fat liberation supervision
More information and FAQs about the Fat Liberation Supervision Group
Information
This is a small, closed group supervision offering rooted in fat liberation and anti-oppression, exclusively for fat therapists. We’ll meet on Fridays at 9-10am pacific time / 10-11am mountain time / 11am-12pm central time / 12-1pm eastern time for 8 weeks. An 8-week session costs $400 and is payable in 8 payments of $50. The next session will start October 3, 2025! Dates are:
10/3
10/10
10/17
(not 10/24)
10/31
11/7
11/14
(not 11/21 or 11/28)
12/5
12/12
If you already know you’re interested, please feel free to go ahead and register!
frequently asked questions
Why is this group just for fat therapists?
Right now anti-fat bias is particularly loud - understandably as it’s connected to white supremacy and other oppressive systems. And it’s a tough time for fat therapists practicing from a health at every size or weight inclusive framework. This group will be a consistent and reliably weight inclusive and fat positive space to spend an hour. And being in fat community can be joyful, nourishing, a relief, protective, and centering — allowing us also to access curiosity, questions, and learning in service of our clients.
What exactly do you mean by fat liberation?
Fat liberation recognizes that anti-fat bias and weight stigma affect fat people’s rights and access to health care, education, jobs, public spaces, and other institutions and systems. Fat liberation also centers people in the largest bodies and Black, Indigenous and people of color, LGBTQIA+ folks, and disabled people, knowing that they experience more limitations to access, stigma and discrimination than folks in smaller fat bodies or who hold other privileged identities.
So how is fat liberation integrated in the work for therapists? It’s an intentional practice that is worth exploring and expanding together in the group! Some of my thoughts: Fat liberation is more than Health at Every Size® and might include using the HAES® principles and frameworks of care for providers. It might be addressing internalized beliefs that a client holds impacting their body image or sense of self, while also recognizing the external and explicit anti-fat messages that are heard every day. Fat liberation is also being aware of our own social location and how our own nervous system or parts are responding within and outside of client interactions, and approaching our clients’ identities with curiosity, humility, and respect. Fat liberation can also look like pursuing training with teachers, activists, and healers with lived experience, supporting organizations fighting for increased access for fat folks with our time or money. I love engaging in this conversation with other therapists and finding ways to work toward fat liberation. What does fat liberation mean to you? How do you act in alignment with fat liberation?
What’s the structure of the group?
We start with a check in - how are you coming into the space? I gather any questions, themes, or issues that participants are bringing that day to the group. Then we have a discussion. I facilitate it with the goal of inviting participation from everyone, centering consent. My style asks us to be curious about what’s coming up as we might be listening or sharing, to notice parts or stories or activation that shows up, to be intentional about what we’re hoping to get from the group, and for the group to offer resources, feedback, or advice only with consent of the person sharing. Folks are always welcome to move around, eat, and attend to their own needs. In past groups that I’ve run, there’s also cursing, laughing, dogs, cats, and kids making appearances. 🧡
Do I need to be perfectly at peace with my body to be part of the group?
First of all, no one is perfectly at peace with their body all of the time. And folks are often at different places in terms of their personal relationship with their body and with fat liberation, as well as being in different places in terms of how they are integrating fat liberation in their practice. And these can change over time in a very non-linear way! I ask that you have a commitment to openness and engagement and desire to work within fat liberation and a shared understanding that anti-fat bias harms people.
If you are wanting more learning and support, there are some excellent trainings and resources available from the Center for Body Trust, the Association of Size Diversity and Health (ASDAH), and the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA). And, I’m available for individual supervision and consultation in this area.
Do I need to be working with fat clients or eating disorders or another specific population?
Nope! No matter who you are working with or in what setting you’re working you are welcome! This group will be a space to reflect on clinical work, business questions, ethics, or any of the many other aspects of being a therapist, while centering fat liberation and the lived experience of practicing in fat bodies.
Can I join after the start or just attend a few meetings to finish my supervision hours?
This is a closed group, so folks are accepted up until we start on October 3. I plan to run another group after this one starting in the new year, so you’re welcome to reach out if you’re interested but we’ve already started.
And because a big part of my goal in offering this group is to grow a sense of community within the group, I ask participants to commit to attending the full session of 8 meetings. Of course, I understand that things come up and sometimes you have to miss a meeting! I just ask that you let me know so I’m not worrying about or waiting for you.
Can you sign off on supervision hours for me?
I am an approved supervisor in Washington state for LSWAICs (gotta love that acronym for associate social workers!), LMFTAs, and LMHCAs. As associates are accumulating hours toward licensure requirements, social work associates and marriage and family therapist associates are able to use group supervision to meet some of your supervision hour requirements. This group offers up to 8 group supervision hours assuming you attend all the meetings and I am happy to sign off on those hours for you when you are ready to submit to DOH. LMHCAs unfortunately are unable to use group supervision for the total supervision hours requirement (must be 1:1 or 2:1 supervision for you). So LMHCAs could count these 8 hours as “other” hours, but in my experience if you’re meeting the direct client and supervision hours under another supervisor, you’ve more than likely also accumulated enough “other hours”.
When I sign off on the group supervision hours for LSWAICs and LMFTAs, I am only filling in those group supervision hours. I don’t sign off on direct client hours unless we are also working together for individual supervision or have made special arrangements. If you have questions about this or want to explore whether I could supervise your direct client hours, please schedule a consult call so we can talk about your needs — I have many opinions about licensure and the obstacles and gatekeeping involved in our professions and try to be creative and flexible in how I offer supervision!