Workshops & Conferences

Fatphobia is when people perceived to be “too fat” are the targets of prejudice and discrimination. Fatphobia is an important social justice issue that has been well-documented across society, including in the health and mental health profession. Fat liberation seeks to identify and alleviate systemic anti-fat bias and individual prejudice, advocating for the unlearning of internalised fat bias and oppression. It is a movement tied to multiple intersectional struggles against oppression and stands shoulder-to-shoulder with struggles against racism, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, ageism, ableism, and others. Fat liberation not only seeks to normalise fat bodies, but to celebrate them.

It is vitally important that we Clinical Psychologists educate ourselves about fat-phobia and how it operates to disempower and harm the people we work with. Our hope is that this conference will breed reflection and equip you with knowledge so that you may prevent the endorsement of fatphobia in your practice, and support people on their path to fat liberation.

We intentionally use the word “fat” as a value-neutral descriptor for our conference title. This usage reclaims the word and strips it of the negative meaning it has acquired, in line with the preferences of organisations that advocate for fat rights. (Meadows & Daníelsdóttir, 2016).