Talk to someone now. Call our National Helpline on 1800 33 4673. You can also chat online or email

Talk to someone now. Call our National Helpline on 1800 33 4673. You can also chat online or email

Gather together to blossom

Wandi Nerida, Sunshine Coast, Queensland – a safe, nurturing and healing space for eating disorder recovery. This is reflected in the meaning of Wandi Nerida, meaning ‘gather together to blossom’ in the language of the Traditional Owners, the Kabi Kabi people.

Australia’s only specialist residential eating disorder recovery centre, we use the Butterfly Foundation Residential Eating Disorders Treatment (B-FREEDT) Model of Care©, based on the work of Carolyn Costin and described in her book “8 Keys to Recovery from an Eating Disorder”. Open to people from all over Australia, Wandi Nerida believes that anyone with an eating disorder can fully recover.

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The meaning behind Wandi Nerida

We are thankful for the involvement of local elders who came to our property and offered insight into the traditional culture and stories of the region. In doing so, they gifted us with the name Wandi Nerida, which means to “gather together to blossom”.

The meaning behind this name comes from a small insect that was very unhappy within itself. All it wanted to do, was break free and live a life worth living.

It knew, that if it stayed the way it was, then one day someone would come along and squash it into the ground and it would be nothing but a worthless downtrodden squashed bug.

So, in all its wisdom, it isolated itself in a cone, drawing strength from itself to become a new creation so it could fly off and explore the many different levels in life.

Reasoning behind, why there’s so many beautiful butterflies in the world today, flying around exploring the many new heights in life.

This story was integral to the development of our Model of Care, reflecting our holistic approach and the importance of connecting with the mind, body and spirit.

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The Wandi Nerida Difference

Tailored to you

Your program is tailored for you and with you to your stage in recovery – with a focus on mental wellbeing.

A supportive team

A caring multi-disciplinary team, many of whom have lived experience, support Participants on their recovery journey.

Care that works

Care is based on the recovery model – which aims to restore hope, spirituality, personal responsibility, connection and control, as well as to manage physical health challenges for successful discharge.

Hands on meal support

From cooking to group meals, to get you ready for returning home

Genuine connections

In a beautiful bushland setting, our program combines evidence-based therapies with complimentary and holistic approaches which make full use of our surroundings and promote a strong connection to others and the natural world.

More about the model of care

Our B-FREEDT Model of Care is based on successful residential facilities in the United States, underpinned by Carolyn Costin’s treatment philosophy, and tailored to the Australian environment.

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Wandi Nerida wins award for Clinical Excellence and Patient Safety from the Australian Council for Healthcare Standards.

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Tour Wandi Nerida

 

Donate to support Wandi Nerida

Wandi Nerida was officially launched on 8 June 2021. It is a private hospital facility and treatment is self-funded. Butterfly is providing funding for a Bursary Program to ensure those without financial means can attend the facility if they are eligible – and we need your help. A donation to the Butterfly Bursary Program for Wandi Nerida will ensure that we can continue to provide support to those who need it.

The Federal Government has supported this initiative with a $2m contribution towards facility building costs, and an additional $4m commitment to support service establishment and initial operations.

The Butterfly Board have personally contributed philanthropic funding of $3.5m to support the service over three years from July 2021.

However, we need to raise much more to support those in need. The intention is to establish and test the efficacy of the model in an Australian setting over a three-year period so we can inform treatment for eating disorders across Australia.

For information about how you can support Wandi Nerida with a donation, please contact Rebecca Havas at rebecca.havas@butterfly.org.au or click on the link below.

Donate

Contact Us

For general enquiries, or if you are a health professional enquiring on behalf of a client, please email enquiries@wandinerida.org.au

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To find out about job openings at Wandi Nerida, please check the Butterfly Careers page.

Wandi Nerida FAQs

The only eating disorder-specific residential treatment centre in Australia, Wandi Nerida provides an evidence-based, holistic model of care that addresses not only symptoms and behaviours, but also the underlying socio-psychological factors that can underlie and prolong a person’s illness.

The facility is purpose-built to create a home-like environment with an individualised and phased treatment plan so that participants can model recovery when they return home. Treatment is tailored to each individual’s needs and may be longer than the standard time usually covered by health funds. It is designed to provide the best chance of long-term recovery, avoiding readmissions which are all too common.

Participants at Wandi Nerida will have a primary diagnosis of an eating disorder, such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder and/or other specified feeding or eating disorder (OSFED).

  • The service at Wandi Nerida is sex/gender inclusive.
  • Age >16 years (dependent on developmental maturity).  Participants under 16 can be assessed within 6 weeks of their 16th birthday for intake to the program.
  • Primary DSM-5 diagnosis of Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa.
  • Participants must have a BMI of >14 (>75%IBW for adolescents)
  • Participant agrees to consent to treatment and understands the importance of timely treatment in their eating disorder recovery.
  • Participants are not subject to a treatment order under Mental Health Act 2016.
  • Risk(s) of suicide and harm to self or others do not require management beyond what Wandi Nerida can safely offer.
  • Participants have a clear understanding of the consequences of not engaging in residential treatment on their recovery.
  • Participants agree to abide by the rules outlined in the participant handbook and have signed the participant agreement willingly.
  • Independent management of mobility.
  • No active substance dependence.
  • Manageable dietary restrictions (No veganism but religious and/or cultural dietary considerations will be catered for).

Medically stable as evidenced by:

  • Systolic BP 90mm (>80mm for adolescents) or above
  • Heart Rate >50 and <100 bpm
  • No significant postural tachycardia or hypotension
  • Normal ECG (no acute changes)
  • Electrolytes that are normal or can be managed by oral replacement.

Participant Acceptance

Acceptance to the program and admission to Wandi Nerida will not only be based on an individuals’ eligibility or their position on the waiting list.

Factors which will be taken into consideration include:

  • the individual’s fit with the current milieu
  • the needs of the wider participant cohort
  • a prospective participant’s financial position
  • the number of places available to each state and territory will be equitable.

If you aren’t currently being treated by a health professional, we invite you to search the Butterfly Referral Database for health professionals pre-screened for their knowledge of eating disorders.

We are committed to delivering affordable and accessible treatment based on income levels and health insurance status.

The costs of the program are $73,000, of which Private Health Insurance covers about $23,000, depending on your level of cover. The remaining gap is payable by the participant, family or through our Bursary program.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT WANDI NERIDA’S BURSARY PROGRAM

There are some additional costs which are not covered. Meals are a key part of the program, so approximately another $700 over a 60-day timeframe will be required for outings.

We hope that the donations and funding we are currently seeking will help with costs.

Your length of stay at Wandi Nerida depends on you. The minimum proposed length of stay is 60 days, but it may be longer depending on your needs.

Wandi Nerida has 13 beds with shared accommodation.

Applications to Wandi Nerida will only be accepted per referrals by medical professionals through HotHealth.

All clinical forms completed on HotHealth for medical referral go through secure, encrypted messaging into our EMR.

REFER YOUR CLIENT THROUGH HOTHEALTH

Our referral process is specific and streamlined so the process is timely and efficient. Please read the following carefully to ensure there are no delays.

  1. As our referral requires detailed information about their eating disorder and current treatment, as well as blood test and ECG results, we suggest booking your patient a long consult. Once collected, all information must be submitted by the doctor through our online referral form. You will need to create an account and/or log in.
  2. After receiving the medical referral, the Wandi Nerida Team will review the information provided and send the potential participant some forms to complete to help us build on their clinical story. Potential participants must complete and submit the forms within 3 days of receiving them from our team.
  3. Once we receive the medical referral and potential participant forms, a clinician from the Wandi Nerida Team will reach out to organise a time for a virtual clinical assessment. This appointment will also be an opportunity for your patient to chat to a clinician about the program and ask any questions they may have.
  4. After that, all the information will be presented at a multi-disciplinary team meeting and a decision will be made about their readiness for treatment.  If accepted, the referrer and participant will be notified of the outcome and waitlisted.

We only accept referrals from HotHealth. We do not accept emailed or faxed referrals.

 

The average waiting time is approximately 3 months (last updated Dec 21).

Yes, the federal and state governments are planning to support other residential treatment centres, but none have begun construction. Wandi Nerida is pivotal, as it will serve as a pilot for facilities across Australia. The goal is that anyone who struggles with a difficult to treat eating disorder will receive the best model of care for long term recovery. Evaluation of the treatment at Wandi Nerida will help inform the model of care used by other facilities around the country.

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