InsideOut hosts NSW Eating Disorder Coordinators

InsideOut welcomed eating disorder coordinators from across New South Wales to the 2025 NSW Eating Disorder Coordinators’ Two-Day Meeting on 25 and 26 February.

The annual meeting is an opportunity for State Eating Disorder Coordinators, InsideOut’s Statewide Service Development Team, researchers, clinicians, and other eating disorders specialists to come together to share information and maximise opportunities to collaborate.

Day one kicked off with an Acknowledgement of Country followed by an update from the NSW Ministry of Health Mental Health Branch.

InsideOut’s Statewide Service Development team –  Caroline Hill, Tanja Rabbering, Danielle Byers, Maureen Moerbeck and Vanessa Allen – delivered updates on projects. Over the past year, the Workforce Development project has trained almost 900 people in evidence-informed treatments; the Family Based Treatment (FBT) program is training six new trainers and more clinician supervisors to assist families and carers of people with eating disorders. The NSW Dietitian Eating Disorders Supervision Program is helping dietitians across NSW to gain the skills and confidence they need to work with people with eating disorders.

Sally Corry, Stephanie Boulet, Sarah Horsfield and Bridget Mulvey from InsideOut’s Clinical Stream presented in-depth updates on major clinical projects. This included; Upskilling, which aims to increase the skills and confidence of the health workforce; the eClinic - which is providing free online cognitive behavioural therapy for people with symptoms of binge eating disorder and bulimia nervosa, and the GP Hub, which is currently supporting GPs and Practice Managers across Australia to accurately identify, diagnose and support patients with symptoms of eating disorders.

InsideOut’s ability to work across the entire research pipeline and embed research in each project they undertake was acknowledged when the Research Stream’s Co Leads, Dr Sarah Barakat and Dr Kristi Griffiths reviewed the team’s current research projects, including the eClinic, GP Hub, EDGI, Skilled, LiVED and answered questions from coordinators about their current and planned research projects.

Day one concluded with an interactive presentation from Rebecca Craske who asked attendees to consider how five new habits that challenge how we think about complexity and chaos - simple stories, rightness, agreement, control and ego - could help to avoid mind traps that limit our ability to become leaders.

Day two commenced with a recap of the 2024 Professional Development Day followed by Coordinators’ team presentations which outlined the innovative ways they are supporting their districts and sparked lively discussion, collaboration and a sharing of ideas.

InsideOut’s Lived Experience Consultant, Bronny Carroll and Catherine Keniry (from Western NSW), discussed the importance of people with lived experience of eating disorders. They reflected on how organisations can maximise their impact by ensuring they are integrated into the team and consulted during decision making processes.

Guest speakers, Lumen Gorrie and Manjella Jones discussed the high incidence of eating disorders amongst trans and gender diverse people, and how they are impacted by key health risks such as discrimination, accessibility, trauma, workforce difficulties, and lack of access to and awareness of appropriate healthcare. They outlined how key health supports like community, healthcare, informed consent, peer support, awareness, and research and education can improve the health and wellbeing of members of the LGBTQIA+ community.

The day ended with a wrap up, reflection and planning for other important events in the year ahead, such as the Forum.

InsideOut look forward to continuing to work closely with the NSW Eating Disorder Coordinators and welcoming them to the next two day meeting in 2026.