body acceptance

As someone who has personally struggled with body image issues, working in this area has become one of my greatest passions. Through my own therapeutic journey, I've experienced the profound healing that can occur when we address these challenges head-on. The inner voice that once seemed so loud and convincing has gradually softened over the years, leading me to a place of calmness and self-acceptance I never thought possible.

It is because of this deeply personal experience that I am able to bring warmth, compassion, and understanding to the struggles my clients face. Over the years, I have gained invaluable experience in helping individuals navigate body image concerns, particularly through the powerful lens of the Internal Family Systems (IFS) framework, which explores the different "parts" of ourselves.

If you are ready to embark on a journey of self-discovery, healing, and growth, I would love to support you every step of the way. Together, we can work to cultivate a deeper sense of understanding, compassion, and acceptance for yourself, transforming your relationship with your body and mind.

Read more about my perspective below.

When working with IFS and body image, we often come across many parts of ourselves. Some parts have internalised cultural beliefs about body shape, size, what beauty is, and the worth and privileges some bodies have over others. 

Other parts become obsessed with ways to control body image as a way to feel worthy and accepted by others. Some parts have internalised the cultural belief that discipline and willpower are a moral virtue, so they become an inner critic whose role is to convince you to restrict your food, while other parts choose to rebel against this idea, and tell you to eat more. 

So many of us have internalised shame and negative body image beliefs from culture, our families or other sources, and our inner parts are recruited to fulfill these roles. 

The bottom line is that negative body image can create a lot of internal conflict and be the source of great emotional distress. I believe IFS is a great framework to heal from these issues.

The Health at Every Size, body acceptance and body positivity movements have deeply influenced the way I practice psychotherapy. I recognise and condemn the damaging effects fatphobia and weight stigma has in people's lives. You have the birthright to fully experience your unique body, and I would be honoured to be with you during this healing journey.

Rebecca Scritchfield is the author of the book Body Kindness (which I highly recommend!). Rebecca, and other amazing anti-diet scholars, writers, and clinicians, deeply inspired me to be an advocate against diet culture. When we are able to feel and act from a place of kindness towards ourselves and others, we are able to feel self-compassion, which I believe to be a core part of the healing journey. The Body Kindness Project is a little contribution to this movement. 

Diet culture (which includes the "wellness" movement), makes us believe that our worth relies on our appearance and our commitment to health (whatever that means for diet culture). Instead, I believe that all humans have inherent value, regardless of their body size, shape, and their identity. Health is MUCH more than "looking healthy". In fact focusing on weight as the main determinant of health is extremely problematic. Social determinants of health, including socioeconomic status, education, trauma, oppression, exposure to weight stigma, and weight cycling, have a bigger impact on people's overall health than body size.

I could go on this forever, so I’ll just stop here. But if you want to learn more about this, go to Resources to find more body-kindness inspiration.