EATING ISSUES SURGE
Geelong hosts new program to tackle disorders as more teens look for help.
IN an Australian first, an innovative therapeutic model will be used to treat Geelong patients who have eating disorders.
Geelong Clinic occupational therapist Jasmin Watson has developed the Rise program.
“It’s an eight-week program where people will meet once a week for a whole day; it aims to bridge the gap between intensive inpatient care and outpatient support,” Ms Watson said.
“Often that’s an area that’s lacking — it’s a gap in care at the moment.
“Rise aims to provide treatment that is evidence based and client centred.”
Ms Watson has been recovered from an eating disorder for about five years and her own experience drove her to bring new treatments to Australia.
“Unfortunately we still have people in Australia that fly over to America or Sweden for treatment,” she said.
“I want to be able to offer more treatments here in Australia.”
The Rise program will treat patients of all diagnosed eating disorders aged 16 and over, using two different treatment approaches.
One uses techniques addressing embodiment, including mindful self care.
The other, Temperament-Based Therapy with Supports (TBT-S), originated in the US and has not previously been offered in Australia.
Ms Watson said TBT-S was designed to address the brain-based factors that contribute to eating disorders, and was neurobiologically informed.
She said TBT-S sees support people as fundamental to recovery — more than other treatment programs.
She lobbied for TBT-S at the clinic in collaboration with Eating Disorders Families Australia.
“They have been an absolutely integral part in getting TBT-S to Australia,” Ms Watson said.
Eating Disorders Families Australia co-founder Donald Irvine said TBT-S was a full therapeutic collaborative alliance which empowered families of people with eating disorders.
The EDFA website describes TBT-S as using experiential therapy to help the person with an eating disorder (and their support people) understand how their symptoms can be explained by their temperament — an umbrella term involving biology, brain function, genetics and personality traits.
Ms Watson said demand for help was increasing in the region and nationally.
“Eating disorders have increased in referrals but also the severity,” she said.
Ms Watson said the new program was needed because even with the great treatment Geelong has for eating disorders, there were still people who weren’t getting better.
The Rise program will start at the Geelong Clinic, a private Healthscope facility in St Albans Park, later this month.
Geelong Clinic general manager Janine Haigh said the new TBT-S eating disorder program was an important and much-needed addition to the facility’s treatment program.
“Since the start of the COVID pandemic, increased levels of stress and anxiety has resulted in many more people seeking help for eating disorders,” Ms Haigh said.
“This new day program will help address this current unmet need and give people the chance to recover in a community setting with family support.”