ABOUT

Tania Withington

Tania has extensive experience in clinical care and treatment, supervision, training, research, and service leadership. Her special interests include Child and adolescent mental health, Mental Health, Eating disorders - child, adolescent and adult, Eating disorders - parent, partner or carer, Trauma - child, adolescent and adult and Relationships - couples, parent-child, families.

Cathedral Mountain, Cradle Mountain NP, Tas, Dr Tania Withington

Tania has post graduate qualifications in Social Work, Mental Health, Group Work and Family Therapy.

Additionally, she has completed specialist training and hours of supervision in a range of evidenced based models to improve her practice and outcomes for individuals, couples, and families.

Specialist training:

  • Family Based Treatment for Anorexia Nervosa (commonly known as FBT) with the Training Institute for Child and Adolescent Eating Disorders in USA, is an accredited clinician, supervisor and trainer and a Regional Faculty Member of the Institute.

  • Multi Family Therapy (MFT) for Anorexia Nervosa with Maudsley Centre of Child and Adolescent Eating Disorders (MCCAED) in UK.

  • Attachment Based Family Therapy (ABFT) with the ABFT International Training Institute. This is a transdiagnostic treatment and Tania has completed specialist training in ABFT for depressed and suicidal adolescents, for adolescents with eating disorders, and for sexual and gender minority young adults with parents struggling to understand or accept.

  • Emotion Focused Family Therapy (EFFT), and Emotion Focused Skills Training for multiple kinds of mental health and relationship challenges.

Mount Bartle Frere, North Qld, Dr Tania Withington

Tania has worked in government and non-government services in direct service provision, project management, research, discipline leadership and service leadership across her extensive career. 

With colleagues, she established the first Child and Youth Mental Health Eating Disorder Specialist Service in Queensland focusing on the delivery of evidenced based and best practice treatment to promote recovery for children, young people and families. This service offered the first video conferencing FBT treatment in Australia, and the first child and youth eating disorder specific Day Program in Queensland.

With colleagues, Tania established the first Child and Youth Mental Health Service from children and young people in Out of Home Care in Brisbane. This service introduced world leads in trauma to the developing brain and therapeutic practice to Queensland Child and Youth Mental Health Services.

Running Creek, Lamington National Park, Qld, Dr Tania Withington

Tania has ongoing involvement in academia and research.

She has been appointed as Visiting Fellow Queensland University of Technology (2017-2021) and Adjunct Fellow University of Queensland (2022-2025) with focus on teaching and research in the areas of child and youth mental health, family therapy and eating disorders. 

Tania has published in peer reviewed conferences, books, and journals in the areas of child and youth mental health, child protection, eating disorders, aged care and service development. She is a regular reviewer for several esteemed journals in the field of social work, mental health and child protection. Tania is the Primary Investigator in a longitudinal study investigating the efficacy and effectiveness of a range of clinical service models in a large public health eating disorder specialist service.

Eating disorder policy and practice initiatives

In addition to clinical, academic and consultation Tania has engaged at a national level with eating disorder policy and practice initiatives. She has participated in National Eating Disorder Collaboration (NEDC) initiatives including NEDC National Eating Disorder Strategy Reference Group, and NEDC National Strategy Treatment Group. Tania is also an invited member of the Australian Eating Disorders Research and Translation Centre AEDRTC) Governing Council, and Chair of the AEDRTC Translation Working Group

Tania’s primary role is as Program Manager for the Children’s Health Queensland, Child and Youth Mental Health Service, Eating Disorder Program. The current focus of this role is service development and innovation, particularly seeking strategies to eliminate waitlists for families seeking treatment for their child or adolescents eating disorder.

Memberships

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy Social Work

  • Australian Association of Social Work Accredited Mental Health Social Worker

  • Accredited Clinician, Supervisor and Trainer in Family Based Treatment (FBT) with the Institute for Child and Adolescent Eating Disorders (USA)

  • Australian and New Zealand Academy for Eating Disorders Accredited Clinician

Publications

PhD Thesis

  • Placement Trajectories for children and young people in out of home care

Peer Reviewed Publications

  1. Eadie. K., Zahir. S., Chapman. JA., Bergh. W., and Withington. T., (2025 - in press) A 15-year outcome study of children and young people in care attending a tertiary level specialist mental health service, Child Abuse and Neglect

  2. Wilson. D., Withington.T., Dalle Grave. R., and Dalton, M., (2025) CBTe following discontinued FBT for adolescents with eating disorders: Time for a more individual approach? The Cognitive Behaviour Therapist DOI:10.1017/S1754470X24000400

  3. Wilson, D., Loxton, N., Middeldorp, C., Geissler, I., Catania, S., Withington,T., (2025). Parent and adolescent outcomes from a pilot study investigating a Family Based Therapy informed Day Program treatment for adolescents with restrictive eating disorders Journal of Family Therapy DOI: 10.1111/1467-6427.12486

  4. Aitchison, K. and Withington, T. (2023) Post-meal resource-orientated music therapy groups in a specialist day program for adolescents with eating disorders. Australian Journal of Music Therapy, 34, 7-20

  5. Lim, L., White, J., Withington, T., Catania, S., Wilson, D., Knight, P., Rees.B., Middledorp, C., and Krishnamoorthy, G. (2023), Family-based treatment takes longer for adolescents with mental health comorbidities: findings from a community mental health service, Eating Disorders, DOI: 10.1080/10640266.2023.2201995

  6. Caldwell B, Catania S, Farrugia M., Ganci M., Pradel., M, Quin J, Tompson, A., Withington T, Wade TD. (2023). Using the experiences of COVID to reposition services for children and adolescents with anorexia nervosa. Australasian Psychiatry.

  7. Withington, T., Alcorn, N., Mayberry, D., and Goodyear, M. (2020) Building research capacity in clinical practice for social workers: A training and mentorships approach, Advances in Mental Health, 18 (1), 73-90

  8. Goodyear, M., Mayberry, D., Withington, T., Krause, J. (2020) Developing research and evaluation skills in a family, parent or child health workforce. Advances in Mental Health, 18(1), 1-5

  9. Withington, T., Duplock, R., Burton, J., Eivers, A., and Lonne, B. (2016). Exploring children’s perspectives of engagement with their carers using factor analysis, International Journal of Child Abuse and Neglect, 63, 41-50

  10. Withington, T., Burton, J., Lonne, B., and Eivers, A. (2016). Carer perspectives of factors affecting placement trajectories of children in out-of-home care, Children and Youth Services Review, 65, 42-50

  11. Withington, T., Burton, J., and Lonne, B. (2013) Placement Trajectories: Mapping the journey of children and young people in out-of-home care, Communities, Children and Families Australia 7(1), 21-34

  12. Withington, T., Ogilivie, J.M., and Watt. B., (2012) A Brief Report of the characteristics of adolescents with identified sexually abusive behaviours referred to a forensic child and youth mental health service, Sexual Abuse in Australia and New Zealand: An Interdisciplinary Journal

Book

  1. Drew, L., Keen, A., and Withington, T.  (1996), Northern Interest Group on Abuse of Older People. A Discussion Paper, Tasmania, National Library of Australia ISBN 0-7246-2369-8

Peer Reviewed Book Chapter

  1. Buckley, H., McArthur, M., Moore, T., Russ, E., Withington, T. (2019) Stakeholder’s experience of the forensic child protection paradigm in B. Lonne, D. Scott, D. Higgins & T. Herrenkohl (Eds.). Re-visioning public health approaches for protecting children. New York: Springer Publishers.

  2. Watt, B., and Withington, T., (2011) Axis 1 Mental Health Disorders and Sex Offending.  In D. Boer et al. (Eds.), International Perspectives on the Assessment and Treatment of Sexual Offenders.  Theory, Practice and Research.  Wiley.

Peer Reviewed Conference Presentations

  1. Brown, V., Wilson, D., and Withington, T., (2024) Theory vs Reality in Research and Policy Translation and Implementation, AEDRTC Inaugural Think Tank, Melbourne

  2. Ahmed, M., Sidari, M., Hannigan, A., Withington, T., Catania, S., Boyd, M., Ward, W., Miskovic-Wheatley, J., Nassar, N.,  Touyz, S., Maguire, S.,  and Cunich, M. (2024) Socioeconomic Inequity in Hospital Utilisation Costs for People with Eating Disorders in Queensland, Australia, 45th Annual Australian Health Economic Society (AHES), Sydney, Australia

  3. Mihalopoulpos, C., Withington, T., Kerr, J, Plfanz, S., and Brown., V., (2023) Consumer co-design with young people with a lived experience of an eating disorder Child and Adolescent Mental Health Conference, Gold Coast, Qld

  4. Wade, T., Withington, T, Caldwell, B., and Pradel, M., (2022) Activating families on waitlists for child and adolescent eating disorder treatment, Annual Conference of the Australia and New Zealand Academy of Eating Disorders, Sydney NSW

  5. Withington, T., Mihalopoulos, C., Brown, V., and Catania, S., Creative Solutions to Overwhelming Demand (2022) Annual Conference of the Australia and New Zealand Academy of Eating Disorders, Sydney NSW

  6. Withington, T., Catania, S., Knight., P., Burton, J., Strodl, E., Darracott, R., Davidson, D. (2019) Pilot of Family Based Treatment for Anorexia Nervosa (FBT-AN) via Video-conferencing: Outcomes and Implementation as Core Business, Asia Pacific Conference on Integrated Care, Melbourne Australia

  7. Withington, T., Knight,P., Sutherland, C., Burton, J., Strodl, E., Darracott, R., Davidson, D. (2019) Family Based Treatment for Anorexia Nervosa Teleheatlh Pilot: Outcomes, 15th Annual Conference of the Australia and New Zealand Academy of Eating Disorders, Adelaide South Australia

  8. Withington, T., Knight, P., Catania, S., Krause, K. (2017) Child and Youth Mental Health Service Eating Disorder Program, Children’s Health Queensland Hospital and Health Service Grand Rounds, Brisbane Australia, Invited presentation)

  9. Withington, T., Knight, P., Hart,S. (2017) Establishing Models of Care for Child and Youth Eating Disorders in Large Health Services, New South Wales Health Services Eating Disorder Symposium, Sydney Australia (invited presentation)

  10. Withington, T., Litster, R., Geisler, I., Atherton, J. (2017) Challenges in providing Family-Based Treatment for Anorexia Nervosa (FBT-AN) via Telemedicine, 13th Annual Conference of the Australia and New Zealand Academy for Eating Disorder, Sydney Australia

  11. Nkwenty, E., Knight, P., & Withington, T. (2017) Role of the Nurse Practitioner in a Specialist Eating Disorder Team, Children’s Health Queensland, Child and Youth Mental Health Service, Research Conference, Brisbane Australia

  12. Withington, T., Litster, R., Geisler, I., Atherton, J. (2017) Challenges in providing Family-Based Treatment for Anorexia Nervosa (FBT-AN) via Telemedicine, 13th Annual Conference of the Australia and New Zealand Academy for Eating Disorder, Sydney Australia

  13. Meddick. T., Ziviani, J., Withington, T., (2016) Growing research confidence and capacity: Embedding research culture on children’s health service, Children’s Health Queensland, 2nd Annual Research Symposium

  14. Withington, T., Burton, J., Lonne, B., and Eivers, A. (August 2016) Carer Engagement as a key determinant of quality in out-of-home care, 21st IPSCAN International Congress on Child Abuse and Neglect, Canada

  15. Withington, T., Krause, J., Litster, R., Catania, S. (2015) Imbedding a specialist clinic in a tertiary child and youth mental health service, NSW Health Eating Disorders Forum, Sydney (invited presentation)

  16. Withington, T., Litster, R., Catania, S. (2014) Feast or Famine: Imbedding a specialist clinic in a tertiary child and youth mental health service,  12th Annual Conference of the Australia and New Zealand Academy for Eating Disorders, Gold Coast

  17. Withington, T., Litster, R., Catania, S. (2014) Family Based Treatment of Anorexia Nervosa and Reconstituted Families, in Annual Conference of the Australia and New Zealand Academy for Eating Disorders , Gold Coast

  18. Withington, T., Littledale, N., Huppert, M., (2014) Building an integrated social work student education unit in a clinical child and youth mental health setting, In Joint World Conference on Social Work, Education and Social Development, Melbourne

  19. Withington,T., Litster,R., and Catania, S., (2014) Family Based Treatment for Anorexia Nervosa complicated by medical co-morbidity and/or disability, in Eating Disorder and Obesity Conference, Gold Coast

  20. Withington,T., Lonne, B., Burton, J., (2014) Placement Trajectory; a useful tool for mapping the journeys of children and young people in out-of-home care?, in 13th Australian Institute of Family Studies Conference, Melbourne

  21. Wagner, I., Litster, R., and Withington, T., (2013) Family therapy in today’s public sector services: Both a vehicle and destination of change, In, The 8th European Family Therapy Association Congress, Istanbul

  22. Withington, T., and Martin, J., (2007) Utilizing a multi-agency framework to provide youth services, In Collaborative Youth Strategies: Linking Policy To Service Delivery, International Quality And Productivity Centre, Sydney

  23. Withington, T., and Watt, B., (2005), Evaluation of an intensive liaison approach in child and youth forensic mental health, In Progress in Assessment and Intervention in Forensic Mental Health, The 5th Annual International Association of Forensic Mental Health Services Conference. Melbourne

  24. Farrant, K., and Withington, T., (1999), Making Siblings Programs Work, In Sharing The Road in 1999. A Conference for Direct Support Workers, Department of Family, Youth and Community Care and the Australian Society for the Study of Intellectual Disability, Brisbane

  25. Withington, T., (1998), The Group work Model: Is it an effective intervention tool for working with parents and family carers? In, Children Our Future. Services in the Lives of Young People with Disabilities, Australian Cerebral Palsy Association National Conference Papers, Brisbane, p.125 – 131

  26. Armstrong, A., and Withington, T., (1996), Respite – Gaps in Service Provision, Carers Association of Australia National Conference Papers, Carers Association of Australia, Canberra

  27. Withington, T., (1996), Abuse, Advocacy and Dementia, in Hand it to The Carers, Papers and Proceedings from a Conference by The National Alzheimer’s’ Association of Australia, Hobart

  28. Withington, T., (1996), Abuse of the Aged: An Ethical Debate, in Confronting Abuse: The Way Forward, Papers and Proceedings from a conference organized by The New South Wales Advisory Committee on Abuse of Older People in their Homes, National Library of Australia ISBN 0-7310-91590