Body Image Issues

I have been working in fat liberation spaces for the last 20 + years, and I am a certified Body Trust provider- one of the only training programs on disordered eating that centers anti-racist curriculum!

You’re tired of dieting. You’re tired of feeling anxious about the way your body looks and the way clothes fit. You don't want to care what others' think, and you just want to feel okay in your body. Good news: You can learn to appreciate it, accept it and feel comfortable in it. I help clients shut down and stop engaging in diet and body-shaming talk, stop listening to what culture says they should look like, stop measuring worth by clothing size, and learn to accept and appreciate their bodies

Body image issues and eating disorders are sometimes co-occurring for some clients with anxiety disorders. For the past two years I have worked with adolescents and adults who struggle with body image.

Do you feel stuck in a cycle of negative thoughts about your body? Struggling with low self-esteem, constant comparisons, or feeling like you’re never enough? I specialize in helping people break free from the weight of body image struggles. Together, we’ll work on quieting that inner critic, finding self-acceptance, and building confidence so you can feel comfortable in your own skin. You deserve to feel at peace with yourself—and I’m here to help

I am very skilled and passionate about supporting folks who want a more aligned relationship with their body - whatever that means for you. I support fat bodies, trans bodies, non-binary spirits walking around in a body, genderqueer and gender fluid folks. Let's move through the bullshit that causes pain together, and focus on the kind of relationship YOU want to have with your body.

I am a fat liberationist which has meant significant client work and training on issues around bodies and how we can all come to trust our own bodies.

Everyone has issues with their body image, to some extent. I am curious about where and when this belief first started, and what role it plays in your life today.

I utilize a health at every size and intuitive eating approach to working with body image issues. Intuitive eating is an anti-diet approach to building a trusting and accepting relationship with your body. It involves listening to your body to make food choices that feel good for you without judgment or influence from diet culture.

Do you find yourself spending hours in front of the mirror? Have you ever felt that wave of anxiety when your go-to pair of jeans fits a little different than they did yesterday? Your body image is not a superficial problem. Your body is your home, a place in which you deserve to feel safe, peaceful, and connected. When you're at war with your body, its exhausting, frustrating, and maybe even intolerable. It's time for you and your body to get on the same page. Let's talk about it.

Imagine spending your life with the people and things you love, without worrying about what you ate or how long you worked out today. Imagine feeling fulfilled, like you deserve to be happy: that you're good enough just as you are. Through therapy, you can feel at ease in your body, make peace with food, and live a life that reflects your true values.

I will help you find a way to make peace with your body and to trust your body in a way that deemphasizes the focus you place on your body.

Healthy Body Image is not popping out of bed to wink at yourself in the mirror with a narcissistic grin. Just like feelings about anything else, how we feel about our size/shape/body parts fluctuates, for better or for worse, due to lots of factors. But how able are you to ACCEPT yourself physically right now? Your body IS what it is right now- whether that's optimal in your opinion or not. It is much easier to change, grow, and improve, when we can accept what currently exists.

I cannot think of one woman in my life who has not been affected deeply by the pervasive diet culture that cloaks our culture. Often the internal battle around body size, food, body image, and loathing begins before puberty and it often feels like it might be there until the end. WAIT. What if it didn't have to be that way? What if you could find peace with yourself - beyond having a 'good' eating day, a perfect workout week or a smaller pair of pants? It is possible. Yes, even for you!

Body image issues often times go hand-in-hand with eating disorders, unfortunately. This means that I have also worked a great deal with individuals who struggle with poor body image. A love for yourself also means a love for the body that carries you through life. We would work together to cultivate a space in which you could learn to become--if not positive--at least neutral about your body.

Having a body, especially in Western culture, is really hard. I believe every single body is deserving of compassion and care. I am strongly committed to Health At Every Size and body neutrality and think it is imperative to acknowledge fatphobia and weight discrimination to work in this field. Working on body image is often a difficult yet rewarding way to work on self-compassion.

I provide body image counseling to determined women and femmes explore the stories they (and society) tell about their body, and develop a new value of their body’s wisdom and beauty, as well as genuine intentions behind self-care. My dual degree in counseling and nutrition means I have received specialized education around disordered eating and mental health. Trainings from The Body Positive and Be Nourished orgs have grown my understanding of how we can face, accept, and respect ourselves.

Sonya Renee Taylor (2021) writes that the "body is not an apology." I wholeheartedly believe this. At the same time, truly embodying this is HARD, and is a communal effort. Our bodies do not live in a vacuum, but are consistently being impacted/informed by the world, the systems, and the people around it. Through compassionate, somatic, and relational holding, I hope to help you reclaim a loving relationship with your body. To celebrate the uniqueness that makes you, YOU one breath at a time.

In my training and research, I examined the impacts of body image concerns on BIPOC folx, women-identified individuals, and trans and gender-expansive folx across the lifespan.

Stuck in the cycle of trying to change, fix or control your body? Exhausted from patterns of dieting, an inner critic, and difficulty feeling comfortable as you are? Together we can explore your relationship to your body and start creating more inner peace.