Body Compassion Workshop for Clinicians: ACT, CBT, Somatic Interventions and More to Foster Positive Body Relationships in Clients

CPD

Planning Committee Disclosure - No relevant relationships

All members of the PESI, Inc. planning committee have provided disclosures of financial relationships with ineligible organizations and any relevant non-financial relationships prior to planning content for this activity. None of the committee members had relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies or other potentially biasing relationships to disclose to learners.  For speaker disclosures, please see the faculty biography.

Handouts

Speaker

Kanjana Hartshorne, LCSW, C-IAYT, CCFP, REIKE MASTER Related seminars and products

Healing Hearts Wellness

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Kanjana Hartshorne, LCSW, C-IAYT, CCFP, Reiki Master, is a licensed clinical social worker, certified yoga therapist, and certified compassion fatigue professional. She is the owner of Healing Hearts Wellness, a group practice specializing in holistic, somatic, and relational approaches to mental health care. Her work focuses on supporting individuals, couples, and polycules navigating challenges in their relationship with their bodies, including chronic illness, medical trauma, and prolonged diagnostic uncertainty, with particular attention to shame, grief, and the psychological impact of systemic invalidation.

Kanjana brings a nuanced, ethically grounded perspective informed by both clinical practice and lived experience. She regularly provides clinical supervision, continuing education trainings, creation and research on yoga for mental health programs, and retreats for healthcare professionals. She leads the annual Body Compassion Project CE Retreat, a transformative learning experience for therapists, and speaks nationally on the ethical integration of ancestral and spiritual practices into clinical work, bridging research-informed approaches with what she describes as a blend of science and soul.  

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Kanjana Hartshorne has an employment relationship with Healing Hearts Wellness. She receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Kanjana Hartshorne is a member of the Pennsylvania Society for Clinical Social Work and the National Association of Social Workers.

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Objectives

1. Identify the social media, cultural, and societal factors that contribute to negative body image.
2. Utilize assessment tools to evaluate body image issues and body dissatisfaction.
3. Determine how self-compassion meditations and mindfulness-based practices increase body appreciation and reduce shame.
4. Examine the evidence for using acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) techniques for body image problems.
5. Identify how yoga practice and creative arts techniques improve body satisfaction and acceptance.
6. Evaluate the limitations of existing research on body image interventions.

Outline

Body Image Basics and Beyond

• Understand body image, self-worth, body dysmorphia and more
• Inclusive work with gender diverse populations
• The intersection of body image work and systemic oppression
• When to refer out
• Cultural, societal, and social media factors that contribute to negative body image
• The role of trauma and co-occurring conditions
• Examine your own biases, beliefs, and assumptions regarding body image
• How compassion helps clients take steps toward acceptance

Assessment Tools and Techniques for Body Image Issues and Body Dissatisfaction

• Assessment tools and scales
• Self-report measures, interviews, and clinical observation
• Incorporating cultural sensitivity
• Recognize diverse body norms and gender diversity
• Use the clinical interview to explore underlying beliefs and emotions

Self-Compassion and Mindfulness Based Practices:

• Enhance your clients body awareness and body-compassion
• Guided body scan meditations to tune into physical sensations
• Body focused mindfulness practices for body image and self-perception
• Self-compassion and guided imagery meditations to increase body appreciation and reduce shame
• Use sensory cues to evoke feelings of acceptance towards the body
• Ways to incorporate movement practices into daily life

CBT, ACT and Positive Psychology Techniques:

• End negative body talk, regulate their emotions and foster body image flexibility
• The power of language in shaping body perceptions and relationship
• Uncover the origins of harmful body talk patterns
• CBT strategies for reframing unhelpful thinking patterns about their bodies
• ACT tools to foster body image flexibility
• Positive psychology affirmations to challenge negative body talk
• Use emotional regulation tools from ACT, CBT, yoga therapy, and more

Yoga, Somatic Practices, Creative Arts and Other Complementary Approaches:

• Build your clients body self-care, self-expression and body acceptance toolkit
• Yoga for improved body satisfaction and acceptance
• Somatic movement practices for self-exploration and bodily expression
• Use therapeutic art for emotional expression and self-reflection
• Therapeutic writing to improve weight and body shape bias internalization
• The connection between gratitude and cultivating positive body image
• Body gratitude exercises to practice self-compassion towards their body

Ethical Considerations and Self-Care for Clinicians

• Maintain client autonomy
• Promote body diversity
• Address potential harm
• Manage countertransference and burnout
• Healthy at Every Size (HAES)

Limitations of the Research and Potential Risks

• Research limitations for discussed interventions
• Inclusion/exclusion – who to use these techniques with and when
• Potential risks associated with discussed interventions
• Areas for further study

Target Audience

• Counsellors
• Social Workers
• Psychologists
• Psychiatrists
• Marriage & Family Therapists
• Addiction Counsellors
• Other Mental Health Professionals
• Nurse Practitioners
• Nurses
• Physicians
• Physician Assistants