Holding Hope Guide and Workbooks launch webinar
Wednesday November 26th 2025 | 12:00-1:00pm AEDT
You are warmly invited to the launch of NEDC’s Holding Hope Guide and Workbook Series, authored by Shannon Calvert. This vital new collection of resources are designed to support people experiencing a longstanding eating disorder, their families and supports, and those clinicians and services that support them who are navigating the complex and often challenging space of longstanding eating disorders .
Building on the foundational insights of the Holding Hope Discussion Paper, the Guide and Workbooks offer compassionate guidance and practical tools for responding to the unique needs of individuals and families impacted by longstanding eating disorders.
This event is especially relevant for professionals working in mental health, primary care, and community services, as well as carers, families, and support networks. NEDC also warmly welcomes those with lived and living experience, whose voices and perspectives are central to shaping meaningful and respectful responses.
Join us as we come together to share knowledge, foster collaboration, and hold hope for those affected by longstanding eating disorders.
Background
People living with longstanding eating disorders, and those who care for and support them, often face profound and complex challenges. Traditional care pathways frequently fall short in meeting their diverse and evolving needs, highlighting the urgent need for more compassionate, nuanced, and holistic approaches to care.
With support from the Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care, the NEDC has developed the Holding Hope series: a collection of resources that explore alternative, person-centred care pathways grounded in empathy and dignity.
We recognise the sensitivity of this topic and the wide range of perspectives it encompasses. Our intention is not to provoke debate, but to foster meaningful, compassionate conversations that lead to practical and empowering solutions. At the heart of this work is a commitment to every individual’s right to receive respectful, person-centred treatment at every stage of their illness.
The Holding Hope series was co-produced with Shannon Calvert, a Lived Experience Educator and subject matter expert, whose leadership ensured the resources reflect the diverse voices and needs of both the sector and the broader community.
Holding Hope discussion paper
People with longstanding eating disorders, and their loved ones and support networks, can face immense challenges. Existing care pathways often fall short of addressing their multifaceted needs. There is a critical need for more nuanced, compassionate, holistic care approaches.
With the support of the Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care, NEDC is pleased to introduce "Holding Hope - Exploring Compassionate & Holistic Care Pathways for Longstanding Eating Disorders". This discussion paper explores the multifaceted challenges and ethical complexities of palliative care for people experiencing longstanding eating disorders. It summarises and synthesises lived experience, research and clinical expertise to advocate for the development of palliative care guidelines for longstanding eating disorders.
Holding Hope addresses the complex landscape of longstanding eating disorders within the context of palliative care, emphasising compassionate care pathways (as distinct from end-of-life considerations or voluntary assisted dying). While recognising the ongoing discourse surrounding clinical characterisation of eating disorder stage and prognosis, this paper places its emphasis on advocating for compassionate care, primarily through palliative approaches, irrespective of prognosis. It is important to dispel the common misconception that palliative care is synonymous with end-of-life care. Rather, it embodies a comprehensive approach designed to enhance overall well-being and quality of life for individuals navigating the complex interface of physical and mental health challenges due to the impacts of longstanding eating disorders.
NEDC co-produced this paper with Shannon Calvert, a Lived Experience Educator with subject matter expertise, who led and guided its development and ensured the paper reflects the diverse perspectives and needs of the sector and community.
The Heart of This Document: Addressing a Critical Need
Holding Hope was created from a deep commitment to addressing unmet needs within the community. Standard evidence-based treatments are not effective for everyone at every stage of illness. For people experiencing longstanding eating disorders, a holistic, flexible, and personalised care approach that honours lived experiences and empowers individuals, families, and those who provide care is required.
Fostering Compassionate Dialogue
We acknowledge this topic's sensitivity and appreciate there are diverse perspectives. Our goal is not to stir debate but to ignite compassionate conversations focused on finding practical, empowering solutions. We stand firmly for every individual’s right at each stage of illness to receive treatment, prioritising dignity, respect, and person-centred care.
Holding Hope: Together
We believe everyone deserves a life of dignity, hope, and well-being. Holding Hope is an important step toward making this a reality.
Online launch webinar
The launch of the Holding Hope discussion paper was held on Wednesday June 12th 2024, 1:00-2:00pm AEST.
You can watch the recording by following this link to Vimeo.
The Holding Hope Guide
The Holding Hope Guide is a compassionate and reflective resource created to support ethical, person-centred care for individuals living with longstanding eating disorders. Rather than offering a clinical protocol or prescriptive treatment pathway, it serves as a thoughtful companion to professional care, especially in situations where conventional approaches may no longer be effective or appropriate.
Rooted in values-based practice, the guide encourages adaptable care that honours the complexity of each person’s experience. It provides practical tools, prompts, and planning frameworks to support collaborative decision-making and meaningful dialogue between individuals and their care teams. Drawing from clinical, ethical, academic, and lived experience perspectives, the guide fosters reflection and shared understanding in complex care contexts.
Importantly, the Holding Hope Guide is designed to be used alongside a person’s broader care team, with clinical responsibility remaining with qualified professionals. It does not replace evidence-based care, but rather enriches it, especially when care needs to be reimagined with empathy, integrity, and respect for autonomy.
The Holding Hope Workbook Series
This series consists of 3 separate workbooks, each written for a particular audience in mind: The workforce, carers and supports, and those who have a longstanding eating disorder.
Each workbook is trauma-informed, relationally focussed, and adaptable, designed not for rigid completion but for thoughtful use. While rooted in the context of longstanding eating disorder care, their relevance extends to broader areas of health and complex care. They are living resources meant to evolve with the needs of individuals, teams, and communities.
1. Holding Hope Workbook: For the Workforce
This workbook is a thoughtful companion for clinicians, peer workers, service leaders, and multidisciplinary teams. It invites professionals to pause and reflect on their roles, values, and biases when supporting individuals with longstanding eating disorders. Rather than prescribing solutions, it encourages ethical dialogue and shared decision-making, especially in situations where traditional recovery-focused approaches may not align with a person’s needs.
Through practical tools and reflective prompts, the workbook fosters compassionate, person-centred care. It supports teams in navigating complex clinical decisions with empathy and integrity, promoting a culture of ongoing learning, supervision, and mutual support. Ultimately, it helps professionals hold space for hope, dignity, and autonomy, even when recovery looks different than expected.
2. Holding Hope Workbook: For People with a Longstanding Eating Disorder
This workbook is a gentle, empowering resource for individuals living with longstanding eating disorders. It offers a space for self-reflection, storytelling, and exploration of personal values and definitions of well-being, especially outside conventional recovery frameworks.
Structured exercises support emotional safety, clarify goals, and strengthen the individual’s voice in care planning. The workbook encourages meaningful conversations with care providers and support networks, focusing on identity, choice, and alternative pathways to healing. It honours the complexity of lived experience and reinforces dignity, respect, and hope by centering quality of life and meaningful relationships.
3. Holding Hope Workbook: For People Who Care For, Love or Support Someone
This workbook is designed for carers, family members, and supporters - those who walk alongside someone navigating a non-recovery-focused journey. It acknowledges the emotional weight and complexity of caregiving, offering tools for reflection, communication, and sustainable support.
Through guided exercises, it helps loved ones explore their own values, emotional responses, and hopes. It promotes open dialogue, active listening, and co-created care pathways that respect autonomy and dignity. The workbook also supports caregivers in balancing hope with realistic expectations, validating their experiences and encouraging shared learning across personal and professional boundaries.
Shannon Calvert
Shannon Calvert is a Lived Experience specialist with extensive experience in advisory roles within both government and non-government sectors. She has played a key role in facilitating lived experience partnerships to co-design policy development, research initiatives, and educational programs. Shannon's personal journey includes overcoming a severe and enduring eating disorder, while navigating complex trauma, and managing multiple health challenges. Her caregiving experience for her mother, who received palliative care until her end of life, also profoundly influenced her dedication to systemic reform to improve access to high-quality care and support, with a strong emphasis on the importance of providing compassion and dignity in treatment and care. Shannon works across several national organisations, specialising in Eating Disorders, Mental Health, Palliative Care, and Complex Systems.
NEDC's Ongoing Commitment
This document represents a significant milestone in NEDC’s ongoing efforts to support and enhance the lives of those affected by eating disorders. We are committed to continuous learning and adapting, driven by compassion and the desire to implement practical solutions that address complex challenges. NEDC invites you to continue to work with us to enhance care pathways for people experiencing longstanding eating disorders. Together, we can make meaningful progress toward more compassionate and effective care.