There is no set fee for seeing a dietitian in Australia. Louise has over 20 years’ experience
and has undergone extensive extra training to specialise in a non-diet, trauma-informed,
Health at Every Size (HAES®) approach. She is also credentialled Eating Disorder
Clinicians (CEDC), therefore the cost of our services reflects this extra training and
expertise.

If you are on a Medicare Care Plan through your GP, you may be eligible to access rebates
to see a dietitian. There are two types of care plans that enable you to access the rebates for
seeing a dietitian:
– Eating Disorder Care Plan (EDP)
– GP Management Plans (GPMP) / Team Care Arrangements (TCAs)
Medicare does not cover the full cost of the session. You will need to pay the full fee of the
consult and then the Medicare rebate will be processed after your appointment and sent to
your bank account.

This depends on your provider and the level of cover that you have. Get in touch with your
Private health provider and ask them if you are covered for Dietetics.
The item numbers for sessions are 500 (initial consult) and 600 (for review consults).
Note that you cannot claim private health rebates for a session that you receive a medicare
rebate for.

No, you do not need a referral to see a dietitian. However, you may have been given a
recommendation from your GP, Psychologist, Psychiatrist, Eating Disorder Recovery Coach,
or another allied health professional.
If you have an eating disorder, we will require that you have regular reviews with your GP,
due to the medical risks associated with these conditions. With your permission, we will
liaise with your treatment team to ensure we are giving you the best care possible.

All dietitians are nutritionists (as they must complete an undergraduate degree in nutrition),
but not all nutritionists are dietitians. To become a dietitian there is extra study and we have
to have graduated from an approved dietetics course. This profession in Australia is
regulated which means that we have to maintain certain professional standards and abide by
the ‘code of conduct’ set out by our governing body Dietitians Australia. We can be audited
at any time to ensure we are meeting these requirements.
The term nutritionist is not a protected or regulated profession. Therefore, anyone that has
studied nutrition at any level can call themselves a nutritionist without having to maintain any
professional standards.

We understand the strong desire many of our clients have to lose weight, especially in our
diet and weight-focused world and health system.
As non-diet, Health at Every Size (HAES ®) aligned dietitians, we do not promote or
encourage the pursuit of intentional weight loss. In our experience, which is also backed by
science, most people who intentionally lose weight, regain the weight lost and often end up
heavier than they were before they started their weight loss efforts. This often leads to
feelings of failure and shame, causing clients to blame themselves for having “failed” the diet
or weight loss attempt. However, what the scientific evidence supports is that our bodies will
do what they can to remain within a weight range that is “safe” for our individual bodies.
Of course, this does not mean we will not see you, we can hold this space for you and
explore the underlying drivers for these desires, whilst supporting you to connect with your
body and find ways of nourishing it that support YOUR overall wellbeing.

As Credentialled Eating Disorder Clinicians, we have the appropriate knowledge, training
and experience in supporting people struggling with an eating disorder. Dietitians who are
trained in eating disorders can certainly help you recover from an eating disorder and are an
essential and valuable part of the treatment team.

As dietitians, we are not able to diagnose an eating disorder, but as Credentialled Eating
Disorder Clinicians, we know what the signs and symptoms of an eating disorder are. We
can conduct a thorough assessment, discuss this with you and refer you back to your GP for
a diagnosis.

At Relinquish we take a person-centred approach, starting with getting to know you and your
experience when it comes to food, body image, and weight concerns.
The first appointment is mostly a “getting to know you”, assessment session. Your dietitian
will ask you about your:
-medical and any mental health history
-relevant medications and blood test reports
-social situation & support network
-any history of dieting, disordered eating, or eating disorder behaviours
-weight history (any significant changes over the years)
-your goals and what you are wanting to get out of our sessions together
eg – improving your relationship with food, body image work, health outcomes, reduced
anxiety around eating, reducing obsessive food and body thoughts, intuitive eating etc)
The first session is 60 - 75 minutes and after this we can discuss a treatment plan and
recommend the most appropriate frequency of sessions.

If you are struggling with an eating disorder or disordered eating and it is having a big impact
on your everyday life, it can usually be most helpful to schedule more frequent appointments

initially. Changing any behaviour related to food or our bodies can often be very difficult as
these actions usually help us feel really safe. Increased consistency with appointments can
help you get some momentum going with making changes to your eating pattern and ways
of thinking about food. Therefore, we might recommend more frequent (weekly/fortnightly)
sessions to start with reassessing as you progress through treatment.