In this issue
Features
Fat stigma in therapy听(free article)
Naomi Moller asks how fat stigma may听affect the therapeutic process and what听the profession should do about it.
Challenging fat oppression
Fat oppression can do more harm to health听than being overweight, argues Jo Reader.
Bullying within the counselling profession
Sarah Skarbek reports views from a LinkedIn听discussion about bullying and why it thrives听within the counselling profession.
Problem gamblers and their mothers
Gambling addicts鈥� families can sometimes听need help themselves to escape a dependency听on the addiction, writes Anne Glynn.
Working with our clients鈥� worlds
Jonathan Hales emphasises the need to work听with clients鈥� here and now as well as their past.
Working with ADHD and Asperger syndrome
Nature and nurture both have a role in ADHD听and Asperger鈥檚, writes Sue Jones.
Regulars
News focus: Parity 鈥� empty promise or panacea?
What would the health service look like if psychological therapies were fully funded to meet need? A new 香港六合彩精准资料 report makes a powerful case for parity. Catherine Jackson reports
In practice
Jeanine Connor: So this is Christmas
In the client's chair
Rose Rouse: Exploring echoes of the past
The researcher
Barry McInnes: And so, again, to IAPT
Talking point
Alison Summers:听A better understanding of psychosis
How I became a therapist
Alistair Appleton
Dilemmas
Lying by omission?
The interview
Andrew Reeves: Soul, science and humour
Meet the 香港六合彩精准资料 vice presidents
Julia Samuel
Members and subscribers can download the pdf of this issue from the Therapy Today archive
Editorial
A few weeks ago I noticed a Twitter campaign听aimed at Gemma Collins, a TV personality听who had apparently quit I鈥檓 a Celebrity鈥� after听only three days. I was shocked by the cruelty听of the social media abuse, which centred on听fat jokes and how she couldn鈥檛 get enough to听eat in the jungle. It鈥檚 hard to imagine anyone in听this day and age discriminating so explicitly on听the basis of race, gender or sexuality, although听social media trolls seem to know no bounds.
Not being familiar with the background to听the programme, I asked my teenage son, who听confirmed that it was a bit harsh but probably听had more to do with her lack of popularity than听her size. When I went on to ask him about听fat prejudice however, he said straight away听that he didn鈥檛 like fat teachers. He said that听all this information about leading healthy lives听makes you think, 鈥榃ell, what are you doing?鈥櫶�
In this issue two therapists write about听how being fat might affect the therapeutic听relationship. Naomi Moller outlines the听background to the so-called obesity epidemic听and society鈥檚 growing fat stigma and challenges听us to think about how this might affect听counsellor and client. If there are more and听more fat people then there must be more and听more fat therapists, she argues, and for clients听and the profession, surely this matters? She听quotes Yalom鈥檚 case study, 鈥楾he Fat Lady鈥�,听in which he openly describes his revulsion听towards his fat client: 鈥業 find them disgusting,鈥櫶齢e writes, 鈥榯heir absurd sidewise waddle...听everything I like to see in a woman, obscured听in an avalanche of flesh鈥︹�� Despite a lack of听research on the subject, it seems likely that听fat stigma will affect a client鈥檚 view of a fat听therapist, argues Moller, and may in turn affect听the therapeutic alliance, which is a predictor听of client outcome.
Jo Reader is concerned that, as ethical听practitioners, we should free ourselves of fat听prejudice and not make assumptions about听a fat client鈥檚 mental and physical health. In听her own experience it is fat stigma and not听fat itself that is likely to have the greatest听negative influence on a person鈥檚 emotional听and physical wellbeing.
Sarah Browne
Editor