Butterfly is Australia’s largest charity and not for profit organisation that works to support all people affected by eating disorders – a person with the illness, their family and their friends. Our work is not just exclusive to eating disorders, but stretches across the eating and body attitude spectrum by promoting healthy body image and supporting those with negative body image and disordered eating. As a leading national voice in supporting their needs, Butterfly highlights the realities of seeking treatment for recovery, and advocates for improved services from both government and independent sources.
Butterfly is defined into areas of focus, however given we are a small organisation a huge part of the Butterfly culture is that we work collaboratively together as a team. Our areas of focus are: Support Services, Butterfly Research Institute, Education Services, Advocacy, Awareness and Fundraising, and the National Eating Disorders Collaboration.
Butterfly operates a national support line, which is staffed by trained counsellors experienced in assisting with eating disorders. It also provides a wide range of programs for service providers and recovery groups.
Because Butterfly recognises that eating disorders often arise from poor body image, it delivers a range of Positive Body Image workshops to schools and workplaces through its education program. It has a strong media presence to raise awareness of Butterfly’s perspective in community debates about body image and eating disorders.
Throughout its work Butterfly emphasises the critical importance of prevention and early intervention strategies in limiting the development of, and suffering from, negative body image and eating disorders. To expand knowledge in this field The Butterfly Research Institute has commissioned academic research projects and has funded PhD research scholarships.
Butterfly is committed to collaboration across the sector, and presently co-ordinates the National Eating Disorders Collaboration (NEDC) for the Australian Department of Health and Ageing. The primary purpose of the NEDC is to bring together eating disorder stakeholders and experts in mental health, public health, health promotion, education, research, and the media to help develop a nationally consistent approach to the prevention and management of eating disorders. Through the contribution of the collaboration, the NEDC has the resources to provide the information to lead the way in addressing eating disorders in Australia. This is the first time in Australia that such a strategic, coordinated and collaborative approach has been taken on the issue of eating disorders.