Fat-shamed by mental health therapist

I'm glad I found this sub. I'm feeling incredibly discouraged. The world just doesn't feel like a safe place no matter where you go.

How do you all handle the feelings around shame when society/people in the mental healthy field fat-shame you?

Obviously, I'm not working with this therapist anymore. But my immediate reaction is to hide away and revert back to what I used to do (diet).

Thanks for reading. I think I'm just looking for encouragement and empathy from people who understand.

/u/CatBird2023:

Sorry this happened to you.

I was working with a therapist a few years ago and I thought she was a great fit. I started discussing body image, intuitive eating, the anti-diet approach, etc. and I thought she was actually onside. Then at a subsequent appointment, she recommended a book she'd recently read and it turned out to be a diet book. [sad trombone] I was so disappointed that I went home and cried.

I purposely sought out a new therapist who was trained in the Body Trust approach, and surprise, it's been a much safer place for me.

Something that's helped me be a bit more... forgiving?... is to remind myself that we are all immersed in diet culture and anti-fat prejudice, like a fish in water. People don't always understand that what they're doing/saying is harmful, because it's seen as normal. Now, it's no excuse to be cruel or to discriminate, and we all have an obligation to educate ourselves and do better. But everyone's on their own journey, I guess.