The start of a new year can inspire hope and resolutions, and whilst these can be positive for some, they can also create pressure to lose weight and increase body image concerns. After Christmas, diet culture tends to surge, preying on feelings of guilt and shame. This can be closely linked to low self-esteem and body shame, which can increase the risk of body image issues and disordered eating.
In this workshop, we’ll delve into the pervasive impact of diet culture and weight stigma, exploring how these pressures can affect clients’ mental health and self-worth. We’ll look at the risks associated with body image struggles and disordered eating, and the links to eating disorders.
We’ll consider the broader social and cultural factors that connect to diet culture and unpack how personal biases and assumptions about weight can influence the therapeutic relationship. This session aims to equip participants with deeper insights and practical suggestions to support clients in a more compassionate and inclusive way.
Learning Objective Participants Can Expect From This Event
- To help practitioners understand the impact of diet culture and weight stigma, and to increase knowledge of body image issues and disordered eating.
- To help prevent and reduce harm caused to those facing diet culture and experiencing weight stigma and discrimination.
- Reflect on personal beliefs and socio-cultural influences regarding weight and appearance to enhance the therapeutic relationship and create a more inclusive practice.
Who is This Workshop Appropriate For?
- Counsellors, therapists and trainees
How May This Workshop Impact Your Practice?
- This workshop aims to equip participants with deeper insights into diet culture, body image and disordered eating, to help feel more confident in supporting clients with these struggles, and to know when to refer on.
Course Content
Presenter
Mel Ciavucco is an Integrative Counsellor, writer, trainer and group facilitator. She is interested in all kinds of eating distress and disordered eating, body image and weight stigma, especially advocating for people in larger bodies. Mel also has experience in domestic abuse and working with perpetrators. She was published in Therapy Today with an article about fatphobia (June 2021 edition) and she writes about disordered eating, weight stigma, class, and more on her website.
