Fundamentals of Body Image Healing
A 6-week group coaching program to help you cultivate kinder body talk and begin to break-free from body shame.
Here’s the thing: Having a body is HARD.
Most of us have been sold the idea that the solution to poor body image is simply about changing your body, but there are some problems with that:
➡️ “Just changing your body” actually isn’t so simple,
➡️ Even if it were, the improvements in body image that come with physical body changes usually don’t last, and
➡️ Maintaining those changes, if even possible, can come at a cost that negatively impacts wellbeing and quality of life.
So, what are you supposed to do when being in your body feels so hard AND changing it isn’t a particularly viable option, either?
That’s what we plan to help you explore in this group coaching series.
Now, let us pause here to say, this is not a “learn to love your body in 6-weeks” program because we’re not about making promises we can’t keep. We’d also offer that any program claiming that it can move you from body loathing to body love in 6-weeks probably won’t actually be able to deliver on that hope either.
BUT, what you can expect from this program is:
🫶 To gain a better understanding of what body image is and where it comes from;
🫶 Awareness of the cultural forces that fuel body discontent, sell you false promises and ineffective solutions, and then make you feel like the failure when those flawed-from-the-start fixes don’t work;
🫶 An appreciation for all the work you have invested in trying to feel better in and about your body;
🫶 Space to grieve the loss of the weight loss or body transformation fantasies you’ve maintained and the associated narratives about how much different or better life would be if you could only just achieve them;
🫶 Tools for how to be kinder and more compassionate with yourself, to engage more with your inner caregiver and less with your inner critic, and to begin re-writing some of those unhelpful narratives you’ve created about your current body;
🫶 Skills for coping with those extra challenging body image disruptions;
🫶 An understanding of what body acceptance is (which might not be what you think) and how to practice it even if you don’t like what you see in the mirror;
🫶 Actionable steps for living in alignment with your values, helping you move toward living your fullest life despite having a body that might feel hard;
🫶 AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST support from a community of other folks who get it.
While this isn’t a pathway to never have a negative thought about your body again, it will help you learn how to turn down the volume on those thoughts and dial back the intensity of the distress you might feel about your body.
You will gain valuable tools and insight that, over time, will help you continue to find greater peace and ease in your body.
If you are interested in a very real and very honest approach to shifting body image thoughts and beliefs, with space to share, support, laugh, cry, learn, and grow in community then we hope you will join us.
Next cohort spring 2025!
How it works:
Each week a new, topic specific module will open up. The module will include an educational component (e.g., videos and/or reading), recommended resources for additional learning, and reflection activities and questions.
Once per week, we will come together for a 60-minute Zoom group to discuss the topic introduced in the module. This will be a space for sharing thoughts, feelings, questions, seeking and offering support, and building community and connection. This conversation will be facilitated by both Dana (Registered Dietitian) and Haica (Clinical Psychologist). More about us below!
This group may not be for you if…
❌ You are actively pursuing, or seeking to pursue, intentional weight loss. While we believe in body autonomy and everyone’s right to decide what’s best for them and their bodies, the content of this series is not compatible with the pursuit of intentional weight loss. Many folks come to this group after the (often years or decades-long) pursuit of intentional weight loss has failed them and been a source of significant harm. Thus, this is not a space that would be helpful for those pursuing intentional weight loss. Likewise, conversations of intentional weight loss would not be supportive for the audience this group was created for. This doesn’t mean you can’t hold the desire for weight change. However, this group will not position changing your body as the solution to body dissatisfaction, either.
❌ You have an active eating disorder or are in the early stages of eating disorder recovery. That’s not to say that body image healing isn’t relevant for those in recovery at any stage, but this group will not provide enough support or the individualized support that is needed for someone in the early stages of pursuing recovery. If you are currently engaging in significant disordered eating behaviors (like significant dietary restriction, purging, frequent binge eating, excessive or compulsive exercise) this group is not an appropriate starting place for your healing.
This group is for you if…
✅ You’ve rejected diet culture but continue to struggle with accepting your here and now body.
✅ You are looking to actively engage in conversations with others around topics pertaining to anti-diet living, diet culture, and healing body image.
✅ You are far enough into eating disorder recovery where behavior use is minimal and, in coordination with your care team, have determined that this group is a good fit. Contact us if you have questions!
✅ You are willing and able to consistently attend and participate in the group discussions (i.e. not missing more than one scheduled meeting, keeping your camera on for the duration of the session, and contributing regularly to the conversations). This group is designed to create community and connection. As such, enrollment is limited and numerous absences can compromise the integrity of the community. Sessions are not recorded.
Meet Your Group Facilitators!
Dana Notte
MS, RD, CD, CEDS-C
Dana is a registered dietitian, Certified Eating Disorder Specialist & Consultant, and a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor who has been working to help people heal their relationship to food and body for over a decade. She comes to this work with her own challenging history with food and body. Only after she had begun her career as a dietitian did she discover concepts like Health at Every Size®, weight inclusivity, and Intuitive Eating, and learn about the existence and harms of diet culture. This exposure was life changing for her both personally and professionally and paved the way to the work she does today. She’s been lucky to work with and learn from some amazing professionals and clinicians in this space, always being mindful of her own privileges and actively seeking to learn from folks with identities different from her own. She approaches her work with openness, compassion, sensitivity to the lived experiences of others, and an intention to create and hold space for the many emotions that inevitably come up as part of doing this work.
Haica Rosenfeld
PsyD, CEDS-C
Haica is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Certified Eating Disorders Specialist and Approved Consultant by the International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals. She first became a psychologist in her country of origin, Venezuela, and later earned her Master’s and Doctorate degrees in Clinical Psychology in the United States. For the past 16 years, she has been dedicated to helping clients heal their relationship with food and exercise, make peace with their bodies, and disrupt the internalized messages they’ve received from diet culture and our society. Her mission has been to help people overcome eating disorders, disordered eating, and body image struggles. She empowers clients to live a life free of diet mentality and prioritize health-promoting behaviors without focusing on weight-loss. Haica promotes and helps clients explore Health At Every Size® and Intuitive Eating principles, mindfulness, self-compassion, joyful movement, and weight-inclusive approaches to wellness.
Add your name to the waitlist to be notified as soon as registration for the next cohort opens up!
The Details
Cost:
Register before October 14: $397 with code 100OFF (be sure to click ‘apply’ after entering code at checkout)
Register after October 14: $497
Payment plan option: To split into 2 payments enter discount code PAYMENTPLAN at check-out. This will allow you to register at no cost and for a payment plan will be set up instead. The first installment will be due immediately. The second installment will be due 1 month later.
Dates:
Program portal and first learning module opens up November 4, 2024
Zoom groups are every Monday, November 11-December 16, 2024 from 6:15-7:15 pm ET
Email dana@thrivinspirednutrition.com with questions or to discuss alternative payment plan arrangements.
