What It Means to Be a HAES-Aligned Therapist
A HAES-aligned therapist integrates the five core principles of the Health at Every Size® philosophy into practice, moving away from weight-centric models to a weight-neutral approach. These principles, outlined by the Association for Size Diversity and Health, are:
Weight Inclusivity – Honor and respect all body shapes and sizes; oppose idealizing or pathologizing specific weights
Health Enhancement – Support holistic wellbeing—physical, social, emotional, spiritual, economic—that enhances life for everyone
Respectful Care – Acknowledge and counteract biases, stigma, and discrimination across body size and other identities.
Eating for Well‑Being – Encourage flexible, intuitive eating focused on hunger, satiety, nutrition, and pleasure—not weight loss.
Life‑Enhancing Movement – Promote enjoyable and accessible movement, tailored to interests and abilities—not for the sake of weight loss.
Why These Values Matter in Therapy
Combatting weight stigma: A HAES therapist actively dismantles internalized shame and societal biases around weight and is a shift shown to improve diagnoses, rapport, and care quality.
Healing relationship with body & food: By removing external pressure and sole priority in losing weight, clients can develop intuitive eating habits, restore trust in their bodies, and cultivate self-compassion.
Long-term psychological benefits: Research suggests HAES interventions lead to sustainable improvements in health, self-esteem, and metabolic markers, without weight loss obsession.
Motivating through autonomy: Clients are supported to make choices aligned with their values, whether that involves eating differently, moving joyfully, or advocating in healthcare, rather than forced into diets.
Who Can Benefit from HAES-Informed Therapy?
Anyone struggling with body image, disordered eating, chronic dieting, or burnout from weight-focused care can thrive with HAES. It is particularly helpful for:
Folks who have experienced misdiagnosis or dismissal in weight-biased health settings.
Individuals dealing with eating disorders, especially those whose size has complicated treatment.
People seeking to reconnect with their bodies and cultivate sustainable, pleasurable self-care.
Anyone wanting equitable, intersectional care that recognizes how race, gender, class, and ability intersect with body experience .
How HAES Therapy Supports Long-Term Change
Using a HAES approach helps clients:
Break the diet cycle: Traditional dieting often leads to weight regain and worse health. HAES fosters sustainable behaviors and body trust.
Reduce stress and shame: Letting go of moralizing around food/body reduces the chronic stress that paradoxically worsens health.
Learn real health markers: Therapists emphasize blood pressure, sleep, movement capacity, emotional wellbeing, instead BMI or scale—because BMI was designed by a statistician over 150 years ago for sociological needs rather than a medical tool, and using it as a tool for health is outdated and flawed.
Advocate for agency: Clients learn to ask for respectful care (e.g. proper equipment, language, consent) and feel empowered in medical settings.
Why Choose a HAES-Aligned Therapist?
They respect your body autonomy—you are not viewed as a project or a “weight to fix.”
They reject stigma and bias—you are met with empathy, not assumptions.
They help build resilience—teaching skills for intuitive eating, joyful movement, and self‑care that last.
They create safer spaces—you can freely explore body image, health priorities, and life goals without judgment.
A Therapist’s Commitment
A HAES therapist commits to:
Ongoing education on weight stigma, fat liberation, social justice
Examining their own anti-fat biases and systemic disadvantages in therapy
Fostering informed consent and transparent care—including non-weight-focused options
Making therapy inclusive and accessible across cultures, sizes, abilities, and identities
Working with a HAES-aligned therapist means they value every person’s right to health, respect, and self-determination without tying worth or care to body size. They guide clients toward meaningful, joyful, and sustainable ways to care for their bodies and minds, centered on empowerment rather than conformity. Ultimately, it is about helping people live well as they are. Weight loss is never required or discouraged. As a HAES-aligned therapist I strive to help you determine what is best for you in all aspects of your life (i.e. physically, mentally, emotionally, etc.).
If this resonates with you or your therapy journey, let’s connect. A compassionate HAES-informed space might be exactly what you need.
