Carolyn Costin swears full and complete recovery from eating disorders is possible. For more than 40 years, she has been changing lives through her revolutionary model of care. It was the basis for her Monte Nido residential treatment centres which have helped thousands recover. This model of care is also the basis for Australia's first residential recovery centre on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, Wandi Nerida. The name, gifted by the land's traditional owners, means "gather together and blossom". It's a place for people to create new beginnings.
In this Episode, Carolyn tells host Sam Ikin how she developed her model of care at a time when eating disorders were badly misunderstood. As her treatment plan developed, she began to see the huge numbers of people who needed it. "Six books later, running several hospital programs, and opening the first residential treatment centre in the United States, I've been doing a lot in the eating disorder field," she said.
Now Australians suffering from eating disorders can access treatment based on Carolyn's model of care through Butterfly's Wandi Nerida. Siena Armati, who travelled all the way to the US to go to Monte Nido after going in and out of Australia's hospital system for years, and is now in full recovery, says Wandi Nerida is long overdue. "It's very beneficial. It's pretty sad that there were a lot of people who weren't able to go to places like Monte Nido."
To find out more about Wandi Nerida go to wandinerida.org.au.
Over a million Australians are currently experiencing an eating disorder, and less than a quarter are getting treatment or support. And it’s becoming increasingly clear that eating disorders are often under-diagnosed. Everyone who experiences an eating disorder has a unique story to tell.
The Butterfly podcast is produced, hosted and edited by journalist Sam Ikin, who has lived experience of binge eating disorder, in partnership with Butterfly.
To find out more about eating disorders, visit the Butterfly Foundation website www.butterfly.org.au.

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