It occurred to me this week that I have never taken more time to explain the way I coach. Recently I have been receiving many questions from interested people, about what I ACTUALLY do as a certified Eating Psychology Coach and HAES practitioner. So, here are 3 important distinctions that define the work that I do, and how I help women (but not only) reconnect to their own bodies with kindness and respect.

Eating Psychology Coaching is NOT therapy (but is about mental health too)

I am not a therapist or a psychologist, and I do not intend to replace these professionals, who are doing crucial work supporting and guiding their patients. As a coach, I act less as a figure of authority, and more as a friend/mentor/support system, providing a safe, compassionate space and accompanying my clients in their journey towards food freedom and body liberation. What I have in common with therapists is that eating psychology coaching mostly relies on talking and also centers on achieving a better mental balance overall, because, as I explained before, achieving body neutrality is very much about transforming our MENTAL perception, rather than your physical appearance. Also, Eating Psychology Coaching is just as confidential as therapy. I will NEVER share any of your personal information or concerns with any other third party (unless I have your approval to do so). I see this as the cornerstone of any coaching practice.

Eating Psychology Coaching is NOT about weight (but encourages better health practices)

My stance as a ‘Health At Every Size’ practitioner is not to focus on weight or size, because I don’t believe weight is a good indicator of health or a ‘golden ticket’ to gain better body confidence. Science and experience teaches us that dieting is neither safe nor sustainable, so I am resolutely anti-diet. My coaching method is about reconnecting to your intuitive hunger and fullness cues, giving yourself permission to eat in order to understand what truly suits your needs (or not) but also about establishing new practices to guide you towards a more balanced, grounded, body neutral, free and flourishing version of you. The work we’ll do together might make you lose weight, or it might make you gain weight. Either way, the goal is not about the number on the scale, it is to work towards sustainable health practices, that are rooted in self-care, not self-control.

Eating Psychology Coaching considers what you eat (but also a lot more)

Considering how much and what you eat is part of the assessment I do as we start working together but I am not a dietitian, so my work doesn’t focus solely on nutrition. In fact, as a coach I believe that what we eat goes well beyond putting a bunch of nutrients into our bodies. Our eating habits and metabolism are rooted in our relationship with pleasure, our beliefs, thoughts, feelings and emotions, what our environment looks like, how we were brought up, whether we tried to lose weight in the past, how we do life and love, etc. So, when I first assess your eating habits and challenges, it is mostly to understand if you eat enough, but also how you balance your meals, what are some of the beliefs you hold around foods you choose to have or not, and how all of this can impact your physical and mental health, through your relationship with food and your body.

In a few words, the coaching I provide is a fabulous and unique mix of mind body nutrition, embodiment and mental health practices, body liberation, feminism and compassionate awareness. If you are intrigued or unsure it is for you, but feel compelled to finally make peace with your body, don’t panic: that’s why my first consult is ALWAYS free. To book your free evaluation session, email me on florence@beyondbodyimage.com or message me on Instagram or Facebook @byond.bodyimage. I work in person (in Dubai) and virtually, in English and in French.