ARFID Counselling in the Sutherland Shire

​Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) is an eating disorder characterised by a limited range of foods, avoidance based on sensory experience, or reduced interest in eating. Unlike other eating disorders, ARFID is not driven by concerns about weight or body image. ARFID can affect nutrition, physical health, and daily functioning.

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At Evolving Minds Counselling and Psychology in Menai, our psychologists and counsellors provide ARFID counselling in Menai and across the Sutherland Shire for children, adolescents and adults. Sessions are available in person and via secure online appointments.

 

Understanding ARFID

 

​ARFID can present in different ways. Some people may experience:

• Avoidance of foods based on texture, taste, smell or appearance

• Strong sensory sensitivities around food

• A limited range of accepted foods

• Anxiety around trying new foods

• Reduced appetite or lack of interest in eating

• Difficulty eating in social settings

• Distress around mealtimes

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For some families, this may present as ongoing difficulty introducing new foods or concern about nutritional intake. In adults, it may involve longstanding patterns of restricted eating or avoidance of social situations involving food.

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These patterns are often linked to sensory sensitivities, anxiety, or past experiences with food, and may also sit alongside anxiety counselling, autism, or ADHD.

 

​When to consider counselling

 

You may wish to consider counselling if eating patterns are:

• Highly restrictive or limited in variety

• Causing distress around food or mealtimes

• Impacting growth, nutrition or physical health

• Affecting social situations or daily functioning

• Associated with anxiety or sensory sensitivities

 

These patterns can become more established over time, and support may assist in developing greater flexibility around food.​

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​​ARFID counselling in the Sutherland Shire

 

Our psychologists and counsellors provide evidence-based ARFID counselling in Menai and across the Sutherland Shire, supporting people across a range of eating difficulties.

 

Our team includes an ANZAED credentialed clinician, and all clinicians have completed specialised training in eating disorders.

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Counselling may involve gradual exposure to new foods, reducing anxiety around eating, and building flexibility in food choices. Our clinicians draw on evidence based therapies such as CBT-informed approaches, exposure-based strategies, and attachment and trauma informed ways of working.

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This work sits within our broader eating disorder counselling, allowing us to support both ARFID and the wider factors contributing to eating patterns.

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​Getting Started

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Appointments are available in person at our Menai practice in the Sutherland Shire, or via secure online sessions across Australia.

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​If you’re unsure where to begin, our Client Care Team can assist. Call 02 8519 4197 or use the button below to request an appointment.