Bulimia Psychologists Bulimia therapy by telehealth, Australia wide

No. You can book your first session today without a referral. A referral only matters if you want a Medicare rebate, which needs a Mental Health Care Plan or an Eating Disorder Plan from your GP. If you already have one, email it to admin@biteintofreedom.com.au and we do the processing. If not, your psychologist can tell you which plan fits and what to ask your GP for.

We are accepting new clients. Live availability is shown on the booking page, so you can choose a time now rather than wait for a call back. If nothing on the calendar suits, speak with our teamcall 03 9001 9100 and we will look at what is opening up across the team.

Your first session is 50 minutes by video. Your psychologist asks what tends to happen before and after a binge and what you want to be different, then explains how they would work with you. There is no weighing and no diet talk, and nothing you share is judged. You complete an online intake form after booking, and your psychologist sends a telehealth link the day before or the morning of your session.

Yes. Eating disorders are mental illnesses, not weight illnesses, and most people with bulimia are not underweight. The binge and purge cycle takes a real toll at any body size. If it is running your life, that is enough to book.

Yes. Eliza Hartley (clinical psychologist) and Felicity Staedler (psychologist) see all ages, so please book under 16s with one of them. For teens, parents are often part of treatment. Jared, Ted, Deborah and Louise see clients aged 16 and over, and our dietitians Samantha Wright, Sarah Why and Gabriela Salant see all ages, so please book a dietitian for under 18s with one of them.

If you live in Australia, yes. Our psychologists see clients by video, so you can work with a bulimia psychologist from home, whether you are in Melbourne, Perth, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra, Hobart, Darwin or a regional town. Medicare rebates apply to telehealth sessions the same way they do in person.

A 50 minute session with a registered psychologist is $260, with a Medicare rebate of $101.55 and an out of pocket cost of $158.45. A 50 minute session with a clinical psychologist is $310, with a rebate of $149.05 and an out of pocket cost of $160.95.

A Mental Health Care Plan covers up to 10 rebated sessions per calendar year. An Eating Disorder Plan covers up to 40 rebated psychology sessions in a 12 month period. Payment is taken from your stored card after the session, and your rebate is usually in your bank account within 1 to 3 business days. We do not bulk bill.

Yes. Bulimia nervosa is one of the conditions an Eating Disorder Treatment and Management Plan covers, if your GP assesses that you meet the Medicare criteria. It allows up to 40 rebated psychology sessions and up to 20 dietitian sessions in 12 months. If you are not eligible, a Mental Health Care Plan covers up to 10 psychology sessions per calendar year.

Yes, if your NDIS plan is self managed or plan managed and includes funding for psychology. Check with your plan manager or support coordinator first, then book an NDIS psychology session. Some private health funds also cover psychology under extras, and we give you an itemised receipt. You cannot claim Medicare and private health for the same session.

Your psychologist works on what drives the binge and purge cycle: shame, body image distress, perfectionism, rigid food rules and difficulty managing emotions. Therapy builds skills to ride out urges and loosen the rules that set off binges, and none of it involves dieting.

The cycle is kept going by restriction, emotional distress, shame and rigid food rules, which all feed each other. Breaking it usually starts with regular eating and with the drivers underneath, using evidence based therapy such as CBT-E and DBT skills. You do not have to do it alone, and you do not have to change everything at once.

That fear is common, and it is part of bulimia. Therapy is collaborative: your psychologist helps you reduce the urges to binge, which takes away much of the pressure to purge, by working on the restriction, emotions and shame underneath. You move at a pace you can manage.

Therapist and counsellor are general terms that anyone can use. A psychologist is an AHPRA registered health professional with at least six years of training. When you see a bulimia therapist at Bite Into Freedom, you are seeing a registered or clinical psychologist who provides bulimia counselling and therapy by video, and sessions attract the Medicare rebates shown on this page.

Yes. Many people recover from bulimia with the right support, and evidence based therapy such as CBT-E helps many people reduce or stop binge and purge episodes. Recovery takes time and is rarely a straight line, and setbacks are part of it rather than a failure.

Yes. Research shows telehealth psychology for eating disorders performs comparably to in person care, and Medicare rebates apply to video sessions the same way. Many people find the hard things easier to say from home, where the urges actually happen.

Yes. Purging can upset the balance of salts in your blood, which can affect your heart, and it can also damage your teeth and throat. That is why your GP stays involved for physical checks, and with your consent your psychologist coordinates with them.

Our psychologists provide outpatient treatment by telehealth. If you need more support than regular sessions, such as a day program or hospital care, your psychologist will work with you and your GP to find the right level of care.

We are not a crisis service and cannot respond urgently. In an emergency call 000. For support right now, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or the Butterfly National Helpline on 1800 33 4673.