In the Wings – free one-off psychology session for eating disorders
Butterfly has launched a new, Federally-funded, service for the many people on a waitlist to see a health care professional for an eating disorder
Butterfly Foundation is the national charity for all people in Australia who are affected by eating disorders and body image concerns. Butterfly has seen an overwhelming demand for services for eating disorders, reporting a 275% increase in contacts to its national Helpline over the last 5 years and an emergence of more complex cases related to the pandemic. And it is not alone.
“We know any healthcare professionals with eating disorder expertise are being run off their feet at the moment,” said Kevin Barrow, Butterfly CEO. “This free service, while only a single session, can at least provide people who are waiting for eating disorder treatment with some of the psychoeducation and skills they can use until they can get in to see someone on an ongoing basis.”
In the Wings is a free 60-90 minute session with a trained psychologist to help people while they wait to receive ongoing treatment.
The Single Session Intervention was developed by Anthea Fursland PhD, FAED and Susan Byrne PhD, DPhil for The Centre for Clinical Interventions (CCI) in Western Australia, and has been shown help reduce eating disorder symptoms, providing people with support while they wait.
Applicants need to have a referral from their GP under an Eating Disorder Treatment Plan (EDMP) or a Mental Health Care Plan (MHCP). For more information go to www.butterfly.org.au/inthewings
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Help and Support
Anyone needing support with eating disorders or body image issues is encouraged to contact:
- Butterfly National Helpline on 1800 33 4673 (1800 ED HOPE) chat online or support@butterfly.org.au
- Find useful articles & resources via Butterfly’s COVID Help Hub
- Find a professional via Butterfly’s Referral Database
- Eating Disorders Victoria Helpline on 1300 550 23
- For urgent support call Lifeline 13 11 14
