Body Image Workshops and Counselling
Body image problems affect lots of different people.
Negative body image is not something "silly" to "get over", it's not just for teenage girls, and it's certainly not just being vain or shallow. I struggled with body image issues for much of my life, far less so now but it's still always something I'm working on. Part of my own journey is being able to share my professional and lived experience with people, by offering individual counselling sessions and workshops online, to help others be able to understand body image on a deeper level and help to challenge your own perceptions of your body.
My approach is empathic and compassionate, but not FLUFFY. By this I mean I don't do any "love your body" stuff as I recognise that can seem like too much of a big jump - hating your body to loving it! I find that "body positivity" can be too fluffy, as much as it can be helpful for a lot of people, as it just seemed unrealistic for me to wear a bikini when I couldn't even wear a swimming costume without a big baggy t-shirt over the top for many years. "Body positivity" is unfortunately now being capitalised on by companies who have noticed it's popularity, plus slim attractive influencers and others online cashing in on the movement.
My body image approach involves taking a "big picture" view, understanding the societal and cultural issues surrounding how we see our bodies, including class, gender, disability, race, and more. Accepting our bodies can feel like a radical act in our society where capitalism needs us to be ashamed of our bodies in order to make money. Body image is always existing in these different systems, so as individuals, as much as we can do things to help change the way we think about our bodies, we also need to be aware of all the wider influences to really understand why we might struggle with body image. Our pasts, any trauma, our life narratives and the media all influence this too.
There can be such a lot to unpack when thinking about body image, which is why I offer workshops as well as one-to-one sessions. These can help you understand body image in more depth and help you move towards accepting your body more.
Negative body image is not something "silly" to "get over", it's not just for teenage girls, and it's certainly not just being vain or shallow. I struggled with body image issues for much of my life, far less so now but it's still always something I'm working on. Part of my own journey is being able to share my professional and lived experience with people, by offering individual counselling sessions and workshops online, to help others be able to understand body image on a deeper level and help to challenge your own perceptions of your body.
My approach is empathic and compassionate, but not FLUFFY. By this I mean I don't do any "love your body" stuff as I recognise that can seem like too much of a big jump - hating your body to loving it! I find that "body positivity" can be too fluffy, as much as it can be helpful for a lot of people, as it just seemed unrealistic for me to wear a bikini when I couldn't even wear a swimming costume without a big baggy t-shirt over the top for many years. "Body positivity" is unfortunately now being capitalised on by companies who have noticed it's popularity, plus slim attractive influencers and others online cashing in on the movement.
My body image approach involves taking a "big picture" view, understanding the societal and cultural issues surrounding how we see our bodies, including class, gender, disability, race, and more. Accepting our bodies can feel like a radical act in our society where capitalism needs us to be ashamed of our bodies in order to make money. Body image is always existing in these different systems, so as individuals, as much as we can do things to help change the way we think about our bodies, we also need to be aware of all the wider influences to really understand why we might struggle with body image. Our pasts, any trauma, our life narratives and the media all influence this too.
There can be such a lot to unpack when thinking about body image, which is why I offer workshops as well as one-to-one sessions. These can help you understand body image in more depth and help you move towards accepting your body more.
Online counselling sessions
I offer online counselling for anyone struggling with body image.
Counselling may help you:
Sessions are one hour and are usually in a weekly slot, the same time each week. The cost is £60 per session.
Payment will be requested before the appointment in order to confirm it.
Contact me for more info and availability.
I offer online counselling for anyone struggling with body image.
Counselling may help you:
- Explore where your body image problems might stem from
- Move towards body acceptance
- Manage difficult feelings your body
- Be kinder to yourself, and build confidence and self-esteem
- Put in boundaries with others
Sessions are one hour and are usually in a weekly slot, the same time each week. The cost is £60 per session.
Payment will be requested before the appointment in order to confirm it.
Contact me for more info and availability.
