Body Image Therapy & Health at Every Size
Body Image Therapy near Los Angeles, CA
It is incredibly hard to feel at peace with your body in a culture that is constantly telling you your body is both too much and not enough.
Worse, experiencing size-based discrimination such as a lack of clothing options or negative interactions with health care providers, makes this even more challenging.
Yet, what is even harder, is giving into these harmful messages and living a life of self-hatred and limitation. You deserve love from yourself and others, affirming healthcare experiences, and a full life in the body you have right now.
Life is too precious for body image issues
We only get one body and one life. So it’s important to be as good to our bodies as we can. Treat them with the same respect we’d show a friend and not let shame and fear interfere with living our best lives.
Loving your body is not a requirement for a good life. However, treating your body with kindness and not having an adversarial relationship with it is. As well as having your life be focused on your values rather than the scale.
Think about how much more women could do if they didn’t have to waste thoughts, energy, time, and money trying to control body size!
Are You…
Sick of the merry-go-round and/or yo-yo dieting?
Avoiding photos, healthcare appointments, or even sex?
Holding yourself back, waiting until you lose weight to do the things you most want to do, and yearning to live your life NOW in the body you have?
Trying to follow your diet perfectly or eat “clean” and then struggling with binge eating, all while hating your body?
Feeling shame every time you are exposed to a message that your body is “less than?”
Fearing what example you might be setting for the young people in your life?
Miserable with dieting and wanting to stop, but not sure what other alternatives there are?
Struggling in your relationship with exercise, which has become so intertwined with self-hatred and repenting?
In Body Image Therapy in Los Angeles, CA You Will Learn to…
Peacefully coexist with your body, to treat it with kindness and respect.
Disentangle exercise from diet culture’s shaming messages so you can have a sustainable exercise habit that serves you (if you choose).
Identify fatphobia as the problem, rather than your body, whether the fatphobia is external (from others, the media, healthcare providers) or internal (your own inner critic).
Connect with your body and listen to what it is telling you that you need, rather than disengage because it’s painful.
Strategize with a HAES and body image therapist on how to cope with fatphobia so you don’t feel overwhelmed by shame or engage in self-punishment.
Set boundaries with others (doctors, family members, partners, etc.) so you and your body can be treated with respect and in a way that does not trigger disordered eating or shame.
Build a peaceful relationship with food. Diet culture warps our relationship with food and makes us eat based on external rules rather than our own needs, preferences, and culture.
Make dieting, food rules, and body shame take up much less space in your life.
Body Image Therapy in California Can Help You…
At Well Woman Psychology you will learn to build a peaceful relationship with your body, but it is a long journey of learning and unlearning. We must learn the skills of self-compassion. While unlearning all the lies we have been taught about body size, the pursuit of weight loss, food and exercise, and our worth.
We must learn that our bodies have never been the problem and unlearn that what we are taught about our bodies and the way larger bodies are treated is the problem. As a body image therapist, I will show you how powerful it is to connect with a supportive community that does not reinforce these messages and unlearn the blame and shame. Including the lie that it is our fault if we cannot lose weight and keep it off.
In body image therapy we can learn how to nourish ourselves and move independently of “shoulds” and rules and explore the possibilities that exist outside of diet culture. Above all, we must unlearn what we have been taught about our worth and desirability related to our bodies and learn what freedom and liberation can look and feel like.
For most people, moving away from diet culture and toward weight-neutral care and fat liberation is a radical shift in worldview. After all, fatphobia and weight stigma are the air we all breathe. As Dana Sturtevant and Hilary Kinavey, the creators of Body Trust®, say, “Most of us have been indoctrinated into a dieting culture before we could consent.” Unsurprisingly, some clients who come to work with Well Woman Psychology in California often still have an interest in losing weight. These clients generally fall into one of two camps:
Clients who are absolutely sick and tired of dieting and weight cycling (cycling through weight loss and gain). However, they aren’t sure what the alternative is or how to get there.
Clients for whom part of them wants to let go of shame and the diet culture mindset and part of them is afraid to let go of pursuing weight loss for fear of how they will be treated or feel about themselves.
As a body image therapist, I use the Health at Every Size® approach to work with clients of all shapes and sizes, which helps move them toward a more peaceful relationship with their bodies.
Combining this with the lenses of trauma-informed care, social justice, fat liberation, Body Trust®, intuitive eating, and a anti-diet approach, I offer weight-neutral and weight-inclusive body image therapy.
As a Body Image Therapist near Los Angeles, I believe that:
Weight is not indicative of health and any pursuit of health MUST include mental health.
You can’t tell if someone engages in disordered eating or exercise based on their appearance.
Weight stigma hurts us all, and the larger the body, the more oppression is experienced.
All unhelpful patterns you are trying to change were wise attempts at coping and are deserving of compassion.
Dealing with systemic oppression from our culture, including in healthcare systems, can cause trauma that is important to address and heal from.
Body Positivity is often too tall an order for folks who have spent decades hating their bodies. Don’t get me wrong, if you can get there, that is great! But it’s a big ask to love your body in a world that is constantly telling you your body is less than.
The good news is, loving your body is not a requirement for a healthy, happy life. Instead, with body image therapy you can work toward having a neutral, kind relationship with your body, where you coexist peacefully, take care of it, respect it, and treat it with compassion and kindness.
Ready to Start Body Image Therapy & Health at Every Size in Los Angeles, CA?
With the help of Well Woman Psychology, you can learn to peacefully coexist with your body. As a body image therapist, I want to support you and your health. While reaching out to address your body image issue can feel daunting, know that you are not alone. Many other people have had the same feelings towards their bodies that you have. Start the journey to a happy and healthier life with these steps.
Reach out for a consultation at Well Woman Psychology
Meet with a body image and HAES therapist
Start having a kind relationship with your body.
Other Services Offered at Well Woman Psychology in California
Well Woman Psychology is here to support your unique struggles as a woman. Along with body image therapy we also provide sex therapy, individual relationship therapy, EMDR therapy, trauma therapy, and PTSD treatment. As a therapist for women, I am here to support your women’s health with therapy for miscarriage, infertility, pregnancy, and new moms. All of these services are offered through online counseling to anyone in Illinois, California, New York, and Washington.