What is HAES (Health at Every Size)?
The Health At Every Size (HAES) is an evolving approach to public health that is an alternative to the weight-centered approach to treating clients and patients of all sizes. HAES is also a movement that works to end weight discrimination and promote size acceptance. In doing so, the approach attempts to lessen the use of weight loss and thinness as a representation of someone’s wellness and health, which can ignore unhealthy relationships with food ( bulimia and anorexia).
What does HAES take into consideration in their approach?
HAES has five guiding principles in their approach:
- Weight inclusivity: Accept and respect the inherent diversity of body shapes and sizes, rejecting idealizing or pathologizing of specific weights.
- Health Enhancement: Support policies that improve and provide equitable access to information and services, and improve human well-being, including attention to physical, economic, social, spiritual, and emotional facets.
- Eating for well-being: Re-frame eating to consider hunger, nutritional needs, and pleasure rather than externally regulated eating plan.
- Life-enhancing movement: Supporting physical activities that allow people of all sizes, abilities, and interests to engage in enjoyable movement.
- Respectful care: Acknowledge biases and work to end weight discrimination.
Find the Best Therapist in Chicago to Learn More About HAES
HAES has a holistic approach to wellness and health that is not characterized as simply the absence of physical or mental illness, limitation, or disease. The HAES approach promotes balanced eating, life-enhancing physical activity, and respect for the diversity of body shapes and sizes. This is important considering that medical, nutritional, and dietary approaches are influences by the wider societal, cultural, disability, and sex based expectations on what bodies should look and move like. Acknowledging these biases with the HAES approach aims to create a safe and open space where bodies are accepted as they are and oriented towards well-being in a different way.
At Roamers Therapy, our psychotherapists are here to support you through anxiety, depression, trauma, and relationship issues, race-ethnicity issues, LGBTQIA+ issues, ADHD, Autism, or any challenges you encounter. Our psychotherapists are trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Psychodynamic Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Person-Centered Therapy, and Gottman Therapy.
Whether you’re seeking guidance on a specific issue or need help navigating difficult emotions, we’re ready to assist you every step of the way.
Contact us today to learn more about our services and schedule a session with our mental health professionals to begin your healing journey. To get started with therapy, you can fill out our inquiry form. You may use this form whether you plan to use insurance benefits, self-pay, or out-of-network benefits, and to receive details about your out-of-pocket costs and our therapists’ availability. Once your appointment is confirmed, you’ll receive intake documents to complete before your first session.
This page is also part of the Roamers Therapy Glossary; a collection of mental-health-related definitions that are written by our therapists.
While our offices are currently located at the South Loop neighborhood of Downtown Chicago and Lakeview on Chicago’s North Side, Illinois, we also welcome and serve clients for online therapy from anywhere in Illinois and Washington, D.C. Clients from the Chicagoland area may choose in-office or online therapy and usually commute from surrounding areas such as River North, West Loop, Gold Coast, Old Town, Lincoln Park, Rogers Park, Logan Square, Pilsen, Bridgeport, Little Village, Bronzeville, South Shore, Hyde Park, Back of the Yards, Wicker Park, Bucktown and many more. You can visit our contact page to access detailed information on our office location.