It's not about the body: the hidden story behind your body image

Meet our new host, Beth Shelton, a counselling psychologist with thirty years of experience working with people affected by eating disorders, including their loved ones. In addition to her own practice, Beth has shaped services, trained clinicians, and held national leadership roles across the sector. She brings professional wisdom and genuine warmth to all that she does.

In her inaugural episode, Beth is joined by Dr Natasha Hepworth, a psychologist who challenges the idea that an improved body image is simply a matter of changing our thinking.

Most of us already know we should feel better about how we look. But knowing it and living it are worlds apart.

Natasha's work starts with a different question: not what's wrong with how you see your body, but what is your body image protecting you from?

She sees negative body image not as a flaw to be fixed, but as a coping strategy, one that often has roots in real lived experience, including unprocessed trauma and shame. Her work invites us to explore what our bodies have been holding, and how we can heal in a way that genuinely lasts.

If you've ever felt like body acceptance was always just out of reach, this episode may just make the difference.

Resources:

• Butterfly National Helpline: 1800 33 4673 (1800 ED HOPE)
• Chat online
• Learn more about Beth Shelton
• Learn more about Natasha Hepworth
• Read Body Image Inside out by Deb Schachter and Whitney Otto
• Read Befriending the Body by Ann Saffi Biasetti

Follow Butterfly Foundation on Instagram here

Production Team:

• Produced by Beth Shelton and Sam Blacker from The Podcast Butler
• Executive Producer: Camilla Becket
• Supported by the Waratah Education Foundation

For more information about this episode, visit www.butterfly.org.au/podcast and click through to this episode.

If you're concerned about an eating disorder for yourself or someone you care about, please reach out to the Butterfly National Helpline or chat online with one of their specialist counsellors. Recovery is possible with the right support.

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