ARFID Therapy in Sydney and the Sutherland Shire

ARFID can make eating feel complicated, stressful or exhausting. Foods may feel impossible because of their texture, taste, smell or appearance, there may be very little interest in eating, or a frightening experience with food may have led to avoiding certain foods altogether.

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For children, this can mean an increasingly small range of foods they feel able to eat and distress when something unfamiliar is offered. For adults, eating may have been difficult for years, with food choices becoming increasingly limited or social situations involving food becoming something to avoid.

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Unlike anorexia nervosa and some other eating disorders, Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) is not driven by concerns about weight or body image. It can, however, affect nutrition, physical health and everyday life.

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At Evolving Minds Counselling and Psychology, our psychologists, counsellors and therapists provide ARFID therapy for children, adolescents and adults across Sydney and the Sutherland Shire. Appointments are available in person at our Menai practice in Sydney’s south and via secure telehealth across Australia.

 

What are the signs of ARFID?

 

ARFID can look different for everyone. Some people have a very small number of foods that feel safe to eat. A different texture, smell, taste or appearance can make a food feel impossible, even when you want to be able to eat it. Others may have little interest in food, rarely feel hungry or find eating itself takes a lot of effort.

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For parents, mealtimes can become stressful for the whole family. You may find yourself preparing the same foods repeatedly, worrying about whether your child is eating enough, or watching their list of accepted foods become smaller. Encouraging them to try something new may lead to anxiety, distress or refusal, leaving you unsure about how much to encourage and when to step back.

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For adolescents and adults, ARFID can make eating away from home particularly difficult. Restaurants, school, work, travel or social occasions can become stressful when you do not know whether there will be something you can eat.

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ARFID often occurs alongside sensory sensitivities, anxiety, autism or ADHD. Understanding what is driving the food avoidance is important because ARFID does not look the same for everyone.

 

​How can therapy help with ARFID?

 

ARFID therapy starts with understanding why eating feels difficult. For one person it may be the texture, taste or smell of food. For another it may be anxiety about choking, vomiting or becoming unwell, or simply having very little interest in eating.

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Therapy can help gradually build confidence and flexibility around food without forcing or overwhelming the person. This may involve expanding the range of foods that feel manageable, reducing anxiety around eating and making mealtimes or eating away from home feel less difficult.

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Our clinicians take a neuro-affirming, sensory-aware approach and draw on evidence-based eating disorder therapies, including CBT-informed and exposure-based strategies.

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Our team works regularly with eating disorders and includes an ANZAED Credentialed Eating Disorder Clinician.

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​​ARFID therapy in Sydney and the Sutherland Shire

 

Whether you are worried about your child’s increasingly limited range of foods or have struggled with restricted eating yourself for years, ARFID therapy can help you understand what is making eating difficult and begin working towards greater flexibility around food.

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If you have been searching for an ARFID psychologist, ARFID therapy or ARFID treatment near you, our psychologists, counsellors and therapists provide evidence-based ARFID therapy across Sydney and the Sutherland Shire.

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We see clients from Menai, Sutherland, Miranda, Caringbah, Gymea, Kirrawee and Engadine, as well as the St George area, Inner West, Eastern Suburbs and other areas of Sydney.

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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.