Organisation: Butterfly Foundation for Eating Disorders
Job Title: Therapist, Intensive Outpatient Program
Location: Sydney
- In response to the advertised position of Therapist, Intensive Outpatient Program for Butterfly
Foundation for Eating Disorders, I would like to submit my application. In 2012, I completed a
Postgraduate Diploma of Psychology, and I am currently working as a Provisional Psychologist with
Learning Links where I provide assessment and counselling for children and families. I will have
completed one year of the two year registration process with the Australian Health Practitioner
Regulation Agency in April 2015. I have gained many transferrable skills in previous counselling
based roles such as:
Case Manager for Disability Employment Services (Working Arrangements), where I
assisted people with a disability, medical condition or injury to secure safe and sustainable
employment opportunities
Occupational Assessor for Disability Employment Services (Campbell Page), where I
completed vocational assessments and developed personalised employment plans
Community Programs Worker with Healthscope, where I provided residential support to
individuals with acquired brain injuries
Health Promotion Officer where I worked with various groups to improve the health of
individuals and the community
Through working in my current role as a Provisional Psychologist, as well as my university studies
and personal development, I have gained an understanding of eating disorders and disordered
eating. I understand that individuals with an eating disorder have significant problems with eating
habits, weight management practices and attitudes about weight and body shape. These eating-
related attitudes and behaviours can have numerous negative consequences including:
Physiological consequences, which are potentially life-threatening
Alienation from self and often social withdrawal
Low self-esteem, depression, shame and guilt
Interference with normal daily activities
Obsession and anxiety - I understand that parents, siblings, partners, friends, extended family, work colleagues and others
often experience many different feelings as they learn to cope with the effects of an eating
disorder on both the person, and on their own lives. The strain of living with the eating disorder
can create tensions and divisions within a family, and each person involved will be affected in
different ways.
In my current role as a Provisional Psychologist with Learning Links, I was delivering a workshop
focused on anxiety and depression in children and adolescents at a local school. During this
workshop, two girls disclosed to me that they were suffering from issues with binge eating. Their
parents also expressed concerns, so I offered to speak with them individually at the end of the
workshop. Demonstrating empathy and compassion, I listened to the concerns of both girls and
their parents and as a result scheduled additional individual and group family sessions with them.
Together, we developed appropriate eating plans and identified strategies that could be put in
place to assist the girls. Upon advice from my supervisor, I referred the girls to their General
Practitioner to gain access to further psychological assistance. I also advised the parents on
suitable support and assistance that they could access to assist themselves through the process.
I have a sound understanding of other mental health conditions, commonly co-morbid with eating
disorders such as; depression, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder, and throughout my
employment history I have often worked with clients in regards to those conditions where I
subsequently uncovered an underlying eating disorder. In my previous work with Disability
Employment Services, I gained and utilised my vast knowledge of local medical and community
organisations to refer clients to providers with extensive experience across many types of areas to
provide further advice, options and services tailored to best suit their individual circumstances. I
referred clients to Psychologists, Job Capacity Assessors, Allied Health Workers, Rehabilitation
Clinics, General Practitioners, Counsellors and other specialist services. When working with clients
who had a suspected eating disorder, I utilised my knowledge of the Butterfly Foundation for
Eating Disorders, and obtained relevant information from the website to provide to my clients. In
my position of Health Promotions Officer, I was responsible for collating information and
presenting it in a service directory in regards to local health and community organisations which
clearly demonstrates both my knowledge and research skills in this area.
Throughout my career, I have gained direct experience working with people with an eating
disorder, or other medical disorders in counselling and support roles. In my current role as
Provisional Psychologist with Learning Links, I provide children and young people who have
difficulties learning due to disabilities and learning support needs with the skills, services and
family support that enable them to reach their full potential. As a result of these conditions, the
children and young people that I work with are often diagnosed with depression, anxiety and
other medical disorders which I am required to counsel them on. While working for Campbell Page
as an Occupational Assessor for Disability Employment Services, as well as my role as Case
Manager for Working Arrangements, I would work closely with clients to develop individual
employment plans. As well as goals and personal development that may have been required,
these plans also involved appropriate medical interventions such as rehabilitation, counselling or
referrals to Psychologists in order to treat medical disorders such as Bi Polar/Manic Depression,
Schizophrenia, Depression or Anxiety. These referrals provided additional support that my clients
required in order to obtain sustainable employment. Additionally, in my Employment with
Healthscope, I assisted with personal assistance, domestic support and supervision of daily living
activities for people with acquired brain injuries. I often found that my clients had additional medical disorders such as depression or anxiety and - I utilised my knowledge to provide
appropriate referrals in order to assist them further.
I have gained experience in group facilitation, and as a group facilitator for a therapy group within
a community health framework in my current role as Provisional Psychologist with Learning Links,
where I am required to deliver the Stop, Think, Do program for children. This program assists with
social and emotional learning for students as well as helping children with mental health
difficulties. The program consists of 20 lessons, and each lesson includes learning outcomes,
required resources, structured teaching of the core concept or skills, age appropriate activities to
practice the skills, and worksheets to reinforce each learning outcome. In situations where difficult
or challenging group dynamics occurred, I would remove the disruptive child/children and provide
a one-on-one activity with them. It is important for me to recognise and respect that the children
are learning at different levels and have individual issues, and as a result remain flexible with my
delivery. I also have experience with group facilitation in my roles with Disability Employment
Services, where I would run Job Clubs to provide coaching on job search techniques and
interviews. I would often find that clients would sit next to others that they knew and would talk
throughout my presentation or would talk over each other. In order to overcome this, I would
allocate seating at the beginning of the sessions and ensured that I set clear boundaries.
Previous employment with Disability Employment Services, has assisted me with recognising the
importance for clients to continue with job search, employment and/or education while receiving
treatment to work on their recovery and/or rehabilitation. By continuing with these activities and
at the same time meeting the individual needs of clients, they can gain an increasingly higher level
of responsibility that teaches them how to recover or manage things themselves and to be able
sustain it. This often resulted in empowerment and motivation to seek employment, remain in
their current position, or re-skill through further education. The Monte Nido based Butterfly
Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) clearly reflects this, and I recognise the benefits of its
positioning with respect to other current treatment modalities within the eating disorders field in
Australia.
The philosophy and approach of counselling is very similar to that of Monte Nedo and resonates
very strongly with me. I firmly believe that each client is the expert on themselves, and I do not tell
them what they should believe or why they feel the way they do – we explore these issues
together. I believe in empowering my clients to think critically for themselves, and that good
therapy should be positive and moves towards healing and health. In all previous employment
positions, I have maintained honesty with clients and have challenged them without any negativity
or judgement. This has often resulted in clients being able to set their own realistic goals and head
towards the path of recovery. With goals in place, clients regain purpose and meaning in their lives
as well as confidence to follow their goals and to enjoy what life has to offer.
I have the capacity and willingness to work pluralistically, combining different theoretical models
and applying them adaptively and flexibly. This has been demonstrated in my facilitation of the
Cool Kids Program with Learning Links. This program has a cognitive behavioural orientation, and
is designed to train children, adolescents and their families in anxiety management skills. Recently,
I found that I was receiving referrals for children who were too young to grasp the cognitive
therapy aspect of the program, and were not in attendance with their parents as per the program
recommendations. As the parents of the children wanted them to continue with the program, I
was required to come up with an alternative approach for delivery of the program to ensure the
younger children gained benefits. Demonstrating my capacity to work pluralistically, I incorporated om
play, art and sand therapy into my delivery of the program to the younger children, which was
successful. When conducting one-on-one sessions in this current role, I am often faced with gifted
children who can become quite bored and uninterested in the sessions involving Cognitive
Behavioural Therapy. In order to overcome this, I combine different theoretical models such as
Person-Centred Counselling and Psychodynamic Therapy which has often been successful with
achieving results.
My ability to address process issues within a group or individual therapy setting can be
demonstrated in my current role as Provisional Psychologist with Learning Links. I have often dealt
with clients who demonstrate transference upon our first session. They arrive displaying anger and
are initially not forthcoming with communicating with me. This is especially evident when dealing
with teenagers, who at first view me as an authority figure as a result of being referred by a parent
or teacher with whom they have had issues with. Therefore, they do not want to open up to me
and disclose any information. In order to overcome this, I ensure that I build rapport with the
client so that they feel respected and validated. I do this by:
Watching my speed and do not push them to disclose information before they are ready. In
order to assess the trust level, I pay attention to both the content of what the client is
sharing and the client’s body language as they are important indicators of how much the
client is ready to share. I often explain to the client that whatever information they do
disclose to me will be used to help them and this assist them to open up.
Self-disclosure. With younger clients, I have found that disclosing my own personal
information can often be a fair “trade off” for obtaining information about them. I have
had great success with playing games with younger clients where for every item that they
find that I have hidden, they get to ask me a personal question. This is an effective ice
breaker and has proved to be a successful method of building rapport with clients.
Treating the client with respect and respecting their time as much as I do my own. From
my very first contact with them, I treat them as an import person. This involves returning
calls promptly, starting sessions on time, dressing professionally, and having paperwork
ready.
Using active listening skills to understand the client and their story. Prior to making any
attempt at an intervention I always demonstrate to the client that I understand where they
are coming from.
By developing and maintaining positive rapport, and demonstrating that my clients are valued and
respected individuals, I can assist with addressing process issues which may hinder the therapy
process and results. I firmly believe that the counselling relationship is one of the most important
factors and it could even be said that it matters more than the theory and interventions that I use.
While working in the Disability Employment Services industry, I demonstrated my ability to adapt
to changing circumstances and to respond quickly and competently in the event of a crisis. Due to
the nature of our clients being recipients of Centrelink benefits, there were often times when our
clients would present quite angry and upset due to payment or compliance issues. While working
at Campbell Page, there was an incident when a client presented to the office threatening to kill
one of the Case Managers. He had not taken his required medications and was agitated about an
earlier phone call he had with the person. Acting quickly and professionally, I led the client away
from the public and were he could not see this Case Manager and gently asked him how I could
assist him. I let him explain his issues but due to the fact that he had not taken his medication it
was difficult to calm him down and he continued to make threats. Ensuring that he was safe, I - offered to retrieve a glass of water for him and used that time to call the local Police to come and
assist with the removal of this client. As he seemed to calm down around me, I stayed with him in
the room until the Police arrived. Additionally, at the same place of employment, I dealt with a
client who had become increasingly angry because he had dealt with four previous Case Managers
with whom he was unable to develop rapport with. In order to prepare myself for seeing this
client and to make our initial appointment as efficient as possible, I ensured that I read his file so
that I was well aware of his history. This meant that he did not have to go through explaining
everything to me and I could focus on what I could do for him to move forward. Responding
quickly and competently is important in order to diffuse situations such as these and ensures that
a positive rapport is maintained with clients.
I have an awareness, of and a good understanding of The Australian Psychological Society’s Code
of Ethics which articulates and promotes ethical principles, and sets specific standards to guide
both psychologists and members of the public to a clear understanding and expectation of what is
considered ethical professional conduct by psychologists. My ability to apply these ethical and
best practice principles when undertaking work in a counselling role clearly demonstrates that I
have the ability to gain a good understanding of the ethical and best practice principles for the
treatment, counselling and support of people with eating disorders. Throughout my career, I have
received extensive training in confidentially and privacy principles and practices. Given the nature
of the work that I have undertaken, it has been imperative that I comply with these practices at all
times. This means not disclosing any personal details or information to any other party unless I
have the consent from the client, keeping all files safe and locked when not in use as well as
undertaking meetings/sessions in a private space where the client feels safe. In all of the roles that
I have been employed in, it has been important that I make sure clients feel at ease with me
approaching and relating to them however, it is equally important that the lines do not become
blurred. In order to maintain professional boundaries I:
Understand what constitutes a multiple relationship
Practice only where I have expertise
Respect people's autonomy
Protect confidentiality
Document everything
Stick to the evidence
By ensuring proper boundaries are maintained at all times, I provide a foundation for professional
relationships that foster a sense of trust and safety for my clients, and the assurance that I will
always act in the best interest of the client.
My strong desire to understand, respect and protect the human rights of the most vulnerable,
steers me to be an empathetic and effective facilitator of my clients. I have proven experience
working with a range of client groups including; young children, teenagers, families, and adults
from diverse cultural, religious and linguistic backgrounds. I am able to moderate my approach
and communication style to effectively liaise with any client, no matter their age or background,
basing my connection with all people on mutual respect, demonstrating qualities of compassion
and personal warmth. I pride myself on always being in tune with the personal needs of my clients
and regularly pre-empting potential issues. This has resulted in many positive relationships with
clients where I have seen immense results. In my current role as Provisional Psychologist with
Learning Links, I have been commended by my supervisor on my ability to develop positive
rapport with clients and have often been the recipient of positive feedback from parents of clients - who have been happy with the progress their children have made with me. In one instance I was
dealing with a gifted child who had been referred to me after failing to develop a positive
relationship with three previous Psychologists, and had stopped attending his appointments.
During our first appointment I ensured that I demonstrated empathy and listened to his concerns
during which time he disclosed he felt he has never been given a chance. Instead of treating him
like a young child, I treated him like he was a young adult and did not force him to do anything he
did not want to. I advised him he did not have to attend appointments with me but if he wanted to
progress with his treatment, it would be in his best interest. By treating him with respect and
personal warmth, as well as giving him a sense of responsibility, he respected my position and how
I could assist him. As a result he has opened up and communicates regularly in regards to his
interactions with others and has attended every appointment with me.
Growing up in an Indian family, food has always been a major focus of my culture. Indian cuisine is
well known for its large assortment of dishes and the food is rich with curries and spices. It has
always seemed to me that society revolves around food so it has been important for me to
maintain a healthy and balanced diet, however I have no qualms about having a piece of chocolate
or a dessert after dinner because I firmly believe that moderation is the key. I have recently
discovered that in order to have a positive relationship with food, it is important to explore
preparing and cooking food. By doing this, you can gain a new appreciation of everything that
needs to come together to create a healthy and nutritious meal. By not judging food, that is,
keeping in mind that there are no “good” or “bad” foods, but foods that simply satisfy hunger, I
am encouraged to try a variety of different foods. I have been blessed in the fact that I have many
friends from different cultures and have been introduced to varied cuisines. I have a positive body
image and awareness that people come in all shapes and sizes and that no one body shape or
body size is a healthy one or the right one for everybody. I talk about myself with respect and
appreciation for inner and outer qualities and resist the pressure to judge myself and others based
on weight, shape, or size.
Demonstrating myself to be an active team member, I have been instrumental in contributing to
exceptional teams with a track history of building trust to enhance productivity and improved
working relationships. In my current role as Provisional Psychologist with Learning Links, I work
with Counsellors, Early Special Educators, Early Childhood Teachers, Occupational therapists,
Psychologists, Social Workers, Speech pathologists and Teachers to ensure children and their
families have access to the most appropriate advice and support for their needs. In working with
these professionals I take either a multidisciplinary or transdisciplinary approach to working with
children and their families. I have always made a conscious effort to build good relationships with
the people around me, regardless of appearance, ethnicity or other discriminating factors. In cases
where a misunderstanding or another issue arises, I will always take steps to resolve the issue. In
my employment with Disability Employment Services I demonstrated my ability to be a team
player by consistently meeting and exceeding my Key Performance Indicators in order to
contribute to the overall workplace outcomes. My contributions were often appreciated and
recognised by my team leader.
I have thorough organisational skills and time management, which means that I consistently meet
documentation and reporting deadlines. My attention to detail, accuracy and informational
writing skills are comprehensive and have previously been awarded and identified as outstanding.
Aware that my client reports are viewable by a number of stakeholders, I write with utmost
sensitivity. My ability to be thorough, methodical and organised can be clearly demonstrated in
my current role as Provisional Psychologist with Learning Links where I have to manage a number - of visits to various schools through the week. I must ensure that I have a set plan in which to see
clients in an appropriate timeframe. By utilising the calendar and reminder features on my
computer, I am able to ensure that I stick to my schedule.
I hold my work close to my heart, as well as having the ability to separate work and my personal
life. I know that, to be of assistance to my clients, I must be there for them when I am at work, but
can’t live in their feelings or focus on them and their situation when I am at home. This has aided
me in continuing to feel passionate about my work, gaining satisfaction from providing
unwavering support to my clients and genuinely knowing that this is my calling in life.
I sincerely hope to be given the opportunity to work with Butterfly Foundation for Eating Disorders
where I can demonstrate my dedication and commitment to providing high quality evidence-
based support and counselling to anyone who is affected by eating disorders and body image
issues.
