In this episode
Ninna is joined by Jo Reader and Cat Chappell, known as The Fat Counsellors, for a rich and affirming conversation about therapy, fat liberation, and the need to challenge fat bias in therapeutic spaces.Jo and Cat share how their personal experiences and professional paths led them to create The Fat Counsellors and develop training that supports both therapists and the wider public in unlearning internalised fatphobia. Their work is grounded in compassion, activism, and the belief that everyone deserves to feel safe and seen in therapy.We explore:
- The story behind The Fat Counsellors and their mission
- What inclusive therapy looks like in practice
- How therapy roles differ across countries and why that matters
- Fat bias in medical and social systems, and how it shows up in the therapy room
- Practical steps for finding or becoming a fat-inclusive therapist
- What it means to be anti-diet and why it is not anti-dieter
- The intersections of fatness, privilege, and oppression
- The Fat Counsellors: thefatcounsellors.co.uk
- Jo Reader: joreader.com | Instagram: @fatacceptancetherapist
- Cat Chappell: catchappell.co.uk
- Facebook Group: The Fat Counsellors (for therapists)
- Aubrey Gordon’s film Your Fat Friend
Available at thefatpsychologist.com/podcast
00:05 – Intro
01:13 – Today's Episode
03:33 – The origins of The Fat Counsellors
05:46 – Training Beyond Therapists
08:10 – Understanding the Role of Therapists and Counsellors
10:00 – Biases in Medical and Social Contexts
17:47 – The Importance of Anti-Diet Culture
24:47 – Practical Steps for Inclusive Therapy
27:48 – Jo, Cat and their bodies
30:04 – Oppression: centering fatness
31:18 – Find Jo and Cat
32:55 – Outro
Popular Podcasts
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.