Live Training
The upcoming events at BodyMatters include:
Psychologist and BodyMatters Director Sarah McMahon presents a one day workshop on Engaging Ambivalent Clients: Enhancing Motivation and Building Self-efficacy. | Zoom, Tuesday 20 May 2025 10AM to 5PM AEST
Location: Via Zoom, Link to be provided prior to the event.
Date: Tuesday 20 May 2025
Pricing: $451 ($400 + GST + TryBooking Processing Fee)
Enhancing our client’s motivation to change and building their self-efficacy is absolutely paramount when it comes to treating people experiencing eating and body image issues- including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder. This one day workshop for allied health practitioners provides an introduction to/ refresher of motivational interviewing with a specific application to eating disorders. In particular the workshop will emphasize how to work with clients in precontemplative, contemplative and determination/ preparation stages of change.
Learning objectives:
- Understand the transtheoretical stages of change with specific application to eating disorders
- Appreciate the key barriers to recovery for eating disorder sufferers
- Understand how to support clients to move through precontemplation, contemplation and preparation stages of change
- Understand how to build insight in people experiencing eating and body image issues
- Describe a novel treatment mechanism positing open expression = trust = social connectedness
- Increase motivation to change for people experiencing eating and body image issues
- Build self efficacy in people experiencing eating and body image issues
About the presenter:
Sarah McMahon
is the Director of BodyMatters Australasia, a Sydney based private practice with a particular interest in treating eating and body image issues. Sarah has worked in the field of eating disorders for approximately 15 years and has supported hundreds of individuals to achieve recovery. Sarah is well known for her compassionate and respectful approach to treatment as well as her ability to engage with clients in the early stages of change, supporting them through the recovery journey.
BodyMatters Training Cancellation Policy and Disclaimer
Title: Specialist Supportive Clinical Management (SSCM) for Severe and Enduring Anorexia nervosa – 10am to 5pm AEST
Location: Via Zoom
Price: $451 ($400 + GST + TryBooking Processing Fee)
Date: Thursday 04 September 2025
About the Workshop:
Specialist Supportive Clinical Management (SSCM) was originally designed as a placebo comparative treatment in a clinical trial for the treatment of anorexia nervosa, and showed promising results. Since then SSCM has continued to be used, and shown to be a valid and effective treatment for anorexia nervosa. SSCM combines a range of tools including clinical management, psychoeducation and encouragement with a supportive therapeutic style, working collaboratively with clients to target specific eating disorder symptoms. The aim of the therapy is to empower clients to make a link between their symptoms, eating behaviour and weight, and to support them to gradually return to normal eating and weight.
About the presenter:
Sarah McMahon is the Director of BodyMatters Australasia, a sydney based private practice with a particular interest in treating eating and body image issues. Sarah has worked in the field of eating disorders for approximately 15 years and has supported hundreds of individuals to achieve recovery. Sarah is well known for her compassionate and respectful approach to treatment as well as her ability to engage with clients in the early stages of change, supporting them through the recovery journey.
Learning Outcomes:
- An understanding of the theoretical underpinnings of Specialist Supportive Clinical Management (SSCM)
- To understand when SSCM is indicated and contraindicated
- To understand the target symptoms of SSCM
- Understand the three phase structure of SSCM
- Apply SSCM as a treatment for Anorexia Nervosa
Psychologist and BodyMatters Director Sarah McMahon presents a one day workshop on Engaging Ambivalent Clients: Enhancing Motivation and Building Self-efficacy. | Zoom, Monday 8 September 2025 10AM to 5PM AEST
Location: Via Zoom, Link to be provided prior to the event.
Date: Monday 8 September 2025
Pricing: $451 ($400 + GST + TryBooking Processing Fee)
About the Event:
Enhancing our client’s motivation to change and building their self-efficacy is absolutely paramount when it comes to treating people experiencing eating and body image issues- including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder. This one day workshop for allied health practitioners provides an introduction to/ refresher of motivational interviewing with a specific application to eating disorders. In particular the workshop will emphasize how to work with clients in precontemplative, contemplative and determination/ preparation stages of change.
Learning objectives:
- Understand the transtheoretical stages of change with specific application to eating disorders
- Appreciate the key barriers to recovery for eating disorder sufferers
- Understand how to support clients to move through precontemplation, contemplation and preparation stages of change
- Understand how to build insight in people experiencing eating and body image issues
- Describe a novel treatment mechanism positing open expression = trust = social connectedness
- Increase motivation to change for people experiencing eating and body image issues
- Build self efficacy in people experiencing eating and body image issues
About the presenter:
Sarah McMahon is the Director of BodyMatters Australasia, a Sydney based private practice with a particular interest in treating eating and body image issues. Sarah has worked in the field of eating disorders for approximately 15 years and has supported hundreds of individuals to achieve recovery. Sarah is well known for her compassionate and respectful approach to treatment as well as her ability to engage with clients in the early stages of change, supporting them through the recovery journey.
BodyMatters Training Cancellation Policy and Disclaimer
Clinical Psychologist, Dr Carmel Harrison and Accredited Practising Dietitian, Mari Harrison present a two day workshop on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Binge Eating Disorder (CBT-BED). | Zoom, Friday 7 November and Friday 14 November 2025 9am to 4pm AEDT
Location: Via Zoom, Link to be provided prior to the event.
Price: $795.00 (GST and TryBooking Processing Fee included)
Date: Friday 7 November and Friday 14 November 2025
About the Course:
While Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is the first line treatment for BED, the evidence base has historically relied on very old CBT treatment manuals. The most comprehensive eating disorder treatment manual cognitive behavioural therapy – enhanced (CBT-E) is commonly believed to be the evidence base for BED treatment, however binge eating disorder is under-represented in many clinical treatment trials for CBT-E, despite it being considered the first line transdiagnostic treatment for eating disorders.
Additionally, significant limitations applying the manual to BED exist given the overvaluation of shape and weight (the core psychopathology of the transdiagnostic theory) is not a diagnostic criteria in BED. Only 50 percent of people with BED report the overvaluation, and dietary restraint is not the most common precipitant to binge eating in BED. Additionally, 50-75 percent of people with BED have higher weight and most commonly present to weight loss services and with an exclusion criteria of a BMI > 40 for CBT-E, significant limitations exist in current evidence base treatments for binge eating disorder and those with co-occurring clinical obesity.
The publication of a new treatment manual Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Binge Eating Disorder (2024) provides clearer guidance to clinicians working with binge eating disorder and higher weight as to navigating treatment in a complex landscape. In addition, the new international definition of clinical obesity (2025) provides further clarity around the known limitations of BMI alone in defining clinical obesity. This workshop provides the opportunity to reflect on this, the evolving evidence and implications for psychological and nutrition treatment.
Workshop Objectives:
- To expand your knowledge on BED more broadly understanding how it differs to Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa.
- To develop a clear understanding of the unique content in CBT-BED compared to CBT-E including the treatment of overeating/dysregulating eating, eating for reward, addressing internalised weight bias, increasing movement, creating a helpful food environment, pursuing weight loss when medically indicated and addressing realistic expectations around weight. For the mental health clinicians in attendance, opportunity to role play the implementation these interventions will be given.
- To consider and build an understanding of contrasting perspectives on higher weight including clinical obesity treatments and weight neutral/Health At Every Size approaches, to enhance client centred practice and work on cohesion and communication between eating disorder services and clinical obesity services.
- To explore the complex relationship between BED and clinical obesity including building greater knowledge around common medical comorbidities including type 2 diabetes, fatty liver, polycystic ovarian syndrome and other metabolic disorders.
- To navigate when clients want to pursue weight loss and how to support them. Including touching on the role of GLP1s, bariatric surgery and behavioural weight loss interventions along with their pros and cons.
This workshop is multidisciplinary and open to psychologists, dietitians, mental health occupational therapists, general practitioners and other medical professionals. For the mental health clinicians who plan to deliver the CBT intervention, CBT-E is assumed knowledge. The content will primarily be psychological with nutrition content incorporated.
About the presenters:
Dr Carmel Harrison
Carmel is a Clinical Psychologist with a special interest in weight concerns and Binge Eating Disorder. Carmel has approximately ten year’s experience in private practice and completed her training at the Australian National University. She holds a Clinical PhD in Binge Eating Disorder and has published a number of academic journal articles on Binge Eating Disorder, and disordered eating more broadly. She is a Credentialed Eating Disorder Clinician (CEDC) and a member of the Australian New Zealand Academy for Eating Disorders and a board approved supervisor and offers training workshops and webinars in BED.
Mari Harrison
Mari is an Accredited Practising Dietitian and Credentialed Eating Disorder Clinician with over 25 years of experience in mental health, eating disorders, diabetes care, and metabolic & bariatric surgery (MBS). She has a keen interest in the intersection of MBS and eating disorders, dedicating her career to helping individuals with nutrition and eating behaviour concerns. As an educator, Mari enjoys sharing her knowledge and professional insights through workshops and webinars, empowering both her clients and fellow healthcare providers. Her unique combination of skills and knowledge in eating disorders and bariatric surgery makes her a trusted professional in the field.
BodyMatters Training Cancellation Policy and Disclaimer