Come WITH Us and Explore Weight Inclusive Care
Weight Inclusive Treatment in Healthcare (WITH)
A community for students wanting to explore the Health at Every Size® and weight inclusive paradigm.
More About WITH
We are two college students who hope to provide weight-inclusive care in the future. We have noticed an interest in students wanting to learn more about weight-inclusive care, but not having an opportunity because most training programs are centered in the weight-normative paradigm.
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We decided to create a group to provide students a community to learn about the weight-inclusive paradigm. We believe all students should have access to this information, regardless of financial means. Our groups are free; however, if you have the financial means, we ask you to donate to the Association for Size Diversity and Health. Donating is an action honors and supports the fat activists whose work has made Health at Every Size ® and the weight-inclusive paradigm possible. More information about how to donate can be found on the FAQ page.
WITH Beliefs
We believe:
weight-inclusive care is the future of healthcare.
the weight-inclusive paradigm should be available to ALL students
students need a community to explore weight-inclusive care.
exploring intersectionality is essential in providing weight-inclusive care
social justice must be the root of any program talking about weight-inclusive care
FAQs
You Asked, We Answered
What does this group look like?
This group is a "support group" for students planning on pursuing a job in the healthcare profession. It can be so hard to be taught in the weight-normative paradigm; we want to provide a safe space for students to explore the tenants of a weight-inclusive paradigm. This will be done via a slack group, bi-weekly Zoom sessions, journal prompts, podcasts, research articles, etc. Ultimately our goal is to create a community face-to-face (virtually) where we can all continue to grow in our understanding of weight-inclusive care.
Please note-while we will work to actively ensure that our language doesn't pathologize body sizes by using words like "overweight" or "Obese," we also know that many students are learning, and it may come up in conversation. In addition, it may come up in research articles, podcasts, etc.
Who can join?
Health is impacted by so many facets of our daily life. If you are an undergraduate, or graduate student who will interact with humans in some form in your job you will impact health, and therefore you are welcome to join. SO, this group is by no means limited to doctors, nurses, and dietitians. We want as many professions represented as possible!
How much does this support group cost?
We believe that all students should have the option to learn about Health at Every Size ® and have support to unlearn diet culture for free. Given that both founders have thin privilege, it isn't our place to capitalize on the work done by many fat activists.
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That being said, if you are in a position to donate money we ask you to consider making a small donation to the Association for Size Diversity and Health (ASDAH) to honor the immense amount of work fat activists have done and continue to do in pushing for body liberation. ASDAH is the non-profit that owns the trademark for Health at Every Size. The link to donate can be found here: https://www.sizediversityandhealth.org/content.asp?id=43
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How much time will being apart of this group take?
At the minimum, 2 hours per month. We will meet bi-weekly for an hour each time. However, we will also have a Slack group, journal prompts and podcasts that you can also engage in if you choose.
I have no idea what Health at Every Size®  is, can I still join?
Yes! We want to welcome students at all levels of understanding. Health at Every Size ® is a social justice movement, this means that there is never an end-point to understanding. We all continue to grow as we unpack our own biases, and reflect on how we show up in the world. We also know that you may join this group skeptical or questioning weight-inclusive care. That's okay too. We are excited to hold space for you to contemplate the possibility of a different paradigm.
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Here are a few links talking more about Health at Every Size(r) to give you a better understanding, before signing up.
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How are you ensuring that this group is rooted in social justice given the immense body privileges the two founders hold?
Both founders have thin privilege, something that is important to acknowledge when talking about weight stigma. This group will not center their narrative or body, rather center the narrative of those facing systems of oppression.
By asking members to donate to ASDAH we are honoring and supporting the fat activists who are giving their emotional labor to provide podcasts, articles, blog posts, etc. In addition, we will share the links for patron accounts for any of the podcasts, blogs, artwork, etc we use to continue to encourage members who have the means to support the activist doing this work.
Resources:
Organizations: Association for Size Diversity and Health , Liberated Body Society, NAAFA,
Podcasts: Food Psych , She’s all Fat, It’s Just a Cookie, Body Kindness, All Fired Up!, Do No Harm
Books: Health at Every Size and Body Respect (Linda Bacon), The Body is Not an Apology (Sonya Renee Taylor), Anti-Diet (Christy Harrison), Body of Truth (Harriet Brown)
Instagram accounts: benourishedpdx, dobetter_consulting, the_bodylib_advocate, criticalfatactivism, with_this_body, chr1styharrison, counselorkate, sonyareneetaylor