Anti-Fat Bias and Mental Health
Ethical Considerations for Therapists Working with Clients Who Want to Lose Weight
- Speaker:
- Judith Matz, LCSW, ACSW
- Duration:
- 1 Hour 10 Minutes
- Format:
- Audio and Video
- Copyright:
-
Sep 18, 2026
- Product Code:
- POS151021
- Media Type:
- Digital Seminar
Description
“I’m too fat and need to lose weight to be healthy. I’m thinking I'll start a GLP1.”
Though you’re not the prescriber, your client wants to talk with you about weight loss medications.
And they expect you to have their best interests in mind.
In this session, Judith Matz – nationally recognized expert on emotional eating and co-author of Beyond a Shadow of a Diet and The Emotional Eating, Chronic Dieting, Binge Eating & Body Image Workbook – will show you the surprising truth that supporting weight loss might clash with your ethical code. You’ll learn:
- Tools for ethically supporting clients as they face body shame within diet culture
- Strategies for talking with clients in an ethical way about weight management interventions
- How to help clients – and yourself – detach from implicit weight stigma and anti-fat bias
Credit
Speaker
Judith Matz, LCSW, ACSW Related seminars and products
Judith Matz, LCSW, ACSW, is a therapist, nationally recognized speaker, and consultant on the topics of diet culture, binge eating, emotional eating, body image, and weight stigma. She is co-author of the Emotional Eating, Chronic Dieting, Binge Eating and Body Image Workbook, Beyond a Shadow of a Diet: The Comprehensive Guide to Treating Binge Eating Disorder, Emotional Eating, and Chronic Dieting (3rd edition), The Diet Survivor’s Handbook, The Making Peace with Food Card Deck, and The Body Positivity Card Deck. Judith is dedicated to helping people get off the diet/binge rollercoaster and end the preoccupation with food and weight and to creating a world that treats all bodies with respect. She offers continuing education and training for professionals, as well as customized presentations for a variety of companies and organizations. Judith has a private practice via telehealth where she meets with clients seeking to heal their relationship with food and their bodies. She is a frequent contributor to the Psychotherapy Networker and has been featured in the media including NPR, The New York Times, LA Times, and Good Housekeeping.
Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Judith Matz is the director of The Chicago Center for Overcoming Overeating, Inc. and maintains a private practice. She receives royalties as a published author. Judith Matz receives a speaking honorarium, recording, and book royalties from Psychotherapy Networker and PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Judith Matz is a member of the National Association of Social Workers and the Association for Size Diversity and Health.
Additional Info
Access for Self-Study (Non-Interactive)Access never expires for this product.
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Additional CE Info
For a more detailed outline that includes times or durations of time, if needed, please contact cepesi@pesi.com.
Objectives
- Name at least two assumptions about weight in the mental health field.
- Integrate at least two requirements of professional codes of ethics to potential conversations with clients about weight loss.
- Identify at least two strategies to unlearn weight stigma.
Outline
Weight Stigma and Outcomes
- Anti-fat bias in the therapy field
- Overview of weight management risks
- How to support health without a weight loss focus
- Limitations of the research and potential risks
Weight Stigma as an Ethical Issue
- Overview of ethical codes
- Self-determination – understanding body autonomy
- Informed consent – more than a signature
- Competence – how to unlearn bias and develop weight-inclusive practices
- Cultural competence – recognize size diversity, use sensitive language, and create a size-friendly office
Target Audience
- Counselors
- Social Workers
- Physicians
- Physician Assistants
- Nurses
- Psychologists
- Psychiatrists
- Marriage and Family Therapists
- Other Mental Health Professionals
Reviews
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