Cosmetic Surgery Assessment Training
Cosmetic Surgery Assessment Training
CEWBI
About this event
Professor Susan Rossell presents 4 hours of LIVE in-person online training in Cosmetic Surgery Assessment Training |
Online via Zoom (July 2025)
DATE: 31 July 2025
TIME: 9:00am - 1:00pm
PRE-REQUISITE: Participants should have a foundational understanding of Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) before attending this training.
SUMMARY: In July 2023 new guidelines were released for registered medical practitioners who perform cosmetic surgeries and procedures. The Medical Board of Australia guidelines make clear that some patients may be unsuitable for cosmetic surgery and mandate the referral of patients of concern for a psychological evaluation to establish their suitability for the intended procedure. This workshop has been designed to help psychologists, other mental health professionals and those that work in plastic/cosmetic surgery understand these recommendations and how they influence their practice. Workshop attendees will be introduced to patients' motivations for cosmetic procedures, be given detailed information about the current guidelines and then will work through mental health conditions that have been reported as contraindicated for cosmetic surgery. How to assess and have difficult conversations will be covered to prevent harm to patients who may not be suitable candidates. Case studies and group discussions will be included in the workshop.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
- Brief introduction to patient motivations for cosmetic procedures.
- New guidelines for assessing suitability for cosmetic procedures.
- Understand what Body Dysmorphic Disorder and other mental health conditions/behaviours of relevance are when considering cosmetic surgery.
- Assess/screen for BDD and other mental health conditions in a cosmetic setting and develop a pathway when a person has screened positive for BDD and handling difficult conversations.
PRESENTER:
Susan is a Professor of Cognitive Neuropsychiatry and Director of Clinical Trials at Swinburne University; she is also Co-Chair of MAGNET - the Australian mental health clinical trial network. She trained at the University of Manchester and King’s College London in the UK, holding a lectureship at Oxford University prior to moving to Australia. Susan published 450+ peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. She sits on the National Institute of Mental Health International BDD Scientific Advisory Group and is the Secretary for the steering committee of International Consortium of Hallucination Research (ICHR).