Exhale Psychology Centre

22/07/2025

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Self respect can sound like…

I deserve better than this
I make decisions that might be hard now but that have my future self in mind
I will not beg for what I deserve
I can tolerate hard conversations
I refuse to betray myself to win others over
I will not stay where I am not valued
My time and efforts are reserved for relationships that are reciprocal and healthy for me

Adapted from .therapist

20/07/2025

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When your brain says ‘not yet’ but deadlines scream ‘right now’ 🧠⏰

ADHD and task initiation.

For ADHDers who know the paralysis of staring at that task you just can’t start - we see you! 

Here are some strategies that can help when motivation won’t show up:

🔹 The 5-minute promise: Tell yourself you’ll work for JUST five minutes. That’s it. No commitment beyond that. Often, starting is the hardest part, and momentum takes over. For a uni assignment, this might look like just taking notes on breaking down the question.

🔹 Use body doubling. Having someone else quietly working nearby can be magical for focus. You can even try virtual body doubling.

🔹 Break it down to ridiculous levels. Not “clean kitchen” but “put two dishes in dishwasher.” Make each step so tiny your brain can’t argue.

🔹 External accountability is your friend. Text a friend what you’re about to do, then text again when done. The tiny dopamine hit helps.

🔹 Do not tell yourself you are doing the thing! Tidying your room? No! You’re just listening to your favourite podcast while you move around your room and clear your bed.

What’s your go-to trick for getting started when your brain refuses to cooperate? Drop it below! 👇

18/07/2025

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📢 Healthcare providers. CBT-E might not be serving all your ED clients effectively.

Did you know? 

There is no doubt that CBT-E can save lives. But research shows CBT-E has roughly a 50% dropout rate. This isn’t about “difficult clients” - it’s about our approach needing to evolve for clients that aren’t a fit for traditional approaches.

Traditional treatments often fail to address:
    •    Complex trauma
    •    Neurodivergent needs
    •    Systemic oppression
    •    Individual lived experiences

Ready to expand your toolkit beyond CBT-E? Learn how to create truly inclusive, effective treatment plans that honour your clients’ unique needs.



Kessler U, Kleppe MM, Rekkedal GÅ, Rø Ø, Danielsen Y. Experiences when implementing enhanced cognitive behavioral therapy as a standard treatment for anorexia nervosa in outpatients at a public specialized eating-disorder treatment unit. J Eat Disord. 2022 Feb 5;10(1):15.

Vinchenzo C, McCombie C, Lawrence V. The experience of patient dropout from eating disorders treatment: a systematic review and qualitative synthesis. BJPsych Open. 2021 Jun 18;7

13/07/2025

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Just a gentle reminder.

When it comes to health care, it is the services responsibility to mould to the needs to the client, not the clients responsibility to mould to the needs of the service

Clinicians - ready to adapt to a client led approach? 
Check out our free resource: Breaking the Mould.
Link in pinned stories.

12/07/2025

With the lovely Marie heading off on mat leave, we have room for a new psychologist to join our team!

If you share Exhale’s values, we would love to hear from you.

Please reach out to contact@exhalepsychology.com.au (don’t forget the .au!)

11/07/2025

Hey therapists 👋

Looking for an approach that addresses underlying issues as well as food and body image difficulties?

Filled with case examples and demonstrations, this self-paced 9 hours course is designed for psychologists and therapists seeking to provide an attachment focused treatment for eating disorders.
Approved under Australia’s Medicare Eating Disorder Plan, Focal Psychodynamic Therapy not only addresses the relationship with food and the body, but dives deeper, exploring:
- Attachment trauma
- Transference dynamics
- Relationship difficulties
- Low self-esteem and self hate
- Poor sense of self

While providing scope to address depression, anxiety, high-risk behaviours, and complex co-occurring presentations.

All through a framework that is individualised, affirming, and person centered.

11/07/2025

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“It is a misconception that trauma survivors are fixated on the past. 
We never want to think of the past again. 
We do backflips trying to NOT think about the past. 
We’re actually really good at denying the past even happened.
Problem is: the past isn’t quite through with us”

Dr Glenn Patrick Doyle

10/07/2025

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Living with body dysmorphia looks like…

Living with body dysmorphia looks like…
    •    Spending hours each day inspecting, checking, and worrying about the way you look
    •    Taking endless photos and videos of yourself to body check
    •    Thinking you are too big, but also maybe too small, and just somehow wrong
    •    Avoiding going out because you don’t want others to see you
    •    Wearing baggy clothing, caps, or make up to hide your appearance
    •    Checking in with others about how you look, but never believing what they say
    •    Avoiding mirrors or getting your photo taken
    •    Believing others are constantly judging your face or body

While others may not see your face and body the way you do (which is what makes it body dysmorphia), the reality of it is that this is what you see. This can be both distressing and isolating.

Adapted from

08/07/2025

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Please stop asking:
• Why won’t they just eat normally?
• When will they stop self-harming?
• Why do they keep going back to alcohol?
• Why do they insist on self-destructing?

And start asking
• Why the pain?
• Who hurt them?
• What is going on for them that these behaviours feel preferable to whatever is going on inside?

06/07/2025

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Doing the work in therapy won’t always make the pain go away. It’s about making sure the pain no longer controls you.

Adapted from .therapist

04/07/2025

03/07/2025

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Don’t compare yourself to the people in your age group who have not had serious mental or physical illness, were not late identified neurodivergent, or who did not experience complex trauma. Your brain was focused on surviving while their brain was free to develop and grow