Frequently asked questions.

EF Health is a referred service, delivered in partnership with the MacMurray Centre. For clinical care we ask your GP or gastroenterologist to refer you — and we're happy to guide you on how to ask. You can also access our self-paced educational resources at any time, or take the Capacity Check to get oriented.

Your intake is reviewed by a psychologist, who considers your history and goals and confirms the right pathway — EF Health Foundations, the Group Programme, the Self-Paced Programme, or an Individual Pathway. You'll know your next step quickly, so you're not left waiting.

EF Health is designed for people living with a disorder of gut–brain interaction — including where symptom hypervigilance, health anxiety or food-related anxiety are part of the picture. If you're unsure, the free Capacity Check can help you get oriented, or ask your GP or gastroenterologist about a referral.

No. Your symptoms are real and physical. A DGBI involves genuine changes in how the gut and brain communicate. Psychological support works with the nervous system and the patterns around symptoms — it never assumes you're imagining them.

Referrals come from your GP, gastroenterologist, surgeon or allied health professional via the secure Smart Referral form (about 10–12 minutes). Self-enquiries are welcome — we'll guide you to the right next step, which may be asking your GP for a referral or accessing self-paced resources.

The patient pathways are EF Health Foundations (the Gut Sense half-day workshop or a self-paced orientation), the four-session EF Health Group Programme, the EF Health Self-Paced Programme, and the EF Health Individual Pathway — all on the same framework, with the right one confirmed by a clinician.

Referrals are acknowledged promptly and triaged quickly, so you or your patient know the next step without a long wait.

It depends on your pathway and goals. Everyone begins with Foundations; some continue to the four-session Group Programme, others to individual sessions or the self-paced course. Your psychologist will discuss a realistic plan with you at the outset.

Fees depend on the pathway and are confirmed at intake, along with any funding or insurance options that may apply.

Yes. Sessions are available in person and by secure telehealth across New Zealand, so you can take part from wherever you are — including if you live outside the main centres.

Your sessions are confidential. With your consent, we share brief, practical updates with your referrer or medical team so your care stays coordinated. We'll always be clear about what is shared and why.

With your consent, referrers receive a short update covering formulation, chosen pathway and progress — written to be useful in a busy clinic. You can talk with your psychologist about what you're comfortable sharing.

Your information is handled in line with New Zealand privacy and health information standards.

EF Health begins with Gut Sense, a half-day gut–brain foundations workshop. Where appropriate, this is followed by the four-session EF Health Group Programme — Centre, Clarify, Choose, and Re-engage and Sustain. Exact scheduling is confirmed with you.

EF Health is built specifically for disorders of gut–brain interaction. It combines gut–brain science with the Executive Frame™ and evidence-based therapies — CBT, ACT, CFT, gut-directed clinical hypnotherapy and motivational interviewing — delivered as part of integrated medical care.

Yes — that's the intention. Psychological care runs alongside your gastroenterology and GP care, coordinated to one plan. It complements medical management; it never replaces it.

Absolutely. Free information sheets and tools are yours to use straight away, and the workbooks and self-paced eLearning let you work through the whole framework independently — on their own, or while waiting for support.

The full gut–brain programme as an online course — seven modules in video, written and audio, worked through at your own pace, with progress tracking and downloadable tools.

Yes. The information sheets are free to download, print and share with patients and whānau — no account or purchase required. Workbooks and the eLearning course are paid products.

Patients with a DGBI — IBS, functional dyspepsia, chronic nausea, functional constipation or motility disorders — particularly where symptom hypervigilance, health anxiety or food-related anxiety are affecting function, mood or quality of life despite medical management.

Use the secure referral form. With patient consent, you'll receive a brief update covering formulation, chosen pathway and progress — written to be useful in a busy clinic.

Yes. Brain–gut behavioural therapies are recommended as part of best-practice DGBI care. EF Health delivers this psychological arm as a structured, collaborative adjunct to medical management, grounded in the Executive Frame™ and current gut–brain science.

Yes — free, plain-language information sheets you can download, print and share at the point of referral, so patients arrive informed. Browse them in the resource library.