Queensland Health

Creating a safe and supportive environment

Structured Psychological Therapy

Up to 20 sessions (once these sessions have been used, Medicare and NDIS avenues can be accessed).

Supporting those recovering from eating disorders with a skilled practitioner in a safe environment.

Practitioners at EDQ are experienced and qualified and are generally matched with clients on a next-available basis. Staff qualifications include Counselling, Mental Health Social Work, Social Work and Psychology.

Structured Psychological Therapy is available to individuals across Queensland (age 16 and over) in person or via telehealth. This support option allows people to explore their underlying issues with skilled practitioners in a safe, therapeutic, and confidential environment.

Appointments are scheduled at a time that suits you and are generally booked for 60 minutes. Up to 20 fully funded sessions are available for anyone determined eligible, with no out-of-pocket expenses.

There is a waitlist to access individual Structured Psychological Therapy services. The length of this waitlist varies throughout the year. Since early 2020, we have experienced an unprecedented level of enquiries and new clients, and waiting lengths are unfortunately longer than usual. We are still accepting new clients and offering alternative support options during this waiting time for individual sessions.

10-week Therapeutic Group

The EDQ 10-week Group is a structured treatment group for individuals with eating disorders. A big part of the group outcomes is to create a sense of community through story-sharing by participants.

Individuals on their recovery journey often find this group helps to counter the sense of shame, guilt and isolation they feel while gaining essential skills to manage eating disorder behaviours.

The groups are held in a safe and supportive environment. These groups are open to people of all genders from age 16 years.

The 10-week group aims to create a safe and supportive environment. This allows people to explore some of the underlying reasons why we might be struggling with eating disorders. We look at a range of topics including feelings and needs, relationships and communication. Also how body image and how gender roles, cultural and family expectations might play a factor in eating disorders.

The group explores these different topics through discussions and expressively based therapeutic activities. These serve to increase our insight and build our support networks, skills and resources in our recovery journey.

Reasons for participating:

Reduce experiences of isolation, shame and misinformation surrounding an eating disorder
Receive support and understanding
Explore personal issues that contribute to your eating disorder
Explore our sense of self and identity separate from the eating issue
Gain valuable insight into your own and others’ experiences
Enhance your ability to seek support that will help you further in the process of recovery from an eating issue

Some aims of the group:

Learning to recognise the internal critical voice and awareness of the role the critical voice plays
Awareness of the relationship between feelings and over or under eating and body dissatisfaction
An understanding of why diets don’t work
Understanding that recovery is a process

Community Table Meal Support Group

For those who are recovering from eating disorders. We provide a safe, supportive environment where you can work through the challenges associated with eating.

The Community Table is facilitated by qualified Eating Disorder Practitioners. It is designed for those with a variety of eating disorders. As part of each session, the group shares a meal, which is provided by Eating Disorders Queensland. The Community Table uses a semi-structure approach, allowing time for pre- and post-meal activities, as well as the flexibility to explore a variety of different topics and skills that may be beneficial to recovery.

The Community Table is a closed group of 6-8 individuals, who meet once a week for 5 weeks. The group sessions are three hours in length and currently run over the lunch period.

There are many reasons to join The Community Table:

Receive support and understanding from Eating Issues Practitioners and your peers;
Work towards personal goals around nutrition;
Rediscover your relationship with food;
Explore different skills to manage intrusive thoughts and feelings that accompany eating;
Try new activities that may be helpful during the challenging pre and post meal times.

Trauma Informed Yoga

These sessions aim to give people a foundation around yoga, the important philosophical elements that guide practice and how yoga can support recovery from eating disorders.

Recovery from an eating disorder often involves a process of reconnection to body. A yoga practice can be a way for people to make peace with the body, reclaim the body, and learn that the body can be reliable and safe again. In each session we connect with our body through practices of movement, breathing, meditation and relaxation. Compassion and kindness for self are key underlying principles for the practice.

This is all facilitated through gentleness, with varying options and choice provided that enable people to go at their own pace and comfort level. The practice of yoga enhances other recovery tools such as talk therapy and other treatment modalities. These yoga classes are taught from a trauma informed and mental health perspective. All are welcome. No prior yoga experience required.

There are two ways to get involved with yoga at EDQ:

Trauma Informed Yoga Group. This six-week group establishes a safe and empowering space for participants to connect with their own body. You’ll be invited to explore gentle movement, breathing practices, grounding, and rest.

Trauma Informed Community Practice. The monthly community practice provides an opportunity for those who have previously participated in our six-week group and are wanting to stay connected to their yoga practice. It also provides a space for those who are curious about yoga and recovery and are wanting to join a session to see how it feels.

Plug-In Connection Group

We want to offer a you chance to ‘Plug-In’ to EDQ by connecting with peers while you donate your time, skills, and energy of your choice to EDQ.

We welcome people who are curious about the services we offer at Eating Disorders QLD, those who are currently in treatment and those who have finished their treatment. All volunteers/participants will be asked to undertake a phone assessment with EDQ if they haven’t already. Plug-In activities will be planned according to both participant’s and EDQ’s suggestions.

Plug-In sessions are held once a month, and participants will need to RSVP to each session they wish to attend (so that we can ensure we are in compliance with COVID-19 regulations).

The current Plug-In project is writing a song. Group members include those who have experience playing musical instruments or writing music, as well as those who are entirely new to working in this way!

“Plug In is a really fun group! It’s an opportunity to give back to EDQ, but really I feel it’s just as valuable for me as any other group I’ve participated in. Currently we’re writing a song about EDQ. Even if you’ve never written a song before, or don’t know any music there is something special you can contribute to this project. I love plug in because I have an opportunity to contribute in a safe environment where my contributions are both valued but also don’t come with any additional expectations that I will continue to contribute or increase my contribution. I’ve never felt so free to creatively collaborate with other people. The song writing process feels so natural and often the lyrics just emerge from honest and open discussion about recovery experiences.“

Peer Support Sessions

The Peer Support Sessions provide a non-therapeutic, practical and social support from a peer who understands lived experience. It gives hope to clients and the opportunity to practice the skills learnt in therapy in a safe and supportive space.

Importantly, peer support workers assist clients in normalising the experience of having an eating disorder which can significantly contribute to their overall recovery goals.

Clients are offered five sessions which can take place either face-to-face or via telehealth.

An interpersonal approach aims to encourage, inspire and educate clients. They assist in building confidence and resilience, inspiring them with examples from their life and showing them that their challenges can be overcome. This personal connection can help to break down a client’s barriers and is an essential component in building trust. This trusted relationship is often challenging but is vital to encouraging a client’s recovery.

“The support and understanding I received from my peer support worker has probably been one of the biggest influences in my recovery, especially pushing through that quasi-recovery stage, as I learnt that I am not alone in my thoughts and that it is possible to get through them and recover. I have learnt so much about myself and feel like I have role models that I can now look up to and have shown me that recovery, not only from an eating disorder but other mental health challenges as well, is possible. Life outside of my mind exists and it can be wonderful.

The concept of having a peer support worker with lived experience is so incredible and has really helped me be open with them. I know that they have had similar thoughts and experiences and they have helped guide me through them and explained how they may have challenged them through their recovery.”

Peer Support Group

The Peer Support Group aims to provide those in recovery with an opportunity to connect with peers who have shared similar experiences.

Peer Mentor Program (PMP)

This program supports people recovering from an eating disorder by partnering mentees with mentors who have recovered from an eating disorder.

Donate today

All donations over $2 to Eating Disorders Queensland are tax deductible and give real people access to counselling, practical assistance to support recovery, groups, equipment for the centre and books for our library. You can make a one-off or regular monthly donation. We would love to acknowledge your generosity and support. Please let us know if you would like to be listed as one of our supporters on either our website or in our annual report.

Get involved

Volunteers support our valuable work and goals. We offer a range of volunteering opportunities across a broad range of interest areas, such as event planning, administration tasks, cooking, and gardening. Join our volunteer team or keep an eye out for specific volunteer opportunities via our social media.

Eating Disorders Queensland

We support a vibrant community of individuals recovering from an eating disorder, including people with lived experiences, carers and family members.

LOCATION:
51 Edmondstone Street,
Yuggera Country,
South Brisbane, QLD 4101

CALL: (07) 3844 6055

Subscribe to newsletter

Partners

Treatment for Individuals

Engage with EDQ

Subscribe

Help for Carers & Key Supports

Coaching sessions

Subscribe

GP & Health Professionals

Subscribe

Resources

The Shared Table

Subscribe

News & Events

Latest News

Body Image and Social Media Roundtable Media Release

Upcoming Events

Wise Choices

Community Yoga

Community Table

Trauma-Informed Yoga Group

Wise Choices

Subscribe