Body Image, Parenthood &
Breaking the Cycle
Therapy for parents who want a different relationship with food,
body image, and self-worth for themselves and their children
Parenthood can bring your own relationship with food and your body into sharper focus. You may notice yourself thinking more about the messages you received growing up, the way bodies were talked about in your family, or the habits you developed around food, exercise, and appearance.
At the same time, you may feel a strong desire to create something different for your children. You may want them to grow up with less shame, less fear around food, and a more flexible relationship with their bodies—while realizing that your own body-image struggles have not simply disappeared. Therapy can help you work on both.
You may recognize yourself in this:
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You worry about passing your own body dissatisfaction on to your children
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You are careful about what you say around food and weight, but still feel highly critical of your own body
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You feel unsure how to respond when your child comments on their body
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Your child’s changing body brings up memories or fears from your own childhood
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You notice yourself repeating language or habits you hoped not to repeat
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You struggle with guilt when you hear yourself talking about dieting, weight, or exercise
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Pregnancy, postpartum changes, aging, or motherhood have changed how you experience your body
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You want your child to feel comfortable in their body, but do not feel that way in your own
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You are questioning family messages about food, thinness, attractiveness, or “healthy” eating
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You want to break the cycle without becoming hypervigilant about doing everything perfectly
Parenthood can change how you see your own history
Becoming a parent often changes the way people understand their own childhood. Things that once felt normal may look different when you imagine your child experiencing them.
You may begin noticing how often weight was discussed, how food was moralized, how appearance was praised or criticized, or how much pressure existed to be “good,” disciplined, attractive, or in control.
That awareness can bring grief, anger, compassion, confusion, or all of these at once.
Therapy can provide space to make sense of those experiences and decide what you want to carry forward—and what you do not.
Breaking the cycle does not require perfect body confidence
You do not need to love your body every day in order to create a healthier environment for your children.
You also do not need to monitor every comment you make or become perfectly neutral about food and appearance.
In fact, trying to “do body image correctly” can become another form of perfectionism. The work is often about developing more awareness, flexibility, and self-compassion—so that difficult thoughts about your body do not automatically become rules, behaviors, or messages that shape family life.
What we might work on
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Understanding the body and food messages you received growing up
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Identifying patterns you want to change in your own family
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Reducing self-critical body talk
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Navigating conversations about weight, food, health, and appearance
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Responding when children make comments about their bodies
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Exploring perfectionism, control, and self-worth
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Working through grief about your own childhood or body-image history
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Tolerating changes in your body without immediately trying to “fix” them
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Developing a more flexible relationship with food and exercise
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Learning how to model repair when old patterns do show up
My Approach
My approach is weight-inclusive, collaborative, and informed by eating-disorder and body-image treatment.
I also draw from relational and depth-oriented therapies to understand how family messages, attachment, identity, perfectionism, and earlier experiences may continue to shape your relationship with your body today.
This is not about blaming parents or trying to create a perfect home environment.
It is about becoming more intentional about the messages you want to live by and creating more room for both you and your children to relate to food and bodies with less fear and judgment.
