CLINICAL SERVICES
Group Therapies
Sometimes alternatives to individual, couple and family therapies can help shift relationships or challenges that feel stuck. Group therapies can help to reduce isolation, increase knowledge and skill, provide a safe forum to practice new skills, create new perspectives. Tania has extensive skill in the area of group therapies and is offering the following options to support you and your family.
Remember – everyone is a bit nervous when trying something new!
Multi Family Therapy (MFT)
Multi Family Therapy (MFT) is an intensive treatment for families where a child or young person has a restrictive eating disorder. Several families are brought together over a number of days to work together to share experiences, support and learn from one another. Working together in this way, with families facing similar problems, helps families create new perspectives, opens possibility for mutual support and feedback, and reduces isolation and stigmatisation.
Research of MFT has demonstrated improvements in child/young person’s physical health, reduction in child/young person’s self-reported eating disorder symptoms and depression, increase in parent confidence in caring for their child/young person, and a reduction in family isolation.
Future dates for MFT will be available here
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MFT is typically offered as a 4 day therapeutic workshop, adjunct or alongside, Family Based Treatment (FBT). The initial focus is on eating disorder related themes such as managing meal times and the impact of eating disorder on family life.
Over the 4 days, themes move to broader child/adolescent and family lifecycle challenges that influence recovery for the whole family. Across the 4 days of MFT, multiple families work as a large group, groups are facilitated for parents (together, mothers only, fathers only), siblings and young people, single family activities and mixed family activities.
A follow-up day may be negotiated with the group at the end of the 4 days – some groups find an MFT catch up day to share progress and learnings can assist the recovery journey.
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MFT is offered across 4 Saturdays, with a brief Friday afternoon meet and greet prior to MFT start.
MFT is facilitated by Tania, a second experienced child and youth mental health and eating disorder clinician, and a lived experience carer and counsellor (where available).
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For MFT to be of benefit you must have a child/adolescent with a diagnosed restrictive eating disorder, ideally be in FBT or a family based therapy for eating disorders, your family must be available for the full four Saturdays and ideally the brief meet and greet on Friday night.
MFT requires a minimum of 4 families to go ahead, and a maximum of 8 families. -
Fees for MFT are per family, not per individual. Fees are to be paid upfront – they can be paid gradually in the lead up to MFT.
There are no refunds available less than 2 weeks prior to start of MFT. In extraordinary circumstances fees may transfer to a future MFT date.
Emotion Focused Skills Training (EFST)
Emotion Focused Skills Training (EFST) is an empirically supported intervention that guides parents to navigate their own and their child’s emotions, enhance their own and their child’s motivation for change, and transform challenging relationships in the family.
EFST has demonstrated positive change in a child’s mental health where only the parent attends EFST. Parents with children of any age (child, adolescent, adult) who are struggling with mental health challenges including but not exclusively eating disorders, social or education struggles, will likely benefit from EFST.
Future dates for EFST will be available here
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Group EFST will help you identify and manage your own emotions, and help you to identify and support your child/adolescent to manage their own emotions. Groups offer the opportunity to practice skills with other parents with the support of EFST and mental health clinicians.
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EFST groups will run once a week over a 6-8 week period, co-facilitated by Tania and a second experienced child and youth mental health clinician.
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EFST requires a minimum of 4 adults to go ahead, and a maximum of 10 adults.
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Fees are per adult and not per family. Fees can be paid weekly or upfront.
A Medicare rebate may be available for this group.Please consult with your General Practitioner, Paediatrician or Psychiatrist for eligibility and referral.