Full Course Description

Body Image: Effective Interventions to Shift Negative Thoughts, Perceptions, Emotions, and Behaviors

So many of our clients are unhappy and preoccupied with how they look, harboring deeply held beliefs that their body is not right in some way.

They might talk in aspirational terms about the unrealistically pretty, photoshopped faces they see in ads and on social media... or they let a complaint slip about being a few pounds overweight.

They might hold themselves back in life – they won’t do public speaking due to fear everyone will notice their freckles... or they limit social interaction because they obsess about how they look in certain clothes.

Body image preoccupation can cause or be caused by anxiety and depression and, unless you stop the cycle, these clients will continue to engage in appearance-related behaviors that reinforce the unspoken problem – comparing themselves to others, excessive grooming, covering flaws with clothing or accessories, shopping for beauty products – even excessively dieting or exercising and receiving cosmetic procedures for perceived defects or flaws.

But how do we help our clients, when focusing on perceived flaws is the very last thing they want to do?

Get the guidance you need to confidently address your clients’ body image concerns and treat Body Dysmorphic Disorder from experts Dr. Fugen Neziroglu and Dr. Sony Khemlani- Patel. They’ve identified the core elements of effective treatment that will help you to:

Shift your clients’ rigidly-held appearance-related beliefs
Promote adaptive visual perception so your clients see their bodies more realistically
Put an end to obsessive behaviors that maintain negative body image

PURCHASE NOW and transform your clients’ lives so they can live free from body-hate!

Program Information

Objectives

Differentiate body image concerns from Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD).
Conduct clinical assessment of BDD using interview and self-report strategies.
Implement motivational interviewing techniques to increase client engagement in treatment.
Utilize cognitive restructuring to shift clients’ maladaptive appearance-related beliefs.
Implement exposure and response prevention to decrease clients’ engagement in appearance-management behaviors.
Conduct visual perception, attention, and task concentration retraining.

Outline

How Do I Look?: Neurobiology and Psychology of Body Image

Developmental and cultural perspective on body image
The role of the central nervous system
Impact of early environment and experiences
Trauma and body image
How to know when to target body image in psychotherapy
Mental health diagnoses with frequent cooccurring body image concerns
Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) - what therapists need to know
Case example: 24yo female with skin concerns after bullying

Assessment and Therapeutic Engagement: How to Help Clients Talk About Body Image

Best practice intake strategies
Top clinical interview assessments for BDD
Validated self-report measures for BDD
Referential thinking and body image
Overvalued Ideation (OVI) and why it matters
Motivational interviewing to engage clients when they feel shame
Case example: 21yo male with jaw issues causing suicidal ideation

Treatment Interventions for Body Image/Body Dysmorphic Disorder: Create a Comprehensive, Evidence-Based Treatment Plan

Cognitive strategies when the goal is not to challenge the perceived defect
Targeting appearance-related values
Core beliefs supporting negative body image
Mind-reading and body image perception
Exposure and response prevention for body image (e.g., clothes shopping, exercising, eye contact)
How to retrain clients’ visual perception to foster global/holistic processing
Attention and task concentration training to shift focus away from body image
Behavioral practices for improving body image
Top techniques for increasing clients’ self compassion
Case example: 46yo female with nose concerns post-accident

Clinical Issues

Best practices for relapse prevention
How to manage common obstacles and pitfalls in treatment
Treatment resistance in BDD and what to do about it
Management of clients’ desire for cosmetic surgery
Common therapist reactions to working with body image issues
Intersectionality and body image, including LGBTQ+ clients
Limitations of the research and potential risks

Target Audience

Counsellors
Social Workers
Psychologists
Psychiatrists
Art Therapists
Marriage & Family Therapists
Addiction Counsellors
Other Mental Health Professionals
Nurse Practitioners
Nurses
Physicians
Physician Assistants

Copyright : 10/11/2023

Body Compassion Strategies: ACT, CBT, Somatic Therapy and More Interventions

Clients’ relationships with their bodies can be so painful - disconnected, discontented, and even feeling betrayed by their bodies due to appearance, illness, aging, injury, or trauma.

Trapped in a cycle of self-criticism and self-worth struggles the body becomes a place that isn’t safe.

And if they can’t feel safe in their own body, how are they expected to feel safe anywhere? And how are you supposed to get anywhere in therapy?

As a licensed clinical social worker and leader of Body Compassion retreats across the country I’ve helped hundreds of clients overcome their body and self-image issues and truly come to appreciate what makes them, and their bodies, unique.

You’ll get the tools you need to uncover the underlying causes of your clients’ body issues, shift their deep-seated negative beliefs, and show them how to embrace a kinder, more compassionate relationship with their bodies and themselves.

With simple but effective thought and emotional regulation tools from ACT, CBT, mindfulness, positive psychology, and somatic approaches you’ll end this training ready to skillfully guide clients on a journey of self-discovery, self-acceptance and profound healing.

And we won’t only be talking. This training is very experiential, giving you the opportunity to follow me in guided exercises so you can feel the impact they’ll have on your clients firsthand.

Together, we can create a space where individuals can cultivate a healthy relationship with their bodies, flourish in their unique beauty and embrace their inherent value.

Purchase now!

Kanjana Hartshorne, LCSW

Program Information

Objectives

Identify the social media, cultural, and societal factors that contribute to negative body image.
Utilize assessment tools to evaluate body image issues and body dissatisfaction.
Determine how self-compassion meditations and mindfulness-based practices increase body appreciation and reduce shame.
Examine the evidence for using acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) techniques for body image problems.
Identify how yoga practice and creative arts techniques improve body satisfaction and acceptance.
Evaluate the limitations of existing research on body image interventions.

Outline

Body Image Basics and Beyond

Understand body image, self-worth, body dysmorphia and more
Inclusive work with gender diverse populations
The intersection of body image work and systemic oppression
When to refer out
Cultural, societal, and social media factors that contribute to negative body image
The role of trauma and co-occurring conditions
Examine your own biases, beliefs, and assumptions regarding body image
How compassion helps clients take steps toward acceptance

Assessment Tools and Techniques for Body Image Issues and Body Dissatisfaction

Assessment tools and scales
Self-report measures, interviews, and clinical observation
Incorporating cultural sensitivity
Recognize diverse body norms and gender diversity
Use the clinical interview to explore underlying beliefs and emotions

Self-Compassion and Mindfulness Based Practices:

Enhance your clients body awareness and body-compassion
Guided body scan meditations to tune into physical sensations
Body focused mindfulness practices for body image and self-perception
Self-compassion and guided imagery meditations to increase body appreciation and reduce shame
Use sensory cues to evoke feelings of acceptance towards the body
Ways to incorporate movement practices into daily life

CBT, ACT and Positive Psychology Techniques:

End negative body talk, regulate their emotions and foster body image flexibility
The power of language in shaping body perceptions and relationship
Uncover the origins of harmful body talk patterns
CBT strategies for reframing unhelpful thinking patterns about their bodies
ACT tools to foster body image flexibility
Positive psychology affirmations to challenge negative body talk
Use emotional regulation tools from ACT, CBT, yoga therapy, and more

Yoga, Somatic Practices, Creative Arts and Other Complementary Approaches:

Build your clients body self-care, self-expression and body acceptance toolkit
Yoga for improved body satisfaction and acceptance
Somatic movement practices for self-exploration and bodily expression
Use therapeutic art for emotional expression and self-reflection
Therapeutic writing to improve weight and body shape bias internalization
The connection between gratitude and cultivating positive body image
Body gratitude exercises to practice self-compassion towards their body

Ethical Considerations and Self-Care for Clinicians

Maintain client autonomy
Promote body diversity
Address potential harm
Manage countertransference and burnout
Healthy at Every Size (HAES)

Limitations of the Research and Potential Risks

Research limitations for discussed interventions
Inclusion/exclusion – who to use these techniques with and when
Potential risks associated with discussed interventions
Areas for further study

Target Audience

Counsellors
Social Workers
Psychologists
Psychiatrists
Marriage & Family Therapists
Addiction Counsellors
Other Mental Health Professionals
Nurse Practitioners
Nurses
Physicians
Physician Assistants

Copyright : 11/04/2024

ACT for Body Acceptance: Help Clients Confront the Barriers that Stop Them from Living the Life They Value

Clients are swimming upstream when it comes to positive body image. Hounded with unattainable white western standards about what constitutes an acceptable body, many stop pursuing the life they want. And at the same time, clients can feel shame that they struggle with body positivity and may blame themselves for being stuck. This session will teach you strategies from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to help clients accept the body they inhabit and use it to pursue meaningful activities even as they experience distressing thoughts, feelings, and memories.

Program Information

Objectives

Determine the role of avoidance of thoughts and feelings about body image in keeping clients stuck.
Describe the differences between acceptance and approval when it comes to body image.
Employ values-based action plans to guide clients in taking committed action toward their values.

Outline

Different Approach to Body Image Struggles
- Not depending on body positivity or approval
- Acceptance vs approval when it comes to body image
- Building psychological flexibility
Help clients unhook from Negative Thoughts and Feelings
- Strategies to develop courage to start doing what is important to them
- Working with the body image they have
- Values-based action plans
Limitations of the research and potential risks

Target Audience

Counsellors
Social Workers
Psychologists
Psychiatrists
Marriage & Family Therapists
Addiction Counsellors
Registered Dietitians & Dietetic Technicians
Nurses
Other mental health professionals

Every Body Counts: Culturally-Attuned Care for Marginalized Individuals Struggling with Disordered Eating and Body Image

Eating disorders do not discriminate, yet related assessment and treatment approaches are typically geared toward what has long been considered a “typical” client with an eating disorder: white, heterosexual, cisgender, college-educated, affluent, able-bodied, thin women. These narrow parameters do not include every body. This session will show you how to break down barriers in your practice. You will learn to support inclusion by recognizing the spectrum of body image concerns and related disordered eating in a culturally-attuned manner that takes systems of oppression and marginalization into account.

Program Information

Objectives

Differentiate between a syndrome-based and symptom-based approach to conceptualizing disordered eating.
Apply culturally sensitive, trauma-informed, and respectful language in discussing bodies and weight.
Appraise ways that traditional eating disorders assessment may underdetect people in marginalized communities.

Outline

DEFINING EATING DISORDERS - DSM Diagnostic Categories / Symptoms versus Syndromes / Limitations of current models
ETIOLOGIES / ASSESSMENT - Who suffers? What we know about incidence, prevalence / Cultural Considerations/Perspectives / Limitations in assessment with marginalized populations / Diet Culture, fatphobia, and weight stigma
MULTIMODAL MODELS: TREATMENT AND CULTURE SHIFTING - Rethinking/redefining “evidence” / Health At Every Size (HAES), Body Trust, body positive movements
THE TREATMENT RELATIONSHIP(S) - Culturally responsive care: language and bias / Clinician bias and countertransference
LIMITATIONS OF THE RESEARCH AND POTENTIAL RISKS

Target Audience

Counselors
Social Workers
Psychologists
Psychiatrists
Marriage & Family Therapists
Addiction Counselors
Registered Dietitians & Dietetic Technicians
Nurses
Other mental health professionals

The Body Trust Framework: Dismantle Anti-fat Bias to Create Healing and Liberation with the Body

There is an epidemic of anti-fat bias in the healthcare community. In this session, Dana Sturtevant, MD, RD and Hilary Kinavey, MS, LPC, co-founders of the Center for Body Trust, will lead you through a weight-inclusive and destigmatizing approach to size in clinical practice. Engage in self-inquiry as a clinician to challenge biases and unpack misconceptions, and walk away with clinical interventions that shift the focus from 'body as project' to a healing-centered perspective. 

Program Information

Objectives

Gain a comprehensive understanding of the factors that undermine embodiment and body trust.
Explore the essential components that constitute the "narrative arc" of a Body Trust approach for achieving healing and self-acceptance.
Apply actionable insights and strategies to enhance the practice of size inclusivity within your clinical setting.

Outline

Welcome and Introductions
Exploring the Struggle with Feeling at Home in Your Body
Understanding Embodiment and Its Disruptions
- Viewing Embodiment through a Social Justice Lens
  - Embracing Social Systems and Power Dynamics
  - Weight Bias and Discrimination
- The Cycle of Socialization
- Niva Piran's Developmental Theory of Embodiment
The Body Trust Framework
- The Narrative Arc of Body Trust Work
  - The Rupture
  - The Reckoning
  - The Reclamation
- Strengthening Our Connection to Body Trust
Our Healing Journey as Care Providers
- Recognizing Our Training Rooted in the Dominant Weight Paradigm
- Overcoming Challenges in Our Own Healing
- Sharing Our Personal Body Stories
- Practical Recommendations
Questions and Answers (Q&A)

Target Audience

Licensed Clinical/Mental Health Counsellors
Marriage & Family
Therapists
Psychologists
Physicians
Social Workers