Find the help you need
When someone you love is suffering from an eating disorder, chances are you feel confused, alone and terrified. The good news is that there are many eating disorder organisations around the country to help you into, and beyond, the recovery journey.
Read our Eating Disorder FAQs here.
Eating Disorder Organisations in Australia
Centre for Eating and Dieting Disorders
Website: cedd.org.au
Description: Supports carers of individuals with eating disorders.
National Eating Disorders Collaboration
Website: www.nedc.com.au
Description: National resource centre on the prevention and management of eating disorders.
Butterfly Foundation
Website: https://thebutterflyfoundation.org.au/
Description: The Butterfly Foundation represents all people affected by eating disorders and negative body image issues.
Mental Health Families and Friends Australia
Website: https://mhfamiliesfriendstas.org.au/
Description: Assists carers of people affected by mental ill health.
Headspace
Website: https://headspace.org.au
Description: connects those in need with resources and expert support on mental health issues.
InsideOut Institute
Website: https://insideoutinstitute.org.au/
Description: Australia’s national institute for research and clinical expertise in eating disorders.
Reach Out
Website: https://au.reachout.com/articles/what-is-binge-eating-disorder
Description: Assists individuals under 25 with everyday questions and tools to get through tough times.
Head to Health
Website: https://headtohealth.gov.au/mental-health-difficulties/mental-health-conditions/eating-disorders
Description: Assists individuals with to find the right digital mental health and wellbeing resources, for yourself or someone you care about.
Australia and New Zealand Academy for Eating Disorders
For families looking for an eating disorder clinician, a great place to look is the Australia and New Zealand Academy for Eating Disorders (ANZAED) which as a search tool for finding a clinician local to you.
ANZAED is the peak professional association that supports and represents professionals who work in the field of Eating Disorders in Australia and is very committed to incorporating the lived experience of carers and consumers in their programs and resources through the recent establishment of the ANZAED Carer and Consumer Advisory Committee.
Carer Gateway
Website: https://www.carergateway.gov.au
Description: provides practical advice and support to get you the help you need: counselling, peer support and respite care.
Beyond Blue
Website: https://www.beyondblue.org.au/about-us/contact-us
Description: Provides information and support to help everyone in Australia achieve their best possible mental health.
Mental Health Carers Australia
Website: https://www.mentalhealthcarersaustralia.org.au/
Description: Supporting individuals looking after someone with a mental health illness.
SANE Australia
Website: https://www.sane.org/
Description: Helping people affected by complex mental issues with support, research and advocacy.
MIND Australia
Website: https://www.mindaustralia.org.au/
Description: Providing support to individuals with mental illness, and their carers.
Wellways
Website: https://www.wellways.org/our-services/support-families-friends-and-carers
Description: Offers services to support people affected by mental health issues, and their families, friends and carers.
Mental Health Foundation Australia
Website: http://www.mhfa.org.au/
Description: Connects support services for individuals with eating disorders.
Eating Disorder Organisations in NSW
Benevolent Society
Website here
Description: Supporting people with disabilities, children, families, older Australians and carers.
BEING: Mental Health and Wellbeing Consumer Advisory Group
Website: http://being.org.au
Description: Statewide organisation for people with a lived experience of mental illness. Represents consumers to all levels of NSW government.
Carers NSW
Website: www.carersnsw.asn.au
Description: Supports carers of individuals with mental illness.
Eating Disorders Queensland
Website: https://eatingdisordersqueensland.org.au/
Address: 89 Sherwood Road, Toowong, QLD 4066
Description: Promotes positive body image and prevention of eating issues.
Carers Queensland
Website: https://carersqld.com.au/
Description: Provides specialised carer, aged and disability support services.
Self Help Queensland
Website: https://www.selfhelpqld.org.au/
Description: Delivers peer-run self help and support groups, supporting people with wellbeing issues.
Eating Disorders Victoria
Eating disorders Victoria connects those in Victoria who are affected by eating disorders with the services, people and hope they need for recovery.
Website: https://www.eatingdisorders.org.au/
Victoria Centre for Excellence in Eating Disorders (CEED)
Website: http://www.ceed.org.au/
Description: Case Consultation and support service available to public mental health services.
Carers Victoria
Website: https://www.carersvictoria.org.au
Description: Works to improve the health, wellbeing, resilience and financial security of carers and to ensure that caring is a shared responsibility of family, community and government.
Tandem Inc. Victoria
Website: https://www.tandemcarers.org.au/
Description: The Victorian peak body representing families and friends supporting people living with mental health issues.
CAMHS Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service
Website: www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au
Description: Provides support services for children and adolescents experiencing mental health problems.
Carers SA
Website: www.carerssa.com.au
Description: Premier provider of carer services.
SEDS (Statewide Eating Disorder Services)
Description: Assists in finding a private practitioner, community clinic or treatment programs for those with eating disorders.
Centacare PACE Support
Website: http://www.centacare.org.au/service/pace-program/
Description: Provides a range of recovery services for people living with panic attacks, obsessive compulsive disorder and eating disorders.
Description: Supports and offers respite for carers of individuals with mental illness.
Clare House (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services)
Website here
Description: Assesses and treats children and adolescents with mental illness.
Women’s Health Tasmania
Website: http://womenshealthtas.org.au/
Description: Run by women for women, promoting positive health outcomes by undertaking a diverse range of activities and providing services.
TasCOSS (community social services)
Website: https://tascoss.org.au/
Description: Directory of Tasmanian social services.
Mental Health Council of Tasmania
Website: https://mhct.org/
Description: The peak body representing the interests of non-government mental health consumer organisations.
Carers Tasmania
Website: https://www.carerstas.org/
Description: Supports carers of individuals with mental illness.
RUAH
Website: www.ruah.org.au
Description: Innovative programs and wraparound support to help people overcome the challenges of chronic mental illness and create meaningful change in their lives.
Carers WA
Website: www.carerswa.asn.au
Description: Improving the lives of family carers living in Western Australia with access to services, support and resources.
Consumer of Mental Health WA
Website: http://www.comhwa.org.au/programs/peer-support/
Description: The voice of mental heath consumers in Western Australia.
Western Australia Association for Mental Health
Website: https://waamh.org.au
Western Australia Eating Disorder Outreach and Consultation Service
Website here
Description: Represents the community managed mental health sector.
Helping Minds
Website: https://helpingminds.org.au/
Description: Offers mental health support to the family and friends of people living with mental health challenges across Western Australia and Darwin.
EDFA (Eating Disorders Families Australia) will help to empower you to be the very best advocate you can be for your child, your role in the treatment process, and to provide access to support services, peer to peer mentoring, education and information seminars and more.
Because we are experts by experience. We call it ‘lived experience’.
Are you experiencing a crisis?
Crisis services with professional counsellors can be contacted 24/7 via the following services:
Lifeline – 13 11 14
Suicide Helpline – 1300 651 251
1800 Respect – 1800 737 732 (family violence or sexual assault)
Become a member of EDFA for $25 per year (Australian Carers Only)
EDFA is a proud not for profit, volunteer run organisation.
We invite you to be part of a revolutionary peer support group making positive changes in the Eating Disorder space. Strength in numbers means we are able to affect change and have the collective voice of the carers recognised.
We provide opportunities to connect with other parents and carers who share your experiences… helping you to feel less alone and isolated.
Yearly membership is just $25.
Membership gives access to monthly state-based strive carer support groups, twice monthly education sessions, monthly sibling support, quarterly strive support groups for carers of people with ARFID and Bulimia as well as a group for male carers and access to the members-only National strive Australia page providing connection with & support from fellow parents and carers all over Australia. Members will also receive discounts to eating disorder events and conferences. Daily online support through our striveFacebook pages and the opportunity to connect, share, learn and ask questions is another benefit of being part of our EDFA community.
Your membership helps EDFA with ongoing costs of running a not-for-profit organisation, and importantly, shows Government that families value, need and believe in this type of lived-experience support. Strength in numbers helps EDFA lobby as the collective voice of carers for better services, treatments, access to expert clinicians and specialised ED units, to help our loved ones in their recovery journey and to acknowledge the impact of an eating disorder diagnosis on the entire family unit.
