Treatment options for the Eating Disorders Program

Inpatient program

The inpatient unit located at the Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH) is an eight-bed unit for people living with severe eating disorders requiring intensive support.

Treatment plans are developed with input from a multidisciplinary team in consultation with the person living with the eating disorder.

Consumers are reviewed by the inpatient dietitian early in their admission to develop an individualised meal plan incorporating three meals and three snacks spaced through the day.

Outside meal times, consumers are supported with a group program with input from nursing and medical staff, psychologists, occupational therapists, art therapists, music therapists and lived experience workers.

Outpatient program

There are three components to our outpatient program, namely the Steps day program, the week-long Temperament-Based Therapy with Supports (TBT-S), and the Collaborative Care Skills Workshop (CCSW) which is offered to carers.

All three have multiple entry points throughout the year.

Steps day program

Steps is a recovery-focused group program involving psychoeducation and skills groups, meal support and individual sessions.

Steps aims to support participants to learn new skills to effectively respond to distressing emotions and social situations, interrupt the eating disorder cycle, and establish regular and adequate nutrition.

Participants can access either the onsite format at the RMH Parkville, or the online format via Telehealth.

Temperament Based Therapy with Supports (TBT-S)

Temperament Based Therapy with Support is an innovative treatment designed to complement other eating disorder (ED) therapies. It focuses on sharing the latest research on how the brain and one’s temperament (that is, one’s unique personality traits) may contribute to eating disorder symptoms.

TBT-S places the person experiencing the ED as ‘expert’ in their recovery, identifying their strengths and working with the person on identifying achievable goals for recovery.

TBT-S includes support people (parents, partners, friends) in sessions and aims to increase their understanding of the illness and teach them skills to be more able to support their loved one’s treatment.

TBT-S uses the client’s innate temperament and personality traits in productive ways to aid recovery. TBT-S is conducted over 5 consecutive days. TBT- S sits alongside any current treatment you are having.

We will let your care team know about the program so you can take the learnings with you as you continue with your team.

To attend the program, you will need to have a community team already including a mental health clinician who you see for support in your recovery.

Collaborative Care Skills Workshop (CCSW)

Collaborative Care Skills Workshop (CCSW) is five-week skills-based learning program involving six sessions for parents, siblings (16 years and over), partners, other family members and friends of a loved one with an eating disorder.

Based on the new Maudsley Approach, CCSW offers evidence-based training in motivational interviewing and effective communication techniques to aid in the recovery from a loved one’s eating disorder.

Carers will also be provided with support around self-care and wellbeing to reduce psychological distress, burden, expressed emotion, and boundaries in level of involvement.

Consultation services

Consultant liaison

The Eating Disorder Liaison Integrated Specialist model was introduced in response to a significant increase in ambulance service contacts, emergency department presentations and medical admissions associated with eating disorders during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The aim of this service is to provide timely access to effective eating disorder specific care while admitted to a medical unit at the RMH and other hospital settings within our statewide catchment area.

Find out more about the consultation liaison service.

Secondary consultation

We provide secondary consultation to treating teams including public mental health service clinicians working with clients who have an eating disorder or an emerging eating disorder, we can provide phone support and advice to other health professionals in the catchment.

The consultation service aims to enhance the capacity of treating team in supporting the consumer close to home.

CEED (Centre of Excellence in Eating Disorders) also provides this function on a referral basis.