Body Image and Eating Disorder Awareness Week
Written by Ashleigh Olive
This year, Body Image and Eating Disorder Awareness Week (BIEDAW) was themed ‘the time is now’ to encourage all with an interest in eating disorders to take committed action towards improving the system of care in Australia. Government, organisations, services, and individuals all have a role to play in building awareness, advocating for positive change, and taking action to improve the lives of those experiencing eating and body image concerns.
“The time is now to act for eating disorders and body image concerns.”
In alignment with BIEDAW, True North Psychology, is using this opportunity to re-educate on the utility of the Eating Disorder Treatment and Management Plan (EDP) to support eligible clients to access the comprehensive multi-disciplinary treatment and management they require to progress towards recovery. For eligible clients, an EDP provides access to up to 40 Eating Disorder Psychological Treatment (EDPT) sessions and up to 20 Eating Disorder Dietetic Treatment (EDDT) sessions per year. An EDP is eligible for 12 months from the date of preparation. The process of navigating psychological services under an EDP can be confusing for clients and health care providers, thus the below flowchart aims to simplify the process.
Reminders for clients Due to the limited availability of specialists, obtain a referral from your GP and book your psychiatrist or paediatrician appointment early. The specialist appointment can happen any time before the 20 session review.
Reminders for GPs EDPs expire after 12 months, at which point a new EDP can be prepared if a client is eligible. Item codes 90250-90257 can be used to prepare a new EDP.
To access further information regarding support for eating disorders and body image concerns, the following resources are available:
For GPs and health professionals seeking further training in upskilling in the core skills of eating disorders:
For health professionals seeking further information regarding the clinical practice guidelines for managing and treating eating disorders, the following resources are available:
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