Dr Cal Paterson

I have been practising as a psychologist in NSW since I was first registered in 1999, beginning in hospital and disability services before moving into private practice in 2005. Since 2010 I have been working with people living with obesity, and with the surgeons, physicians, GPs and dietitians who treat them.

Much of my work is with people before and after bariatric surgery, and more recently with people using obesity management medications. I see obesity as a complex, chronic health condition, not a failure of willpower. People living in larger bodies often face judgement, including from health professionals. My sessions are respectful and practical, and focused on your health, wellbeing and the life you want to live.

My doctoral research looked at how to bring together the most useful parts of different therapies to suit each person. In practice I draw on cognitive behavioural therapy and on psychodynamic and relational approaches, chosen to fit you and your goals.

I am Vice-Chair for Allied Health of the Asia-Pacific Chapter of the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders (IFSO), and a member of the National Association of Clinical Obesity Services (NACOS). I also teach other health professionals. I was a faculty member of the Johnson & Johnson Institute from 2023 to 2025, and I have run workshops and given talks for the IFSO World Congress, the ANZMOSS roadshow, the Sydney Upper GI Surgical Society and the National Obesity Management Program. In 2025 I published a paper in the journal Public Health Ethics asking whether weight should be given less weight in public health.

BodyChanges is part of the Whychange Clinic in Drummoyne, which also offers general psychology services.