Eating Disorders & Psychology Treatment

10/05/2026

What’s your story?

We all carry a story about food, our body, movement, or the way we see ourselves.
Sometimes those stories are shaped quietly over many years — through experiences, relationships, expectations, comments, loss, pressure, coping, or survival.

And often, we move through life without ever truly telling that story out loud.
So it remains unheard.
Unprocessed.
Sometimes even misunderstood — by others, or by ourselves.

Telling the story matters.
Not because we need to explain or justify our struggles, but because acknowledging our experiences can help us better understand what sits underneath our relationship with food and body image.

There is usually a reason behind the behaviours we judge ourselves for.
A context behind the coping.
A story behind the struggle.

And sometimes, healing begins not with changing ourselves immediately, but with feeling safe enough to understand our own story with compassion. 🤍

30/04/2026

In February, I completed training in the Sequential Oral Sensory (SOS) Approach to Feeding 🍽️

The SOS approach is a play-based, sensory-informed, step-by-step method that helps individuals build comfort and confidence around food through gradual exposure and exploration — without pressure to eat.

While often used with younger children, the principles can be thoughtfully adapted to support older children and adolescents, particularly those experiencing ARFID.

In my work, this may look like:
• gently building tolerance to new foods at a pace that feels safe
• exploring sensory preferences (texture, taste, smell, appearance)
• supporting flexibility and reducing anxiety around eating
• working collaboratively with families to create sustainable change

I’m really looking forward to integrating this approach into my practice 💛

📍 Kyneton (in-person) + Telehealth across Victoria
📩 Referrals welcome via link in bio or admin@eatingdisorderspsychology.com.au

26/04/2026

A little photo recap from the Bay of Fires trek 🌊✨

I’ve been sitting with so much gratitude since this experience — for the wild beauty of the coastline, for the challenge, and most of all for the incredible people I got to share it with. There’s something so powerful about coming together with a shared purpose and witnessing everyone’s commitment and effort along the way 🤍

Weeks later, I still feel so proud of what we all achieved — not just the distance we covered, but what it represented.

Since returning, I’ve found myself continuing to lean into what the trek gave me… more walking, more time in nature, more presence. I’ve been really valuing intuitive movement and those quiet moments of connection with the environment — they’ve become such an important anchor in my everyday life.

I also feel incredibly inspired by the work EDV continues to do in supporting individuals affected by eating disorders. It’s an honour to contribute in a small way to such meaningful, life-changing work.

Grateful, grounded, and still carrying this experience with me 🌿

Thank you for sharing such wonderful photos!

04/04/2026

Morning walk with Merlot 🥾🐶

Since my recent trek in Tassie, I’ve been reminded how much I genuinely enjoy being out in nature. Big hikes or small walks — it doesn’t really matter. There’s something about it that allows my mind to slow down, settle, and come back to the present moment.

It’s also a gentle reminder of something I often speak about in sessions — finding small, meaningful ways to reconnect with yourself. Activities that bring a sense of calm, enjoyment, or simply a pause from the busyness of life.

These moments don’t have to be big or perfect. Sometimes they’re just quiet acts of kindness towards ourselves — especially when things feel overwhelming or full.

A little reminder for me, and maybe for you too✨

What’s something small that helps you slow down?☺️

28/03/2026

19/03/2026

Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) also known as Persistent Drive for Autonomy, can look very different in clinical practice.

Drawing on clinical and lived experience and current practice frameworks, this session offers an overview of the PDA profile within Autism, supporting psychologists to develop a nuanced understanding of PDA-informed assessment, formulation, and therapeutic support.

Designed for psychologists working with Autistic children, adolescents, and adults across clinical, educational, and community settings.

Register for the session here: https://ow.ly/8qtE50YcC0U

17/03/2026

Day 4 - Final Reflection ✨⛰️🥾

Today’s walk felt expansive — both in landscape and within myself. Moving through the mountain trail, watching the scenery shift with every step, I felt a deep sense of contentment and clarity.

I kept coming back to something simple, yet so powerful: healing is not just something we talk about — it’s something we experience.

Mindfulness. Gentle movement. Nature. Human connection.
These aren’t just “nice ideas” we mention in therapy — they are essential, lived experiences that reconnect us with our bodies, with others, and with life itself.

And yet, I also hold the reality that accessing these in recovery can feel incredibly hard. When you’re struggling, slowing down can feel unsafe. Being present can feel overwhelming. Connection can feel out of reach.

That’s why this work matters so deeply to me.

As an eating disorder psychologist, experiences like this don’t just inspire me — they ground me in why I do what I do. I feel even more committed to walking alongside those navigating recovery, helping them gently reconnect with these elements in ways that feel safe, supported, and sustainable.

This journey — both the trek and the fundraising for Eating Disorders Victoria — has been incredibly meaningful. I’m so grateful to be surrounded by such passionate, brave, and generous people.

Thank you to everyone who has donated, shared, or supported this cause 🤍
If you feel called to contribute, the link is in bio.

17/03/2026

A great first day of the Australia & New Zealand Academy for Eating Disorders (ANZAED) Autumn Workshop Series, bringing together diverse perspectives to explore person-centred care in binge eating disorder (BED).

We opened with an engaging presentation from Chevese Turner, exploring key clinical and conceptual considerations including subjective and objective binges, shame vs guilt, the role of restriction, weight stigma, and how biomedical and fat liberation perspectives can both inform our understanding of BED.

Throughout the day we also heard presentations from Phillipa Hay, Milan Piya, Carmel Harrison and Kristi Griffiths, exploring the complexity of BED including diagnosis, co-occurrence, neurobiology, the physical and medical impacts of BED, and current approaches to treatment.

These perspectives were then brought together in an interactive panel discussion on formulation and treatment planning, chaired by NEDC’s Director, Dr Sarah Trobe, exploring questions such as:

• How do we create formulations that consider the whole person?
• How do we sequence treatment targets?
• How do we meaningfully integrate lived experience, clinical and academic expertise?
• How do we consider physical and mental health together?

If you weren’t able to join live, registrations are still open. You can still register to receive recordings from the opening sessions and join upcoming workshops over the next two weeks via this link: https://www.anzaed.org.au/Web/Events/Event_Display-Speaker-Program-Bio.aspx?EventKey=AWS2026

💭 It’s shaping up to be a thoughtful and rich series of discussions.

16/03/2026

Day 3 reflection 🌊🥾

Today I realised that the biggest challenge of this trek for me hasn’t actually been the walking.

Physically, the trek has felt relatively easy. I’m really grateful for a body that allows me to keep moving through such a beautiful landscape. But the real challenge for me has been something else — connecting with people.

When I signed up for this journey, I knew I would be stepping outside my comfort zone socially. Spending several days with people I didn’t know felt far more intimidating than the physical challenge.

As a neurodivergent person, social interactions and building connections can sometimes be the hardest part for me. My mind often retreats inward rather than outward.

But today something shifted.

Day 3 felt less about the walking and more about gently getting out of my head and allowing myself to be present with others. I realised that being surrounded by strangers isn’t always as scary as it can feel.

In fact, I found myself genuinely enjoying it.

We’re all here because we care about the same cause. And today I felt really grateful to be surrounded by such kind and accepting people.

Connecting with nature and mindful movement came naturally to me on this trek — but connecting with others was the part I struggled with most.

Today I felt a little more open to that, and that feels like a really meaningful part of this journey.

I’m walking this trek to support Eating Disorders Victoria, helping provide support, education and resources for people and families affected by eating disorders. If you would like to support this cause, donations are still open and every contribution makes a difference. 🤍

15/03/2026

Day 2 of the Bay of Fires Trek 🥾🌊

Today invited me to slow down.

Not because I wanted to, but because I needed to.

It made me realise how deeply wired I am for rushing, striving, achieving, and always moving towards the next thing. That inner restlessness can feel so familiar that I barely notice how much it pulls me away from the present moment.

Today, I noticed it.

I noticed how hard it can be to let go. How much conscious effort it takes to soften, to stop pushing, and to simply be here — with the sound of the ocean, the breeze on my skin, and the steady rhythm of each step.

And in that slowing down, something shifted.

I could see the beauty around me more clearly. I could feel the world differently. A world that can often seem harsh, artificial, or dangerous also holds so much peace, wonder, and quiet healing.

I feel incredibly grateful to be walking these beautiful landscapes with a group of passionate people, all here to support such an important cause.

This trek is part of a fundraiser for Eating Disorders Victoria, supporting people and families affected by eating disorders.

Thank you so much to everyone who has already supported this journey — your generosity truly means a lot. 🤍

If you’d still like to contribute, there is still time to support this cause. Every donation helps.

👉 https://eating-disorders-foundation-of-victoria-inc.grassrootz.com/edv-bayoffires-2025/venessa-nadolnik