The Sydney BDD & Body Image Clinic currently operates only two days a week. We therefore often have a waitlist for treatment. However, if waitlisted, we will do our best to accommodate you as soon as we can.
New clients are often eager to get an idea of what they might expect from therapy. Therapy is different for everyone, simply because everyone is unique. Some people may require many more sessions than others to achieve their goals, while some may require fewer. This depends on a range of factors including what your specific goals for therapy are, the extent to which your body image difficulties are impacting your life, your willingness to undertake homework tasks and session preparation exercises, other mental health issues you might be dealing with, and other factors in your life, such as your work or things that might be going on in your family.
What you can expect, however, is the following:
New clients are often eager to get an idea of what they might expect from therapy. Therapy is different for everyone, simply because everyone is unique. Some people may require many more sessions than others to achieve their goals, while some may require fewer. This depends on a range of factors including what your specific goals for therapy are, the extent to which your body image difficulties are impacting your life, your willingness to undertake homework tasks and session preparation exercises, other mental health issues you might be dealing with, and other factors in your life, such as your work or things that might be going on in your family.
What you can expect, however, is the following:
- Your therapist will take some time to get to know you, to explore with you the way in which your body image is impacting your life, what you have tried to do about it in the past, and what has motivated you to do something about it now. Your therapist may also explore with you the origins of your body image concerns, and the things that keep them going, as well as any other mental health issues you may be dealing with. Importantly, your therapist will take the time to get to know you more broadly -- after all, there is more to you than your body image and mental health issues.
- Your therapist will work with you on identifying your goals for therapy. Sure, "not having BDD (or body image concerns)" is usually the main goal of our clients, but together, you and your therapist will identify a range of more specific goals for treatment.
- Your therapist will tailor the therapy especially for you, to help you reduce your distress and preoccupation with your appearance, reduce the time-consuming and distressing appearance-related rituals and behaviours you might engage in, confront anxiety-provoking situations, process the shame you may have about your body and yourself, and take steps towards the meaningful and fulfilling life that you would like to be living.
- Together with you, your therapist will work flexibly towards your therapy and mental health goals.