Psychologist and Credentialed Eating Disorder Clinician (CEDC-MH)

Carolina is a warm and caring psychologist with experience in both the public and the private mental health sectors in Australia and internationally.

Carolina supports adult clients with a wide range of mental health difficulties, helping them overcome challenges, build resilience, and live a more balanced, fulfilling life and relationships.

As a Credentialed Eating Disorder Clinician with ANZEAD, Carolina specialises in body image and disordered eating/eating disorders. Her special passion is to help neurodivergent clients, particularly those with ADHD and autism, navigate challenges with eating and body image. She acknwoledges that in this population eating disorders are very frequent and that standard treatments can fail to account for differences, such as variations in interoception or executive functioning. Whether or not you are neurodivergent, Carolina individualises evidence-based treatments and tailors them to your needs to make recovery feel more achievable and sustainable.

Carolina offers: CBT-E, CBT-AR, SSCM, Focaly Psychodynamic Therapy (FPT), MANTRA and DBT for eating disorders. Carolina works from a Health at Every Size (HAES) perspective, helping clients focus on general wellbeing and self-acceptance rather than weight or appearance.

Carolina also has a special interest and has completed some training in Internal Family System therapy (IFS) and can integrate this approach into evidence based models. IFS can be particularly helpful when you feel stuck, conflicted, or experience a mental block around change, including in recovery.

Beyond her expertise in eating disorder care, Carolina is passionate about supporting clients through challenges with identity, mood, work, relationships, and major life transitions.

Carolina offers therapy in English and Italian. She understands that for many Italian clients living in Australia, speaking in one’s mother tongue can feel more natural, emotionally safe, and deeply connecting, particularly when exploring complex feelings, family dynamics, or early life experiences. Carolina is mindful of the cultural values, migration experiences, and intergenerational influences that can shape identity and mental health, and she aims to create a therapeutic space where clients feel truly understood within their cultural context.

Carolina has general registration as a psychologist at the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). Carolina is a member of and the Australian Psychological Society (APS) and Australian Association of Psychologists inc (AAPi).

Publications:

- Simonazzi, C., Natali, L., Valmaggia, L., Rowlands, K., Meregalli, V., Rabarbari, E., ... & Cardi, V. (2023). Food-related aversion in a female sample of people with anorexia nervosa: Cognitive-behavioural correlates, somatic and subjective anxiety, and early experiences. Appetite, 180, 106366.

- Schroeder, P. A., Collantoni, E., Meregalli, V., Rabarbari, E., Simonazzi, C., Svaldi, J., & Cardi, V. (2024). Persistent avoidance of virtual food in anorexia nervosa‐restrictive type: Results from motion tracking in a virtual stopping task. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 57(3), 624-634.