Friday Forum Encore Webinar:
Acceptance Based Approaches for Weight Stigma and Client Weight Concerns

Friday, May 8, 2020

This program will be held virtually via Zoom because of safety concerns due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Attn participants:

An email from MPA containing the webinar link and info for the program was sent to all registrants at 10:30 AM on 5/7. Please check spam/junk folders for the email.

Program: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Friday Forums are cosponsored with the Metropolitan State University Psychology Department.

About the Program

Clients often present with weight concerns and related distress (e.g., depression, eating disorders, body image concerns, stigma, experiences of weight-based abuse) which are not effectively treated with behavioral weight loss. Larger-bodied clients with these concerns are also often exposed to anti-fat stigma, causing further mental, physical, and social challenges. Self-acceptance-based treatments are emerging to enhance clients’ mental and physical health and address weight stigma without focusing on weight loss. Participants will learn about the need for and evidence supporting acceptance-based approaches to weight concerns, including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Health At Every Size (HAES®), as well as anintegrative psychotherapy, Accept Yourself! which combines ACT and HAES to enhance the mental and physical health of psychologically distressed larger-bodied women.

This session is at the intermediate level and is designed for psychologists and other mental health professionals.

This session qualifies for 3.0 continuing education credits. You must attend the full 3-hour program to get continuing education credit for the event.

Participants will be able to:

1. Critically analyze stereotypes about current research on behavioral weight loss interventions, healthful eating approaches and the health effects of body weight.
2. Summarize current research on anti-fat stigma and discrimination and provide a rationale for a non-weight-loss approach to health and well-being for weight-concerned clients.
3. Describe non-weight-loss self-acceptance approaches to mental and physical wellness for clients with weight concerns.

About the Presenter:

Margit I. Berman Ph.D., LP, received a Ph.D. in counseling and social psychology from the University of Minnesota. She is currently assistant professor of psychiatry at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth and Program Director and associate professor in the Clinical Psychology Psy.D. program at Augsburg University. She was a recipient of the 2015 Hitchcock Foundation Scholars Career Development award for her research and development of the Accept Yourself! intervention for women with obesity and depression. She is a feminist, cognitive-behavioral therapist who trains clinicians in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and self-acceptance based-interventions throughout the U.S. Her client self-help workbook and clinician manual for Accept Yourself! are available from Routledge Press.

The speaker has indicated the following conflicts of interest: Publication of two books for clinicians and clients about the Accept Yourself! approach with Routledge Press, for which I received $2000 as author.

The Minnesota Psychological Association is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Minnesota Psychological Association maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

ACCESSIBILITY ACCOMMODATIONS:  If you need disability related accommodations, including parking, to make this event accessible, please contact the Metropolitan State University Center for Accessibility Resources, 651-793-1549, or [email protected]. 

To Register:

Registration is now closed.

Click here to view and download a PDF registration flyer.

Refund/Cancellation Policy: A 100% refund will be made if the event is cancelled. Refunds, less a $5 handling fee, will be given if a written cancellation is received at least two working days before the scheduled program begins. Transfer of fee to another program is granted if written cancellation notice is received at least one day before the program. No refund or transfer is given the day of the program.