APN Clinical Focus Webinar Friday 24th July 2026 10am-1pm

WEBINAR PRESENTATION - recording will be available to those who register

Functional Neurological Disorder: Practical Assessment, Formulation and Treatment for Psychologists and MDT Clinicians

Dr Daniella Siciliano & Elizabeth Pearson, Let’s Talk FND

Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) is increasingly recognised across psychological, medical and alliedhealth settings, yet many clinicians continue to feel unsure about how to assess it, explain it, and integrate psychological and rehabilitation approaches without reinforcing fear or inadvertently invalidating lived experience.

For psychologists who work extensively with anxiety, FND presents a unique clinical intersection:
• Anxiety can cooccur with FND,
• Anxiety can amplify or maintain FND symptoms,
• And FND can exist independently, even in the absence of diagnosable anxiety disorders.

Understanding these distinctions is essential for accurate formulation, effective communication, and coordinated multidisciplinary care.

Common questions clinicians raise include:
• How do I explain FND in a way that is clear, compassionate and nonthreatening?
• How do I validate symptoms without reinforcing avoidance or fear responses?
• What is psychology’s role, and how does it complement physiotherapy and medical rehabilitation?
• How do we align across the MDT to deliver consistent, recovery-focused messaging?

This practical three hour webinar is designed for psychologists and multidisciplinary clinicians working with individuals experiencing FND, anxiety disorders, persistent physical symptoms, trauma histories, chronic pain, fatigue, dissociation, and other complex mind–body presentations.

Dr Daniella Siciliano and Elizabeth Pearson will bring together clinical psychology and physiotherapy perspectives to explore how FND can be understood and treated using a compassionate, evidence-informed and recovery-focused framework.

Learning objectives - By the end of this webinar, participants will be better able to:
• Clearly explain FND using validating and clinically accurate language
• Recognise common presentations and the factors that maintain symptoms
• Differentiate FND from primary anxiety disorders while understanding how the two conditions interact and overlap
• Apply practical psychological assessment and formulation principles to guide evidenceinformed treatment planning
• Identify core psychological and rehabilitation treatment approaches for FND
• Communicate effectively across the multidisciplinary team to support consistent messaging and unified recovery pathways

Dr Daniella Siciliano is a Clinical Psychologist with over 20 years of experience working with anxiety, Functional Neurological Disorder (FND), chronic pain and complex mind–body presentations. She is the Principal Clinical Psychologist and Founder of The Stanhope Psychology Clinic in Sydney, and the Cofounder and Director of Let’s Talk FND, an education platform for individuals, families and clinicians. Daniella has a strong clinical interest in FND, somatic symptoms and mind–body presentations in children, adolescents and young adults. Her therapeutic approach draws on CBT, ACT, Family Therapy and mind–body rehabilitation models. She is also a Psychology Board of Australia–approved supervisor. She serves as an Administrator of the FND Clinician Network Facebook Group, supporting national collaboration and bestpractice care. Daniella is dedicated to improving FND awareness, advancing evidencebased treatment and fostering meaningful, sustainable recovery.

Elizabeth Pearson is a Physiotherapist, Health Coach and Yoga Therapist with more than 30 years of experience across healthcare, rehabilitation, leadership and mind-body practice. She integrates physiotherapy, rehabilitation Pilates, yoga therapy, health coaching and trauma-informed care to support people living with neurological, functional and complex health conditions. Elizabeth is the Co-founder and Director of Let’s Talk FND and one of the Administrative Managers of the FND Clinician Network Facebook Group. She is passionate about helping clinicians build shared language, confidence and collaborative approaches to FND care.