Workshop: Returning to the Body - Somatic Approaches for Embodied Recovery in Eating Disorder Treatment (Melbourne)
Workshop: Returning to the Body - Somatic Approaches for Embodied Recovery in Eating Disorder Treatment (Melbourne)
Natasha Hepworth
About this event
Clinicians often know that the body matters in eating disorder treatment to achieve safety and integration, and for lasting change.
This often shows up as familiar patterns in eating disorder work:
- Body image work that keeps circling
- Behavioural change that looks compliant rather than lived
- Clients who understand what they are doing, but remain disconnected from their bodies
As a clinician you know the body matters in eating disorder treatment to achieve safety and integration, and for lasting change.
You are already interested in somatic work.
The question is how to weave it into eating disorder sessions in a way that feels ethical, grounded, and clinically coherent, alongside the models you already use.
This workshop is designed to support that exact translation, from knowing the body matters, to knowing how to work with it, moment by moment, in eating disorder treatment.
2026 Workshop Dates
20-21 July 2026 – Melbourne (Vibe Hotel Melbourne)
31 July-1 August 2026 – Perth (Vibe Hotel Subiaco)
Pricing
$720 early bird pricing
$780 subsequently
Early Bird closing dates
Melbourne & Perth – 29 May 2026
What You Can Expect
This two-day workshop supports you as a clinician to integrate somatic work for embodied recovery into eating disorder treatment in a clinically grounded, ethical, and immediately usable way.
This is not about learning a new model or replacing evidence-based care.
It is about changing how you listen, pace, and respond in sessions, so the body becomes part of treatment, not something clients are asked to override.
By the end of the workshop, you will be able to:
- Use body-based information to guide clinical decisions, pacing, and intervention choice in ED sessions
- Work with shutdown, disconnection, and resistance as protective responses rather than obstacles to eating disorder treatment
- Build sensory literacy so bodily signals can be noticed, interpreted, and responded to safely
- Apply somatic awareness to core eating disorder focus areas, including hunger and fullness, ambivalence, body image, exercise, and weight restoration
- Integrate somatic work alongside CBT-E, FBT, DBT, schema, and integrative approaches without losing coherence or direction
- Strengthen your own embodied presence so attunement, curiosity, and safety actively shape the therapy process
The emphasis throughout is on practical application.
Learning is supported through case examples, experiential exercises, and clear clinical language you can take directly into sessions.
Prerequisite Requirements
This workshop assumes prior knowledge of eating disorders and standard eating disorder treatments.
It is not an introduction to eating disorders.
No previous somatic training is required.
Audience
This workshop is designed for:
- Psychologists, counsellors, dietitians, occupational therapists, social workers, and other health professionals working with eating disorders
- Clinicians who already value somatic approaches and want support integrating them confidently and coherently into eating disorder treatment
- Clinicians interested in deepening embodiment, attunement, and clinical flexibility