Coaching

My Approach to Coaching

I am a body justice and fat liberation coach with a certification as a Body Trust® specialist. I have been trained to provide support for individuals looking to make changes in the way they think about and relate to their body, food, and movement. You can read more about Body Trust® here.

My approach to coaching is compassionate, practical, and liberatory (e.g. focused on what can bring us the greatest freedom from internal and external oppression and bias). I believe in every human’s ability to heal and move towards wholeness.

My work with you will be based on your needs and goals combined with my expertise and support. In the first few sessions, we will explore what you want for yourself, what's been working for you so far, and what’s not been helpful. We will move on to helping you identify activities and skills that will bring you closer to having the relationship with your body that you want.

Sometimes people wonder about the difference between coaching and psychotherapy. You can read more about that below. But I want to be clear: I am not a therapist. I do not have a clinical license to practice psychotherapy, and I do not offer mental health treatment or psychotherapy.

Coaching vs. Psychotherapy

Coaching is a collaborative relationship focused on skill-building and helping a person make changes they want to see in their life. Coaching does not diagnose or treat mental health conditions.

Psychotherapy addresses mental health symptoms, usually diagnosed according to the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, (DSM-5-TR). Psychotherapy seeks to help individuals improve their mental and emotional functioning.

The American Psychological Association states that the following may be “signs that you could benefit from therapy:”

You feel an overwhelming, prolonged sense of helplessness and sadness

  • Your problems don’t seem to get better despite your efforts and help from family and friends

  • You find it difficult to concentrate on work assignments or to carry out other everyday activities

  • You worry excessively, expect the worst, or are constantly on edge

  • Your actions, such as drinking too much alcohol, using drugs, or being aggressive, are harming you or others

Source: https://www.apa.org/topics/understanding-psychotherapy

Coaching Services

Why Group Coaching?

Most of my work is through groups. This is partly due to my current time availability. But I also really love working with groups because of how much of the work of liberation demands community and shared learning. It’s really hard to battle dominant views of what bodies should look like, which bodies are considered worthy, and how health is defined without having support.

Working in community offers so many benefits, including:

  • a sense of not doing this work alone; 

  • shared humor and insight; and

  • borrowing from the compassion and courage of others.

Working in groups also helps me keep pricing more accessible which is important to me from a social and economic justice perspective. I reserve slots in each group for reduced pricing. When you register for the book club, group coaching, or a workshop, you will see options for sliding scale pricing so long as those reduced pricing slots have not already filled.

Upcoming Groups

My goal is to offer a variety of group experiences and topics to choose from including:

  • A virtual book circle several times a year

    • Coming Fall 2024: Reclaiming Body Trust by Hilary Kinavey, MS, LPC and Dana Sturtevant, MS, RD.) To pre-register for this group, please contact Nancy using the contact button below. Be sure to select Pre-register for Book Circle on the contact form.

  • Group coaching for building skills and inner strength

  • Workshops on topics such as
    —Writing Your Body Story;
    —Divesting from Diet Culture; and
    —Navigating Health Care in a Larger Body.

Individual Coaching

Clients who are attending group coaching or workshops may be offered limited individual coaching as part of registration for the group.

I anticipate having some limited availability for ongoing individual coaching, primarily on a short-term basis. If you would like to discuss this as an option for you, please request a free 30 minute consultation.