Collaborative Care Skills Workshop (CCSW)

Empowering carers with practical tools to support a loved one through recovery

Eating disorders affect the whole family, yet many carers find themselves trying to help without any roadmap. With the right skills, you can support your loved one’s recovery while caring for your own well-being too.

EDFA is proud to offer the Collaborative Care Skills Workshop (CCSW) – a free, evidence-based group program based on Dr. Janet Treasure’s New Maudsley approach, designed to equip carers with the knowledge, confidence and practical strategies to support recovery.

What can you expect:

Facilitated by qualified counsellors with lived experience as eating disorder carers.
Five weekly, two-hour sessions combining psychoeducation, skills practice, and group discussion, plus a follow-up session held four weeks later.
A safe space to connect with others who understand what you’re going through.

What you'll learn:

How eating disorders affect behaviour, thoughts, emotions and relationships.

How to adapt your caring style to support recovery.

How to avoid traps that can unintentionally maintain the eating disorder.

Communication techniques (e.g., motivational interviewing, emotion coaching) to reduce conflict and build trust.

Practical tools to manage difficult behaviours and encourage change.
How to identify warning signs of burnout and support your own well-being.

Evidence-Based Outcomes:

Research shows that carers who participate in CCSW often experience:

Reduced psychological distress, carer burden, and expressed emotion.

Increased confidence in supporting their loved one’s recovery.

A clearer undertsanding of eating disorders and how to help at each stage of change.

Improved communication and reduced family conflict.

Who is CCSW for:

Any adult (18+ years) in Australia who is caring for someone with disordered eating or an eating disorder.

It’s suitable for carers of individuals with any eating disorder diagnosis, at any stage of illness or recovery.

Carers must be able to commit to five weekly 2-hour sessions, with a follow-up session four weeks later. Attendance is required at all sessions.

Register your Interest

After you have filled in the form, a member of our Fill The Gap team will be in touch for a brief phone call to ensure the group is a good fit for your needs. Places are limited and will be offered in the order screening calls are completed.

As all groups are currently full, you’ll be automatically added to our waitlist and contacted when a space becomes available.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact EDFA’s Administrative Assistant, Bailey Wightman, at bailey.wightman@edfa.org.au or by calling 03 9125 5670.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Carers first name(Required)

Carers surname(Required)

Carer's Email Address(Required)

Carers mobile(Required)

Do you have a preference of the timings of your CCSW group?(Required)

During the Day

Evening (After 5pm AEDT)

I understand the Collaborative Care Skills Workshop is not a therapeutic program or a replacement for therapy, treatment or crisis intervention.(Required)

I confirm

I confirm I can commit to a weekly 2-hour session for 5 consecutive weeks (Next group dates TBC)(Required)

I confirm

By submitting this form, you consent to EDFA storing your details securely for the purpose of contacting you about CCSW and creating a client file in our secure system.

Can't attend this workshop?

There are other ways to access support at EDFA:

Fill The Gap Counselling:

Free, online one-on-one counselling for anyone aged 10 and over who is caring for someone with an eating disorder. Sessions are delivered by qualified counsellors who have lived experience as a carer.

Support Groups:

Free, online carer support groups that provide a safe, supportive, place for carers to gain support or learn new ways of connecting and caring for a loved on.