2 - (SYM 20) It's so Internalized, and It's so Personal: Clinician Trainees' Perspectives on Unlearning Weight Stigma

Background: Research demonstrates that weight stigma is a prevalent, with demonstrated negative impacts on multiple life domains including employment, family and peer relationships, medical care, and mental healthcare. Weight stigma has also been linked to worse mental health outcomes, including increases in stress, depression, anxiety, substance use, disordered eating, poor body image, and suicidality. While weight stigma among mental health clinicians has been documented, body size (and the associated discrimination associated with larger body size) is rarely addressed in mental health training curriculums. This study examined clinician trainees’ experiences of a 10-week curriculum designed to address issues of weight stigma in clinical care.

Methods: Participants took this weight stigma course as an elective option during their training program. One year after taking the weight stigma course, clinician trainees were recruited to share their perspectives on how the course impacted their understanding of weight stigma. Sixteen participants (13 cisgender women, 1 trans man, 1 agender, 1 gender-fluid; 94% white; 63% heterosexual; 56% non-disabled) completed semi-structured interviews; additionally, participants consented to researchers reviewing coursework assignments, including photovoice submissions and weekly reflections. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, de-identified, and validated. Interview transcripts and class assignments were coded using Dedoose software, following thematic analysis methods to identify common themes.

Results: We identified five distinct themes regarding unlearning weight stigma: 1) Photovoice as a tool for critical consciousness, 2) Connecting empirical weight science literature to ethical practice, 3) Self-reflexivity as difficult, impactful, and unfinished, 4) Life-integrated learning modalities as transformative, and 5) Learning through vulnerable contained, reparative community. Participants emphasized that unlearning weight stigma was deeply important to their clinical work, and crossed from the professional realm to the personal, as confronting their internalized weight stigma was a constant challenge.

Conclusion: Results suggest that similar didactic approaches may increase critical consciousness around weight stigma for mental health clinicians. While efficacy research is needed, this study suggests weight stigma curricula such as this may be acceptable to clinicians and feasible to implement within professional training programs.