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Wandi Nerida is a residential treatment centre for eating disorders.
228 Old Gympie Road
Mooloolah Valley QLD 4553
Eating disorder treatment is not one-size-fits-all. The right approach depends on the severity of the condition, how long it has been present, what treatment has already been tried, and individual circumstances. In Australia, eating disorder treatment is delivered across several levels of care, each designed for different stages and severities of illness.
Understanding these levels can help you make an informed decision about what kind of support is right for you or someone you care about.
Outpatient treatment involves regular appointments with a GP, psychologist, dietitian, or psychiatrist while continuing to live at home and maintain daily routines. This is often the first level of care for people with a newly identified eating disorder or a less severe presentation.
Outpatient treatment typically includes evidence-based psychological therapy (such as CBT-E or family-based treatment), nutritional counselling and meal planning, medical monitoring by a GP or specialist, and psychiatric support including medication if appropriate.
Outpatient treatment works well for many people, particularly in the early stages. However, it relies on the person being able to apply what they learn in sessions to their daily life, which can be challenging when eating disorder behaviours are deeply established or when the home environment is not supportive of change.
Day programs provide a more structured level of care while still allowing the person to return home each evening. They typically involve several hours of therapy, group work, and supported mealtimes over multiple days per week.
Day programs can be a useful step between outpatient treatment and residential care, or as a step-down after a residential stay. They provide more support and structure than weekly appointments while maintaining connection to everyday life, work, or study.
In Australia, day programs for eating disorders are available through some public health services and private providers, though availability varies by location.
Residential treatment involves living at a dedicated treatment facility for an extended period, typically between 60 and 90 days. This level of care is designed for people whose eating disorder has not responded adequately to outpatient treatment, whose condition is too severe for a day program to address, who need to be removed from their current environment to break entrenched patterns, or who require the kind of intensive, round-the-clock support that cannot be provided in a community setting.
In a residential program, every meal is supported, therapy happens daily (both individual and group), and the person is removed from the environment and routines that may be maintaining the eating disorder. This creates space for deeper therapeutic work and for building new patterns around food, body, and relationships.
The strength of residential treatment is its duration and intensity. Over 60 to 90 days, participants have the time and structure to do the deep work that is difficult to achieve in shorter programs or weekly sessions. Residential treatment also allows for more practical support around cooking, portioning, grocery shopping and eating out to help individuals develop and practice skills which support recovery in the community.
Hospital-based care is the most intensive level and is reserved for people who are medically unstable and require urgent medical intervention. This may include medical refeeding under close supervision, treatment of serious complications such as severe electrolyte imbalances or cardiac instability, stabilisation of very low body weight, or management of acute psychiatric risk.
Acute care addresses the immediate medical and safety risks but is typically short-term. Once a person is medically stable, they are usually referred to a residential program or day program for the longer-term therapeutic work needed for lasting recovery.
Residential treatment sits between day programs and acute hospital care. It fills a critical gap in the treatment continuum by providing intensive, sustained support in a therapeutic environment for people who need more than outpatient care can offer but who do not require acute medical stabilisation.
Many people come to residential treatment after trying outpatient therapy without sufficient improvement, or as a step-down from hospital care. Some come directly when their condition is clearly severe enough to warrant an intensive approach from the start.
At Wandi Nerida, we describe our model as bridging the gap between outpatient and acute care. Our program provides the clinical intensity of a hospital with the warmth and normalisation of a home.
Wandi Nerida is Australia’s first residential treatment centre dedicated to eating disorders, located on 25 acres of Sunshine Coast bushland in Mooloolah Valley, Queensland. We accept participants aged 15 and above with a primary diagnosis of an eating disorder.
Our 60 to 90 day program combines evidence-based psychotherapy (including CBT-E and DBT), nutritional rehabilitation with supported mealtimes, medical monitoring and management, and holistic therapies including equine therapy, art therapy, yoga, nature-based activities, and our organic vegetable garden.
Our multidisciplinary team includes psychologists, psychiatrists, dietitians, nurses, and recovery navigators. We are an accredited private hospital with both publicly funded and self-funded bed options.
Choosing the right level of care can feel overwhelming, especially when you are unwell or making decisions for someone you love. Some questions that can help guide the decision include how long the eating disorder has been present, whether previous treatment has been tried and what the outcome was, whether the current environment is supporting or hindering recovery, how much structure and support is needed during mealtimes, and whether there are co-occurring conditions that need to be addressed alongside the eating disorder.
A good starting point is to speak with your GP, who can assess the situation and make a referral. You can also contact Wandi Nerida directly to speak with an advisor, who can help you understand whether residential treatment may be appropriate.