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Improve your Mental Wellbeing & Happiness

Psychological Services

Michelle can help people with a variety of concerns including:

 

  • treatment of clinical depression

  • treatment of anxiety disorders

  • eating disorder treatment (anorexia nervosa, atypical anorexia nervosa, bulimia, binge eating disorder, avoidance restrictive eating disorder)

  • improving relationships with food

  • improving body image

  • relationship difficulties

  • coping with life or work stressors / events / grief and loss

Beautiful Nature

“Although you may not always be able to avoid difficult situations, you can modify the extent to which you can suffer by how you choose to respond to the situation.”

– Dalai Lama

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Eating Disorder Treatment

Michelle has undertaken training in both CBT-E (enhanced cognitive behaviour therapy) and FBT (family based treatment), which are the gold standards of treatment for eating disorders. She regularly attends professional development training and attended the most recent Australia and New Zealand Academy for Eating Disorders (ANZAED) conference.

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Michelle primarily helps older adolescents and adults using CBT-E. Studies have found 20-40 sessions of CBT-E is required for eating disorder treatment, however this will vary. Some people experiencing an eating disorder may qualify for a Medicare rebate for up to 40 sessions a year with an eating disorder plan.

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CBT-E involves tasks to do between sessions, so this treatment is most suitable for people who have a readiness for change and who are motivated to recover. Often a team approach is required (GP, dietitian, psychiatrist) to ensure both medical and psychological recovery is addressed.

"Lesser inner thigh doesn't necessarily equate to more inner peace" - Dr. Rick Kausman

Eating Behaviour & Body Image Concerns

Michelle is passionate about a Health At Every Size (HAES) and the Non-Diet approach to health and wellbeing.  HAES and the Non-Diet approaches are evidence-based, weight-neutral, size-inclusive, and body-positive perspectives to health and wellbeing. 

 

Michelle completed her doctoral thesis exploring the psychological reasons why we eat (non-hungry eating) and the psychological explanations for yo-yo dieting / weight cycling. She helps people understand the psychological and physical effects of dieting and why dieting can cause eating disorders, disordered eating (including binge eating), excessive guilt, compulsive thoughts about food and eating, and paradoxically, future weight gain. 

 

Through therapy, people are able to achieve an improved relationship with food and with themselves. This is often attained through body acceptance, intuitive eating / mindful eating, reducing guilt about eating, and exploring reasons for emotional eating / binge eating / over eating / compulsive eating.

"and I said to my body, softly 'I want to be your friend.' It took a long breath and replied,

'I have been waiting my whole life for this.'"  - Nayyirah Waheed

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