Eating Disorder Counselling in Melbourne
1.1 million Australians (4.5%) currently live with an eating disorder, and 10.5% — 2.67 million people — have experienced one in their lifetime (Butterfly Foundation / Deloitte 2024). Prevalence has increased by 21% since 2012, with the sharpest rise among those aged 10–19. Eating disorders are the third most common chronic illness in young Australians aged 14–24 (NEDC), and their annual economic and social cost is estimated at $66.9 billion. These are not trivial conditions. They carry the highest mortality rate of any mental health disorder.
And yet, shame keeps many people from seeking help for years. There is a persistent cultural narrative that eating disorders are about vanity or choices that could be corrected with better information. None of that is accurate. Eating disorders are serious mental health conditions — and they are not primarily about food.
Who is affected, and what forms do eating disorders take?
The popular image of eating disorders as affecting only young women is inaccurate and has long delayed help-seeking for many. Eating disorders affect people across all genders, ages, and body types. Roughly one in three people with an eating disorder is male. Older adults have eating disorders. People in larger bodies have eating disorders. The forms they take vary:
- Anorexia nervosa — severe restriction of food intake, intense fear of weight gain, distorted body image, and often a tenacious resistance to recognising the severity of the problem
- Bulimia nervosa — cycles of binge eating followed by purging (vomiting, laxative use, excessive exercise), typically with significant shame and secrecy
- Binge eating disorder — recurrent episodes of eating large amounts of food with a sense of loss of control, without compensatory purging; frequently accompanied by significant distress
- OSFED (Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder) — a broad category that includes presentations that don’t meet the full criteria for the above but are equally serious and deserving of care
- Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) — restriction based on sensory sensitivity, fear of choking or vomiting, or lack of interest in eating, rather than body image concerns
In my practice at Carlton, Melbourne, I work with the full range of eating disorder presentations. Whatever your relationship with food and your body looks like, I will approach it with care and without judgement.
What is really going on with an eating disorder?
From a psychodynamic perspective, eating disorders are understood as relating to far more than food and body image. They typically involve:
- Control — food and body become the domain in which a sense of control is maintained when other aspects of life feel out of control
- Self-worth and identity — appearance and eating become entangled with how a person evaluates their own value
- Emotion regulation — restriction, bingeing, and purging as ways of managing anxiety, depression, shame, or emotional overwhelm
- Relational patterns — including difficult early experiences with food, or relationships in which appearance was the subject of inappropriate scrutiny or comment
- Comorbidities — eating disorders frequently co-occur with depression, anxiety, OCD, trauma, and personality difficulties, which need to be addressed alongside the eating disorder
Therapy addresses these underlying dynamics, not just behaviour. Behavioural change without psychological understanding tends not to hold. The aim is a genuinely different relationship with food and with yourself — not just a different set of rules.
For clients with more severe eating disorders or medical complications, I work collaboratively with GPs, dietitians, and other health professionals to ensure physical safety is maintained alongside the psychological work. When hospitalisation or intensive treatment is needed, I will discuss that honestly.
I see clients online via secure video call across Melbourne and Australia, and in person at 96 Elgin Street, Carlton in inner Melbourne. Sessions are self-funded at $120. No GP referral is needed to begin. Book a session or message me on WhatsApp.
Frequently asked questions
What are the signs of an eating disorder?
Signs include preoccupation with food, weight, or body shape; restrictive eating, skipping meals, or rigid food rules; episodes of binge eating; purging behaviours (vomiting, laxative use); excessive or compulsive exercise; withdrawal from social eating situations; rapid weight changes; and increasing anxiety around mealtimes. Not all eating disorders involve visible weight loss — many people with serious eating disorders are at a normal or above-normal weight. Body size is not a reliable indicator of severity.
Can counselling alone treat an eating disorder?
It depends on the severity and nature of the presentation. For many people with eating disorders, psychological therapy is the primary and most important intervention. For others — particularly those with anorexia at a low weight, or with medical complications — a multidisciplinary team including a GP and dietitian is necessary. I work collaboratively where that’s the case, and I won’t take on more than it’s appropriate to manage in a counselling context alone.
When should I seek help for an eating disorder?
If your relationship with food is causing you distress, interfering with your daily life, affecting your health, or taking up a significant amount of mental and emotional energy — it’s worth seeking help, regardless of your weight or whether you meet the criteria for a specific diagnosis. You don’t need to be “sick enough.” Early intervention produces substantially better outcomes.
Is eating disorder counselling confidential?
Yes. Everything discussed in our sessions is strictly confidential. The only exception is a serious and imminent risk to your physical safety, in which case I would discuss this openly with you and involve your GP. I work collaboratively — I won’t take steps behind your back, and I won’t act without talking to you first.