Dietitian support for your young person

If your young person is suffering with an eating disorder or disordered eating, we can work with your family to support their recovery. Your dietitian will provide support and guidance to empower you to take charge of nourishing your young person back to health. You can trust that you knew how feed them before they became unwell, and with the support of your healthcare team, you can continue to feed them through their recovery.

Your dietitian will share with you their clinical knowledge and experience to assist you (and your young person, if appropriate) in planning a pattern of regular and nutritionally adequate meals and snacks to meet their needs. The level of ongoing involvement your dietitian has with your young person’s recovery will mostly depend on the type and availability of the treatment approach your family wants to take.

Eating disorder treatment options for young people

Not all treatment models are right for every family, so understanding what’s involved can help you decide how to go ahead. Some families prefer not to commit to a specific treatment model, and instead work with their chosen eating disorder clinicians in an approach that best suits where the young person is currently at. Typically the healthcare team would be made up of a dietitian, clinical psychologist and GP. Depending on the waiting time for the different clinicians, it may not be possible to start working with each clinician at the same time.

Family Based Therapy (FBT)
FBT is currently recognised as the most effective treatment for young people suffering with Anorexia Nervosa, and is also an effective treatment for Bulimia Nervosa. It’s an intensive, family-centred approach led by a trained FBT clinician (usually a psychologist). The whole family attends weekly sessions with their clinician, and the young person’s physical health is monitored by their GP. You can read more about FBT by clicking this link.

If your family is doing FBT, you might find it beneficial to have a few sessions with one of our dietitians to discuss your young person’s nutrition needs and come up with a plan for meals and snacks if you don’t have one already. If your young person is not restoring weight as expected, your dietitian can offer further guidance if needed.

Parent-supported CBT-E
Enhanced Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT-E) is an effective treatment for young people suffering with Bulimia Nervosa, Binge Eating Disorder and other eating disorders. Unlike FBT where the therapist works with the family as a unit, CBT-E is centred on the young person themselves who is supported in their recovery by their parent/s. To read more about CBT-E, click this link.

Although CBT-E has traditionally been delivered by psychologists, there’s growing recognition that dietitians who are trained in eating disorders are well placed to deliver some of the parts of CBT-E. Our dietitians work collaboratively with many of the eating disorder psychologists in Perth.

There are currently waitlists for both public and private FBT clinicians and CBT-E clinicians in Perth. If your young person is on a waitlist, you can make a start with recovery by meeting with one of our dietitians while you wait for a clinician to become available. Depending on your planned approach, you might only have a few sessions or you might have ongoing sessions. We’re more than happy to discuss this with you prior to booking, to see if it’s right for your family.

Working with us for eating disorder recovery

Our dietitians bring an understanding of both FBT and CBT-E to their work with young people and their families. Our dietitians are also parents themselves and they understand the day-to-day realities of parenting and managing the different food & mealtime tasks that come with having a family. We understand how stressful and overwhelming it is when your child is seriously unwell. Our overall aim is to support your family to return to normal life by getting your young person well again.

Do we need a referral?
You don’t need a referral to work with us, however you’ll need a referral if you want to claim rebates from Medicare. We suggest making an appointment* with your GP to discuss your young person’s eligibility for an Eating Disorder Plan (EDP). An EDP will allow you to claim a rebate for up to 20 sessions. If your young person isn’t eligible for an EDP, they might be eligible for a Chronic Disease Management Plan.

*Please book a longer appointment

Is there a waitlist?
Our dietitians are in high demand, which means that new clients will need to go onto our waitlist. Our admin team will let you know how long the waitlist currently is when you get in touch

How do we get started?
If you’d like to on of our to support your family, please use the form below to get in touch.