Special Interest Groups

The membership of this group includes any financial member of ANZAED who has a particular interest in the treatment and recovery of children and youth with eating disorders. The Group will meet up to 3 times a year via video-conferencing and once a year at the annual ANZAED conference.

The Group aims to provide a forum for:

• Information sharing and dissemination
• Identifying and discussing common points of interest
• Networking
• Advocacy
• Education
• Collaboration

Co-Chairs & Contact Persons: Colleen Alford, colleen.alford@health.nsw.gov.au & Katryna Henry, Katryna.henry@health.nsw.gov.au

The LGBTQA+ SIG is open to all members who have an interest in working with people of diverse genders and sexualities. We recognise that members of the LGBTQA+ community are disproportionately impacted by eating disorders, and also have unique considerations for treatment. We are interested in upskilling the workforce to provide more inclusive and effective care for the LGBTQA+ community. We welcome both community members, whose lived experience is invaluable to this work, as well as allies.

The aim of this group is to: 

• To promote visibility for people who are, care for and support, and/or work with, members of the LGBTQA+ community
• To provide a space for people to make connections, discuss ideas, raise concerns, and share resources regarding LGBTQA+ eating disorder care
• To provide specific information, training and resources to help our sector better support the LGBTQA+ community
• To promote research in this space with the aim of improving evidence-based assessment and treatment
• To unite in community action to promote LGBTQA+ community awareness within the eating disorders space, and vice versa

Co-chairs & Contact Persons: Maria (Ari) Spanos mariavspanos@gmail.com and Dr Jane Miskovic-Wheatley Jane.miskovic-wheatley@sydney.edu.au

The membership of this group includes any financial member of ANZAED who identifies as an early career researcher, including undergraduate or postgraduate students, post-doctoral researchers or any other individual interested in research into eating disorders or related topics.

The Group aims to:

• To provide support and guidance for new researchers working in the field of eating disorders and body image to establish a successful research career.
• To provide a way for early career researchers to connect, disseminate information, discuss points of interest, and network.
• To foster collaborations between early career researchers working in the field of eating disorders.
• To establish mentoring relationships between senior academics and early career researchers within ANZAED.

Co-Chairs & Contact Persons: Katarina Prnjak, K.prnjak@westernsydney.edu.au & Yive Yang, yive.yang@westernsydney.edu.au

Barayn Ginyaang. Welcome to the Indigenous Eating Disorder Research and Clinical Development Special Interest Group. This is a safe, non-discriminatory communication and support forum for all ANZEAD members who work with or plan to conduct research with Indigenous peoples at risk of or living with disordered eating and eating disorders.

Through active discussions, presentations and resource sharing group members will gain awareness and knowledge about Indigenous people’s needs, wants, expectations and experiences of eating disorders, existing treatments, and factors contributing to successful recovery. Members will also be invited to participate in advocacy activities to contribute towards service equity and guided critical self-reflection exercises (led by Chair and Worimi Woman Dr. Liz Dale) to strengthen cultural awareness and competencies.

Please make sure you click ‘Subscribe’ on the Forum Home Page to receive email notifications of new topic threads and events related to the SIG. If you want to be notified of any replies to a particular discussion thread, make sure you click the ‘Notify me of follow-up Replies via email’ below the thread. Murrumbu.

Chair & Contact Person: Liz Dale, edale@uow.edu.au

The Neurodiversity SIG is meant for current ANZAED members who share an interest in furthering knowledge and understanding relating to the interconnectedness of neurodivergence and eating disorders. Indeed, awareness about the overlap between autism, adhd, and eating disorders is growing and the need to implement neurodiversity-friendly and neuroaffirming therapy frameworks for neurodivergent people with eating disorders is increasingly being acknowledged. The group aims to meet 4 to 5 times a year through video conferencing as well as in-person at the ANZAED yearly conference. 

This SIG’s primary goals are as follows: 

• Sharing of information, resources, and up-to-date research publications  
• Promoting neurodiversity-friendly approaches in relation to neurodivergence and eating disorders that take underlying factors and concepts such as the double empathy problem, masking, justice sensitivity, sensory sensitivity (interoception and exteroception), alexithymia, autistic burnout, special interests, executive functioning, or synesthesia into consideration  
• Promoting the social-ecological model of disability in relation to neurodivergence  
• Networking and learning through online (video conference and forum) and in-person events   

Chair & Contact Person: Contact Laurence Cobbaert, l.cobbaert@unsw.edu.au

The Neuroscience Special Interest Group (SIG) is open to all ANZAED members who have an interest in neuroscience and related disciplines including, neuropsychology, neuropsychiatry, cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging.

The SIG aims to provide a forum for:

• Information sharing and dissemination
• Training opportunities
• Networking and collaboration between neuroscience-researchers within the ANZAED

Chair & Contact Person: Rosiel Elwyn, rosiel.elwyn@research.usc.edu.au & Po-Han (Terry) Kung, pkung@student.unimelb.edu.au

We would like to invite nurses to

• Connect and collaborate with other nurses working in the eating disorder field or who have an interest in eating disorders?
• Be part of a group from which advocacy and education can occur

The Nurses Special Interest Group will aim to meet the needs of new and experienced practitioners in the mental health or medical field that work with children, adolescents and adults affected by an eating disorder.

If you are interested in being part of this group please contact the Co- Chairs & Contact Persons: Nicola Cooper, Nicola.cooper@health.wa.gov.au & Maria Garland, Maria.Garland@health.wa.gov.au

The membership of the ANZAED Occupational Therapy Special Interest Group {SIG} is made up of New Zealand and Australian Registered Occupational Therapists who are current financial members of ANZAED. We also have email links with non-ANZAED members.

PURPOSE:

• to explore and develop the role of Occupational Therapists working in the field of eating disorders
• to participate and support Occupational Therapy eating disorder research
• to foster collaboration between Occupational Therapists working in the field of eating disorders
• to advocate for an Occupational perspective within the treatment and recovery from eating disorders

We meet approximately bimonthly via Zoom, and annually at the ANZAED conference, in order to build relationships across the Tasman and build a sense of professional identity within the eating disorders professional community. We also provide webinars for members on Occupational Therapy related topics.

Chair & Contact Person: Maree Sievwright (NZ), marees@nzedc.co.nz

Any ANZAED member who has a interest in the assessment and treatment of individuals with eating disorders who present in a private practice setting can join this SIG. The Group aims to provide a forum for:

• Information sharing and dissemination
• Identifying and discussing common points of interest
• Networking
• Advocacy
• Education
• Collaboration

Chair & Contact Person: Ariana Elias, ariana@tikvahclinic.com.au

This a new membership group for any financial member of ANZAED who has a particular interest in the integration of psychodynamic theory and practice within evidence informed treatment for eating disorders. The group will meet four times a year via video-conferencing and during the annual ANZAED conference.​

Through presentations, discussions and readings, this SIG will enable clinicians to share and develop ideas on how a psychodynamic approach can shed light on the development and maintenance of eating disorders, the importance of understanding transference and countertransference within the therapeutic relationship, and to respond to the growing acknowledgment of the need for formulation driven work with children, adolescents and adults, regardless of which modality is being used.

The group will provide a forum for:

• Information sharing and exploration (curiosity is more important than prior knowledge)
• Identifying and discussing common points of interest relating to psychodynamic/psychoanalytic theory and practice
• Education opportunities (including outreach, specialist webinars etc.)
• Collaboration

Co-chairs & Contact Persons: Dr Annaleise Robertson,annaleise.robertson@health.nsw.gov.au and Chris Thornton, chris.thornton@theredleafpractice.com

The membership of this group is available to any ANZAED member who has an interest in Rural and Regional areas. The Rural and Remote SIG will meet annually at the ANZAED conference as well as throughout the year utilising webinars, teleconferencing and a listserv to aid communication outside of these meetings. The aims of the group include

• • ​to connect, support, discuss & raise the profile of the unique challenges associated with working in a Rural and Remote locations
  • to offer opportunities for further education & advocacy
  • provide a space for collaboration for members & a support network

The co-chairs & contact persons of this SIG are Deanne Harris, Deanne.Harris@health.nsw.gov.au and Elesa Crowley, elesa.crowley@health.nsw.gov.au.

Members who are having difficulty in registering for this SIG, please contact us at anzaed@anzaed.org.au

The Trauma and Eating Disorders (TrEDs) SIG will welcome any current member of ANZAED with an interest in the intersection of trauma and eating disorders and their research/treatment, within an evidence informed approach. We welcome those with experience in or curiosity about research or practice across both fields and   their intersection. The group will aim to meet four times per year via video conferencing and if possible, in person during the annual ANZAED conference.

Some proposed aims include:

• To provide access to a network of clinicians working across each or both fields, and an opportunity to enhance knowledge and understanding of current treatment trends and research developments in the trauma and eating disorder fields and their intersection.
• To promote the use of evidence informed treatment approaches to both the management of eating disorders, trauma and their co-occurrence.
• To share new findings across both fields.
• To promote a forum to discuss trauma and PTSD, and complex PTSD, and their impact on the development and maintenance of eating disorders.
• To encourage resource sharing, collaboration and opportunities as appropriate.
• To acknowledge the importance of trauma informed care for those working in EDs.
• To provide opportunities for professional development such as through specialist webinars or other invited speakers and training opportunities.
• To build field-relevant networks.

Co-Chairs & Contact Persons: Mandy Goldstein, mandy.goldstein@everybodypsychology.com.au and Sharon Stern, sharon@sharonsternpsychologist.com

The WS & SJ SIG is open to all members who have an interest in understanding the role and effects of weight stigma in the realm of eating disorders and their treatment.  Underpinning the concept of weight stigma is the broader issue of social justice, which advocates for diversity, acceptance and open access to services, treatment and support for ALL people in ALL bodies.

This SIG will be seeking to build on the “courageous conversations” that were started at the 2018 ANZAED Conference in Melbourne, where we heard from lived experience, alongside the work of health professionals, that eating disorders can and do occur in ALL bodies and that we all need to work to dismantle the effects of weight stigma and bias, to allow anyone who is struggling with eating disorders, body image, or eating concerns, to get proper care without fear of judgement or discrimination.

This SIG was initially titled ‘Health at Every Size’, however, our international colleagues at the AED changed the name of their HAES SIG to ‘Weight Stigma and Social Justice’, to reflect the underlying discourse of the HAES approach.  Thus, we decided to align with them in the push to further our understanding of these concepts.

The aim of this Group is to:

• Provide a supportive forum for further learning and shared experience in working from a non-diet, HAES, intuitive eating approach to eating disorders and body image concerns.
• Provide learning opportunities in the form of webinars and/or meetings 3-4 times a year on suitable topics related to weight stigma and social justice.
• Allow for lived experience, alongside professional research and experience in the field to inform us and open up discussion, respectful debate and collaboration on topics and issues that arise regularly in the realm of eating disorders.
• Explore and work to remove the barriers, obstacles and pitfalls that make equal access to eating disorder treatment and care difficult for some people and groups.
• Build a network of people who share these interests.

Co-Chairs & Contact Persons: Casey James, Casey.James@health.nsw.gov.au & Geradline Taggart- Jeewa, info@sunnynutritionanddietetics.com