Butterfly: Let's Talk4 Okt 2022

In Depth with occupational therapist Dr Elysa Roberts

In this episode, we sit down with occupational therapist Dr Elysa Roberts to discover why OT can be effective in treating eating disorders.

First, what is an occupation? It’s generally defined as “any activity in which one engages”, which means it’s a lot more than just a job. An occupation can include eating, exercising, working, shopping, socialising, parenting, education, time spent on spiritual practice... the list just goes on. Occupations are all the ordinary and everyday activities of life.

An eating disorder can be considered an occupation, but one that isn’t good for your health or well-being. Recovery could also be defined as an occupation, and that’s why Occupational Therapists can play a key role in a person’s treatment team.

Dr Roberts, an OT since the early ‘90s, says that she realised the importance of OT as a treatment modality through her own lived experience.

“I'd go through waves of treatment, be discharged, recover, and then go through it again all while establishing my OT career. Unfortunately, what wasn't happening in those days was strong relapse prevention programmes, or relapse prevention being included as part of recovery.”

Now things are changing. Dr Roberts describes how OT can help – first by bringing a unique and holistic understanding of an individual’s mental, physical and sensory profile, but also by co-designing practical interventions that can make all the difference to ongoing recovery.

If you think you need to find out more about occupational therapists and how they could help you or someone you love, Butterfly could help. Go to Butterfly.org.au or call the Butterfly helpline on 1800 ED HOPE - 1800 33 46 73.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Det här avsnittet är hämtat från ett öppet RSS-flöde och publiceras inte av Podme. Det kan innehålla reklam.

Avsnitt(92)

The Wellness Trap: How 'healthy' content harms users at risk for eating disorders

Wellness culture promises optimum health. New research suggests it might be hiding a bigger risk: disordered eating. Beth Shelton sits down with researcher Ruby Kagan to unpack why. We're used to th...

8 Sep 29min

Dr Susan Simpson on schema therapy and her new self-help book for recovery.

Evidence-based treatment for eating disorders rightly focuses on restoring health and changing eating disorder behaviours. But what if those behaviours are also protecting something much deeper? What ...

4 Aug 29min

Should a therapist reveal they’ve experienced an eating disorder?

Therapists are often encouraged to bring empathy and authenticity into the therapy room, but what happens when that understanding comes from their own experience of an eating disorder? Should they dis...

7 Juli 40min

From looksmaxxing to protein mania: the viral pressures on male health & wellbeing

Men's body image is having a moment in the cultural conversation, but beyond the clickbait, what's actually going on? Where's the line between caring about your body and falling into something that ca...

2 Juni 39min

Eating disorder and neurodivergence: What one carer learned that made all the difference

Neurodivergence, ADHD, autism, dyslexia, sensory processing differences, is far more common in eating disorder presentations than most people realise. When it goes unrecognised, traditional treatment...

5 Maj 26min

It's not about the body: the hidden story behind your body image

Meet our new host, Beth Shelton, a counselling psychologist with thirty years of experience working with people affected by eating disorders, including their loved ones. In addition to her own practic...

31 Mars 30min

Problematic relationship with your body and food? Here's what to do.

In this episode Yvie is joined by Natalie Spicer, Butterfly's Head of Clinical Services, to talk through taking the all-important first steps toward recovery from an eating disorder. If you or a loved...

3 Mars 30min

The medicine and the message: Unpacking the chatter around GLP-1s

On this week’s episode of Let's Talk In this episode, we're talking about GLP-1 medications, the drugs originally developed for diabetes that are now used more widely for weight loss. We've all seen h...

3 Feb 50min