann Kissane (She/Her)
Carer & Key Support Coach
Mary-Ann has a Bachelor of Applied Social Science (Counselling) and works as a Carer and Family Coach at EDQ..
Felicity Electricity (She/Her)
Carer & Key Support Coach
Felicity is studying a Master of Mental Health, is the recipient of a research scholarship at The University of QLD and has completed a Bachelor of Psychological Science with Honours.
Michelle Van Eps (She/Her)
Lived Experience Worker
Michelle was inspired to join the lived experience workforce following volunteer work with EDQ as a peer mentor, senior mentor, and lived-experience speaker.
Rachel Jones (She/Her)
Carer & Key Support Lived Experience Worker
Rachel is the Carer/Key Support Lived Experience Worker at EDQ. She has lived experience as a carer of a loved one with an eating disorder. She knows first hand the challenges faced by carers and key support people when supporting loved ones through treatment and recovery.
ALLIED HEALTH TEAM
Sarah Why
Contracted Dietitian (Medicare & NDIS)(Currently on parental leave)
Accredited Practising Dietitian and Credentialed Eating Disorder Dietitian, provides a non-diet approach to navigating nutrition and restoring health
EDQ BOARD
Karen Dare
Chairperson, Director
Expertise: Community Sector
Karen has a social sciences background and over 35 years of experience in the community sector, working with Communify since 1994. She works with a strong community development focus and has extensive experience as a board member for prominent community and other organisations. Karen is recipient of the 2001 Centenary Medal and the Brisbane Australia Day Award for her contribution to the community sector.
Karolina Pemberton
Treasurer, Director
Expertise: Finance
Karolina is a qualified accountant with over 17 years of experience across a range of sectors and specialities, including Financial and Management accounting, Budgeting and Forecasting, and not-for-profits. Outside her professional life, Karolina has a love of family, cooking and tennis.
Suzannah D’Juliet
Secretary, Director
Expertise: Legal
Suzannah is a commercial lawyer who works in Executive Management in the Resources Industry. She has special interests in insurance, risk and compliance and has experience as a Non-Executive Director in the private sector. Suzannah has a lived experience of eating disorders and is passionate about EDQ’s quality, client centered care and service delivery model.
Marc Bryant
Director
Expertise: Carer, IT
Marc is a current member of the Qld Government Advisory Group (Eating Disorders), and also has more than 20 years’ experience in State Government public service, including various expert panels and consulting groups, with special interest in IT systems and information management. Marc has had approximately 6 years’ lived experience with eating disorders as a carer and has mentored other carers.
Dr Warren Ward
Director
Expertise: Eating Disorder Treatment
Associate Professor Warren Ward is Director of the Ramsay Clinic New Farm Eating Disorders Program and Medical Director of Wandi Nerida, Australia’s first residential program for eating disorders. Previous roles include Director of the Queensland Eating Disorders Service (QuEDS), Chair of the Qld Health Eating Disorders Advisory Group (EDAG), and co-author of the RANZCP Clinical Practice Guidelines for Eating Disorders. In 2017 he received the ANZAED Distinguished Achievement Award for his contributions to the field, and in 2018 he was made a Fellow of the Academy for Eating Disorders. He has published more than 20 articles and 2 book chapters on eating disorders and is regularly invited to speak to audiences throughout Australia about eating disorders and their treatment.
Susan Gobbart
Director
Expertise: Psychology/Service Delivery
Susan is a psychologist with a special interest in complex trauma, co-occuring AOD and mental health concerns, and Clinical Governance, particularly program evaluation and service/client outcome measures. She is currently working with an Indigenous Birthing program as a Perinatal and Parenting Psychologist as well as in Private Practice providing Psychological Therapy to people in rural and remote locations around Australia. She has over 30 years of professional experience across a range of areas in the mental health field.
Zoe Cunningham
Director
Expertise: Expertise: Lived-Living Experience, Community Sector
Zoe has nearly 10 years experience as a carer in eating disorder and direct lived-living experience in mental ill-health and suicidality since she was a teenager. She has a psychology background and has worked in the mental health sector for over 20 years across government and non-government organisations. Zoe recently managed the Mental Health Lived Experience Peak Queensland establishment project and is passionate in systemic changes.
Eating Disorders Queensland
We support a vibrant community of individuals recovering from an eating disorder, including people with lived experiences, carers and family members.
BRISBANE LOCATION:
51 Edmondstone Street,
Yuggera Country,
South Brisbane, QLD 4101
CAIRNS LOCATION:
209 Lyons Street,
Gimuy-Walubarra Yidi Country,
Westcourt, QLD 4870
CALL: (07) 3844 6055
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