I posted earlier this week and it was answered here with 4 great questions, which I answered below and would love feedback on.

My original post was that I’m finishing school to be an eating disorder therapist. I had eating issues many years ago but I’m healthy now. I have thoughts that I prefer to have a thin body but I’m being trained to educate people that they shouldn’t care about their body size. But I care about my own body size so it feels hypocritical to tell them not to care. And at the same time, I don’t want them to judge themselves the way I judge myself.

1. Why would having a fat/thin thought make you unqualified?
Other therapists tell me to teach clients that body size doesn’t matter. If I don’t apply that same value to my, that means I don’t believe it. if I don’t believe it, it feels strange to try to convince other ppl that their own body size doesn’t matter.

(just have to state again that I’m not judging their body size—only my own—I believe they should be whatever body size they are happy with for themselves)

2. In what way might that not be true?
Maybe I’m allowed to have my own personal values for myself and that doesn’t mean I have to have the same exact values as them.
(but this does make me feel phony or dishonest?)

3. What makes a person “qualified”?
Someone who is qualified is someone who truly wants other people to be well, to have freedom to be who they want to me, and has empathy, awareness, and therapeutic skills to help ppl identify goals and help them see their situation in a way that is manageable, help them take do-able steps toward their goal. To be able to help ppl feel good about themselves, to accept themselves and other ppl.
Maybe a qualified therapist doesn’t tell ppl how much they should weigh. Maybe they help the client identify what is bothering them about their body, what their goal is, and why that goal is important and do they like the reasons why they have that goal or is a goal bc they’re trying not to feel unacceptable.

4. How could a therapist still have fat/thin thoughts and help people?
Maybe an approach that is more believable to me is that its ok to have goals (e.g. weight goals) as long as we are pursue them from a place of self-love, self-trust, self-acceptance and self-compassion.