Peer support work and support groups can provide valuable assistance to people who are thinking about or are in recovery from an eating disorder, and their families and supports. Peer support is seen as an increasingly important component of the care team, with participants from the National Eating Disorders Strategy public survey describing peer support (such as through online groups or individual sessions) as a valuable source of understanding and practical support that fosters a sense of community and hope for the person and their family/supports.

Peer support work

Peer support is a form of psychosocial and recovery support and refers to non-clinical support provided by peer support workers to people experiencing an eating disorder or their families and supports. Peer support workers draw on their own lived experience of an eating disorder, or as a carer for someone experiencing eating disorder to provide mutuality, and social, emotional, and practical support to facilitate improved quality of life and recovery in others experiencing eating disorders.

Peer support work can take many different forms, including one-on-one conversations, support groups, and online forums. It can be delivered by people with lived experience of an eating disorder to people experiencing an eating disorder, or by people with lived experience of caring for someone with an eating disorder to other people in a caring role. Peer support work can foster a sense of community and belonging and can support people to practice recovery skills. There is an increasing evidence base for the efficacy of peer support work (1,2), although further research, data collection and evaluation are necessary to continue to build this evidence base. 

The National Eating Disorders Strategy 2023-2033 calls for greater access to psychosocial and recovery support services and programs, including peer support. This will require:

  • Clinical services providing information about available psychosocial and recovery support services and programs to people experiencing eating disorders and their families/supports
  • Clinical services to include psychosocial and recovery support providers in the multidisciplinary care team where appropriate
  • Existing psychosocial and recovery support services to ensure programs and services are available for people experiencing eating disorders and their families/supports
  • Providers of referral databases to include psychosocial and recovery support interventions (e.g., see Butterfly National Database, search 'Peer Mentor/Coach'


To find out more about what peer work involves, see NEDC's Peer Work Guide and Butterfly's Eating Disorders Peer Workforce Guideline.

Support groups

Support groups can help people experiencing an eating disorder and their families and carers to learn and practice skills for recovery, as well as foster a sense of hope and motivation. They can also provide a valuable sense of connection with others who are going through similar experiences.

Some support groups are designed for people experiencing an eating disorder, while others are designed for families and supports. Support groups may be facilitated by a peer support worker or a health professional (or sometimes both).

Finding a peer support worker or support group

Contact the organisations below to find out more about the peer support services and/or support groups that they offer. These may include face to face or online options.

Butterfly Foundation: butterfly.org.au

Eating Disorders Families Australia: edfa.org.au

Eating Disorders Queensland: eatingdisordersqueensland.org.au

Eating Disorders Victoria: eatingdisorders.org.au

Centacare Eating Disorder Support Services (South Australia): https://centacare.org.au/services/mental-health/eating-disorders/

LUMA for Her Health Body Esteem Program: www.luma.org.au

For individual peer support workers and coaches, search the Butterfly referral database under 'peer mentor/coach'.