Body Image Counseling Services
No two bodies are alike! We appreciate the unique differences of each individual and are here to help you embrace yourself as you are.
You’ve been conditioned to think that a “larger-size” body or a body that is “different” is less worthy or unbeautiful. You’ve been trained to think you’re not trying hard enough to change your body. That if your body is not the ideal manufactured by our culture it’s your fault.
Well-meaning family members, friends, and even physicians may tell you that you need to change your body. The more you hear, the more ingrained the body shame becomes. Negative thoughts just keep chipping and chipping away.
We’ll use the strength-based approach to work toward a compassionate, healthy Body Image:
- Learning coping skills to vanquish difficult, negative thoughts and feelings while creating a renewed sense of self.
- Allowing space to explore what you are feeling while working toward a place of acceptance.
- Focusing on internal strengths and resources to make changing behaviors and improving your life easier.
- Developing a more balanced perspective of yourself to contribute to resiliency.
- Learning to develop realistic habits that will help you take care of yourself physically, socially, and emotionally.
- Exploring challenging or painful experiences so you can move forward with a sense of hopefulness.
What to expect from counseling for Body Image
We create a unique counseling process that is tailored to each person’s strengths and experiences.
Counseling is meant to be a time of self-exploration and growth. Your clinician will tailor treatment to your specific needs based on your goals and what you would like to achieve. Counseling has the potential to be short-term or long-term based on your individual needs.
Sustained progress can be made in as few as 8 weekly sessions, but most people find that they need treatment for a minimum of several months. We encourage you to attend weekly sessions, as this allows you to establish a close working relationship with your clinician and to make progress more quickly. Our hope is for you to reach your goals sooner rather than later so that you can live the life you desire.
Both before and during your first session, you will be asked to provide information about yourself and your reasons for seeking counseling. During the first session, your clinician will briefly review Restorative Counseling’s policies so that you are aware of your rights as a client and can ask any questions you may have. The primary focus of the intake process is to discuss your personal, social, family, and educational history to help give your clinician an overall picture of who you are. Goals for treatment will be discussed and your clinician will provide insight into how they conduct counseling sessions.
In addition to learning about you, the Intake process is a time for you to learn about your clinician. It is important that you feel they are the right fit for your style and needs. We encourage you to ask questions so you can be clear on what to expect from your clinician.
The intake session(s) typically lasts 55-60 minutes.
Working with you, your clinician will help you explore the sources of your difficulties and develop helpful strategies to address your concerns. Your clinician will provide a space for you to identify your strengths and difficulties. You will be empowered to decide what works best for you and what changes you are ready to make.
Ongoing sessions are 45-53 minutes, depending on your insurance plan.
As you move through the counseling process, you and your clinician will discuss your progress. Once it has been decided that you have achieved your goals, you and your clinician will discuss terminating services. These final few sessions will focus on reviewing the progress you have made and how you can continue to maintain these changes moving forward.
Meet our clinicians who offer Body Image counseling services
Stephanie Grunewald, PhD
I am dedicated to exploring the layers of shame, guilt, and fear that have prevented you from living the life you desire.
Katie Jackson-Griffin, LCPC
I am passionate about guiding you to love yourself and build up your resilience to take on all of life’s challenges.
Your confident self waits for you within; let’s begin the healing and liberation today!
Together, we’ll explore the roots of your body image – how you developed the view of your body as a problem. We will process through any negative memories you have of discrimination or bullying because of your appearance. More importantly, you’ll learn how to rebuild your self-image with compassion and love.