Single Session Support

Butterfly’s Single Session Support is not a crisis service, and we can’t provide medical help. If you need urgent help, please call:

Emergency – 000
Lifeline – 13 11 14
Kids Helpline – 1800 55 1800
13YARN – 13 92 76 to talk with an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Crisis Supporter.

No, it is a single session only.  

You can use this service if you:

• Are 16 years or older
• Are in Australia
• Have an eating disorder or eating challenges
• Are on a treatment waitlist, or thinking about starting treatment.

It is suitable for people who want to learn more about what happens when you don’t eat enough; start making positive changes; and stay motivated for treatment.

This session isn’t suitable for people in crisis right now. It’s also not suitable if you have any symptoms — mental or physical — that need urgent care.

The session follows CBT-E (Enhanced Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Eating Disorders) principles. The session follows a set structure in line with your concerns. The Counsellor will explain how not eating enough affects the body and mind, and why regular eating matters. CBT-E may not suit everyone. Please think about what feels right for you.

This Single Session Intervention approach was developed by Dr Anthea Fursland PhD, FAED and Dr Susan Byrne PhD, DPhil, for The Centre for Clinical Interventions (CCI) in WA.

This approach is designed for people getting ready for treatment. If you’re on a waitlist or thinking about treatment, this session can help you keep moving forward.

There are many types of treatment. This includes residential care, hospital-based care, day programs, and community-based support. You can search the Butterfly Referral Database to find a practitioner or service.

Butterfly Single Session Support is not suitable if you’ve already started treatment. Your treatment team is best placed to support you in this case.

At 16, you can legally agree to this service yourself in Australia, without a parent’s approval. You’re also better able to understand what the service can and can’t offer. This helps you decide if the Single Session Support feels right for you.

The EDE-QS (Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire – Short Form) is a short, 12-question survey. It asks how you’ve been feeling about food and body image over the past week. You’ll fill it out before your session and again 3 months later. The Counsellor looks at your answers before you talk, so they can best support you.

We ask about your age, gender, LGBTIQA+ status, Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander background, and cultural background. You can always choose “prefer not to say.” Knowing this helps us:
• Best support you
• Understand who’s using our service
• Reach vulnerable groups who need support
• Improve how we support different communities
• Close gaps in access to care.

Eating disorders can affect anyone, no matter their size, age, gender, sexuality, culture, or background. We aim to be inclusive and safe for all people. CBT-E may not suit everyone – there are other Treatment Approaches . Please think about what feels right for you.

Yes. A phone interpreter service is available. Let the Counsellor know when they call you, and they will try to arrange an interpreter.

Your privacy matters to us. We store the details you give us when you register — including your phone number and email — plus anything you share during your session. This information is kept secure. We don’t share your personal information outside Butterfly, except:

• If the law requires it
• If you or someone else may be in serious danger — in this case, a Counsellor may need to act to keep people safe.

Sometimes we share information within Butterfly’s Clinical Support team, only when needed to support you. Counsellors may discuss relevant information within professional supervision to support safe, effective care – any information discussed during supervision is de-identified to maintain your confidentiality.

If you contact Butterfly more than once, the counsellor may review your previous records. We would only do this if needed to provide a safe and effective service.

Read our Privacy Policy for more details.

We record calls for training and quality purposes. Please tell the Counsellor if you don’t want to be recorded.

After the session, we’ll text you a short survey to help us enhance our service. You can also leave feedback, compliments or complaints on our Feedback page. We’ll check in again 3 months later with another short, optional survey.

Butterfly can only support people in Australia. If you’re overseas, we recommend you try a local service instead:

UK – https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/
Ireland – https://www.bodywhys.ie/
USA – https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/
Canada – http://nedic.ca/
New Zealand – https://www.ed.org.nz/