Body Image Counselling
in the West Kootenays
Offering Virtual and In-Person Therapy
Take a step towards seeing yourself as beautiful.
Feeling negative about your body or self-image?
Experiencing intrusive thoughts about how you look or how others see you?
Withdrawing from social experiences because of negative body image?
Noticing hyperfixation or excessive focus on how you look?
What is Body Image?
Body image is how you see yourself when you look in the mirror, at photos, or how you picture yourself in your mind. Having a body image is normal, but too often in today’s society, a fixation on “beauty standards” has caused many people to experience a negative body image, with subsequent and related mental health distress. These internalized messages cause suffering, withdrawal from others, low self-esteem, depressed mood, and potentially disordered eating or excessive exercise. The thoughts and feelings you have towards your body may be impacting your engagement in life and require counselling therapy.
Symptoms of negative Body Image:
Low self-esteem
Obsessive or chronic thinking about your body and appearance
Putting significant emphasis on your weight, size, or shape
Frequent comparisons to others, real or imagined
Changes to your eating or exercise behaviours
Withdrawal from social experiences
Relational changes
Concurrent mental health concerns such as depression or anxiety
Engaging in risky or harmful behaviours
How we can help with Body Image!
All of our therapists work collaboratively with you to design a therapeutic plan that meets your needs and alleviates your distress. We believe in wellness through connection and we strive to create a positive, reparative, and affirming therapeutic relationship with each of our clients. At Peach Door Counselling, we use a holistic, anti-oppressive, and trauma-informed perspective.
Negative Body image is treated using a blend of modalities including Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Narrative Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Mindfulness-Based Therapy, Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) and Somatic Experiencing. Body Image therapy aims to validate your feelings, recognize the cognitive distortions or patterns of thinking that perpetuate intrusive thoughts about your body and self-image, establish a more authentic and nurturing perspective on your body image and create new patterns that allow you to re-engage fully with your life.
We help you understand that how you look is the least important thing about you; you are beautiful!