BETRS provides an assessment to better understand the consumer’s eating disorder history and current difficulties. Collaborative treatment goals are developed as part of the process. This helps to determine the consumer’s individual needs and informs treatment recommendations. Assessments are conducted by eating disorder clinicians within the multidisciplinary team. Each assessment is discussed collaboratively as a team and with the BETRS Consultant Psychiatrist.
DPP is an intensive group-based outpatient treatment option for individuals with eating disorders. Suitability for DPP will be assessed on an individual basis. However it can be useful for people with a range of eating disorder symptoms including restrictive eating, binge eating, purging, and excessive exercise.
DPP can be an alternative to inpatient treatment, a step down from inpatient care or a step up from community treatment. The DPP aims to support the recovery process for individuals who are motivated to improve their relationship with food and their bodies, undertake health restoration and work towards reducing and ceasing disordered eating behaviours.
The program offered is a six week open program that runs on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays (typically between the hours of 9:30 AM – 2:30 PM).
It is a structured group program with a strong behaviour change focus that supports participants to achieve individually tailored goals (that are developed in collaboration with the DPP team). Groups focus on building motivation, education, enhancing self-reflection, and coping skill development. Meal support for morning tea, lunch and social eating outings are also a part of the program.
We aim to be inclusive of your supports throughout the program and we will discuss with you how you would like them to be involved.
Participants have individual weekly reviews with members of our multidisciplinary team and individual weekly review sessions (30 minutes) with their allocated key worker. The DPP also provides one 60 minute session with a key worker in the week after completion of DPP.
The program is free but small costs are involved for participants e.g. covering the cost of meals during social eating outings.
Examples of DPP groups and therapeutic approaches that inform the groups include:
- Cognitive behaviour therapy – enhanced (CBT-E), self-monitoring records review, coping with weight (weight exposure)
- Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) skills
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Nutrition education
- Medical education
- Goals and values
- Keys to recovery (inspired by book 8 Keys to Recovery from an Eating Disorder)
- Self-compassion
- Lived experience
- Body image
- Weekend planning
- Relapse prevention planning
Please note, individuals who would like to participate in DPP need to be medically and psychiatrically stable enough to be treated safely in the community.
A specialist inpatient program is available for people who require more intensive eating disorder treatment and/or whose needs have not been met in a community-based treatment setting.
The unit is a service primarily aimed at supporting people addressing disordered eating behaviours, refeeding and nutritional rehabilitation, and uses a structured behavioural and psychotherapeutic approach.
The inpatient component of the service is delivered by Austin Hospital and requires you to stay in hospital.
The Inpatient program has two streams:
1. A medical rescue stream aimed at supporting people with significant medical compromise secondary to their eating disorder who require urgent nutritional and medical stabilisation.
2. A therapeutic stream for those patients who are actively seeking inpatient treatment to address goals that assist in long term recovery from their eating disorder.
Admissions to the program are arranged following agreement with the Consultant in charge of the program. Most routine requests for an admission should be referred to the BETRS Intake Service via e-mail to betrs.intake@svha.org.au. For further enquiries, please contact BETRS Intake via reception on 9231 5700.