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Karyn Noel, LMFT, LPCC
Karyn Noel is a therapist, clinical supervisor, and founder of Calliope Coast Therapy Group. In her first career, she worked in leadership and the arts at Disney—experience she now blends with a creative, down-to-earth approach to mental health care. She has served as a clinical director for PHP/IOP eating disorder programs and is deeply committed to mentoring new therapists and building inclusive and supportive teams. She’s big on community and making therapy feel more human. Outside of work, you’ll likely find her involved in local theater, producing shows that explore mental health, identity, and growth in thoughtful, engaging ways.
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Description:
What if the way we talk about body image and health—even as seasoned therapists—is unintentionally reinforcing harm? Despite our best efforts, we can still miss the subtle, everyday ways that stigmatizing language and assumptions about bodies show up, often shaped by norms that have gone unquestioned for generations.
In this eye-opening conversation, we’ll uncover how weight stigma—often overlooked or normalized—is rooted in discrimination and intersects with other forms of systemic oppression. We’ll explore the racist origins of fat phobia, the controversial (yet still widely used) BMI, and the harmful impacts of weight bias on clients’ mental health and access to care. Through real-world case studies, reflective exercises, and evidence-based research, you’ll learn how to recognize the nuanced ways weight stigma manifests in the therapy room—and walk away with practical tools to help clients unlearn internalized shame and reconnect with their bodies in a more compassionate, trusting way.
Whether you're already incorporating social justice principles or seeking a deeper understanding of how to address body image in clinical settings, this workshop will support you in critically reflecting on your current framework, honing in on opportunities to interrupt learned biases, and strengthening your ability to support clients as they navigate cultural conditioning and the harmful impacts of diet culture.
Learning Objectives:
At the conclusion of this presentation, participants will be able to:
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