Therapy for Body Image Issues

In Atlanta and throughout Georgia

Body image issues can lead to anxiety, depression, isolation, and disordered eating.

DO YOU…

  • Struggle to get dressed each day, switching outfits multiple times and feeling angry, anxious, and disgusted?

  • Feel like people are watching you and judging your body?

  • Sometimes avoid social situations because of how you feel about your body?

  • Avoid the mirror…or find yourself spending a lot of time in front of the mirror, picking apart your body?

  • Think about your body all of the time and it’s hard to stop?

  • Constantly compare your body to others?

  • Attempt to change your body through diets or exercise?

  • Wonder if you’ll always feel this way?

If this is you, know that it is possible to stop hating your body and find a new way of connecting to it.

I’m here to tell you it doesn’t have to be that way.

Body Image therapy can help.

From Hating Your Body to Feeling at Home

We’ll work together to explore you body story, looking at how the messages you learned from family, community, and culture about self-worth, weight, and even health have impacted your relationship with your body.

We’ll navigate unlearning internalized beliefs from diet culture, beauty standards, and weight stigma. Using self-compassion and body-based practices, we’ll help you to manage the difficult emotions that arise from this process, such as anxiety, anger, and grief.

By rejecting diet culture, tuning into your body’s cues, and responding more gently, you will begin to view your body as a resource, as a trusted partner, as home.

Signs Therapy May Help

Changes in Mood

Body image has a strong impact on mood. If you’re experiencing increased anxiety, sudden anger, crying spells, or panic attacks, therapy can help you to identify your triggers, learn coping skills to manage difficult emotions, and help you to feel less out of control of your emotions.

Negative Coping Mechanisms

Poor body image can lead to negative ways of coping, such as restrictive eating, bingeing, purging, or over-exercising. These behaviors are forms of eating disorders, and require professional support. Therapy can help you identify healthier coping strategies and address underlying issues contributing to maladaptive behaviors.

Self Isolation

Withdrawing from social activities, hobbies, or even work is common when experiencing body image issues due to fears of being judged. If you’re isolating yourself from others, experiencing feelings of loneliness, or avoiding activities that bring you joy, therapy can help you reconnect with your interests and find meaning and purpose in your life.

Body Dysmorphic Disorder

BDD is a mental health disorder where a person becomes excessively preoccupied with perceived flaws in their appearance, which are often unnoticeable to others. This can lead to severe anxiety, panic, or depression. If you’re experiencing BDD, therapy can help you to manage urges related to BDD, increase your coping skills, and improve your relationship to your body.

Impact on Relationships

Body image issues can strain relationships with family, friends, or colleagues due to self-consciousness, comparison, avoidance, or insecurity. If your symptoms are affecting your interpersonal relationships, causing conflict, or leading to social withdrawal or isolation, therapy can help you develop healthier communication skills, boundary-setting, and relationship dynamics.

Low Self-Esteem

Body image issues may begin to lead to negative self-perception and a lack of confidence, which can extend beyond the body into work performance, overall achievements, and more. Therapy can help you to relate more gently to your body, increase your confidence, and improve your relationship with yourself.

 FAQs: Body Image

  • Yes, you are not alone! Lots of people struggle with body image due to influences from family, community, and culture. Particularly in our society, we learn at an early age that our worth is determined by our bodies and some bodies are “better” than others. This messaging is harmful, but thankfully we can challenge what society says and heal our relationships with our bodies.

  • Therapy is a safe, non-judgmental space to begin exploring your relationship with your body. We use a variety of approaches to help you to identify your body story and the messages you’ve learned from family, community, and culture. We’ll look at how believing these messages, and engaging in efforts to change your body, was trying to help you, while also working on building a new story about your body. We’ll support you in building skills to manage the difficult emotions that come with body image distress and lessen the day-to-day impacts.

  • I encourage you to think about your relationship with you body as a relationship. In any relationship, even healthy ones, there are times you’re frustrated, exasperated, or annoyed; you might even wish you had a different relationship!

    With body image, it’s similar. Therapy will be able to help you reach a neutral relationship with your body, which means there will be days you can appreciate, accept, trust, and maybe even love your body…but there will also be days where you wish you had a different one. The main difference is therapy will give you the tools to manage those harder days so you aren’t as preoccupied, distressed, or self-conscious.

  • Yes! When starting therapy, you’re often shining a light on things you may never have before. Therapy focuses on supporting you in exploring difficult emotions and learned beliefs about yourself, others, and the world. When we begin unpacking these emotions and beliefs, you may experience feeling worse. However, over time you will start to experience breakthroughs and long-term healing.

How it Works

  • Reach out today. We’ll schedule your free phone consultation where we can answer any questions you have, and you can be sure we’re a good fit.

  • Join me each week to find new ways of responding to yourself and your stress. Together, we’ll develop the tools you need to reconnect with yourself and feel more confident engaging in the life you want to live.

  • You'll better understand yourself, your body, and your relationships. You'll have the tools to handle anything life throws at you, and begin to live a life that feels fulfilling to you!

Stay in the Loop

Struggling with your relationship with food, body, and exercise?

Stay connected for more tips and resources: