Supporting Clients Through Holiday Body Image & Eating Disorder Challenges
Small Group Superivsion for Providers is back!
Yes its only September and also...
WINTER IS COMING
The holidays are coming.
And while this time of year can bring connection, celebration, and traditions, it can also bring a LOT of "noise" around:
Food
Weight
Bodies
Appearance
Dieting
“Healthy” New Year’s resolutions
For clients navigating disordered eating, eating disorders, or body image distress, this can make the holiday season especially challenging.
And as clinicians?
Sometimes we know our clients are struggling, but we're not quite sure what to say or how to help.
What might you hear from clients?
You may hear things like:
“I need to lose weight before the holidays.”
“I don't want to go because everyone is going to be talking about food and their bodies.”
“I can't believe how much I ate.”
“I need to be ‘good’ this week because I have a dinner on Saturday.”
“I don't want anyone taking pictures of me.”
“I looked so much thinner in last year's photos.”
“Everyone is on a GLP-1 now and I feel like I'm the only one who isn't.”
“I just want to get through the holidays without completely losing it.”
These concerns can show up before, during, and after holiday gatherings.
And then comes January.
“New Year, New Me.”
The diet industry is ready and waiting.
So… what do we actually do?
Here's the thing:
Our job isn't to prevent our clients from feeling anxious.
We can't control:
What their family says at dinner
What their friends are doing with their bodies
Whether someone makes a comment about their weight
What shows up on their social media feed
The diet talk happening around the holiday table
The New Year's weight-loss messaging coming in January
We can, however, help our clients build the skills to navigate those experiences.
That might look like:
Preparing for predictable challenges
What situations are likely to be difficult?
What conversations might come up?
What does your client want to do if someone comments on their body?
Developing boundaries
Can they leave a conversation?
Can they ask someone not to comment on their body?
Can they decide which conversations they want to participate in?
Building distress-tolerance skills
The goal isn't necessarily:
“I want to go to Christmas dinner and feel completely comfortable.”
Sometimes the goal is:
“I can feel uncomfortable and still take care of myself.”
Challenging the urge to compensate
A holiday meal doesn't require a punishment.
A celebration doesn't need to be “made up for.”
And eating more than usual doesn't mean your client has failed.
And sometimes the most important intervention is validation.
We can help clients understand:
“Of course this is hard.”
There is nothing wrong with them for finding it difficult.
They are living in a culture that sends them constant messages about how their body should look, what they should eat, and what they should weigh.
We don't have to make the distress disappear.
We can help them move through it without returning to eating-disorder behaviours.
But what about us as clinicians?
This is where I often hear:
“I know this is important, but I don't always know what to say.”
And honestly?
That makes sense.
Most of us weren't taught extensive training in navigating:
Eating disorders
Disordered eating
Body image
Weight stigma
Anti-fat bias
Trauma-informed care within this context
And then we're expected to figure out what to say when a client brings a complicated holiday situation into our office.
You don't need to have the perfect response.
You don't need to anticipate every possible trigger.
And you don't need to eliminate your client's distress.
But having a framework, practical language, and somewhere to talk through complicated cases can make a huge difference.
This is why I offer Small Group Supervision.
My Winter Small Group Supervision is for clinicians supporting clients with:
Disordered eating • Eating disorders • Body image concerns
We'll meet in a small group of no more than 8 clinicians, giving us plenty of room for:
Case consultation
Clinical questions
Troubleshooting difficult situations
Practical language
Support navigating body image and eating-disorder concerns
The Winter Small Group Supervision Group Series
3 x 75-minute sessions
📅 November 19 — 12:30pm PT / 2:30pm ET
📅 December 17 — 11:00am PT / 1:00pm ET
📅 January 21 — 10:30am PT / 12:30pm ET
Investment: $141 CAD for all 3 sessions
Individual group sessions may also be available for $67/session, pending availability.
Want to join?
Or simply reach out to me if you have questions about whether the group is a good fit for you.
And if you know another clinician who might find this helpful, please feel free to send this post their way.
The holidays are hard enough for our clients 💜
Clinicians shouldn't have to navigate the hard stuff alone, either 🤍
Warmly,
Monica
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