BODY IMAGE
- Negative body image has three components that can take a toll on a person’s mental well-being: An attitudinal component – how satisfied your are with your body;
- A perceptual component – how closely your “mental picture” matches up with your actual physical self;
- A behavioral component – things you do to manage, check, or change your appearance.
Puberty and adolescence can be a particularly vulnerable time to struggle with negative body image, because it is the developmental period where the body is going through drastic changes and the need for social acceptance is at its highest.
CEBT offers specialized treatment for negative body image grounded in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Goals of body image work include:
- Adopting a clear, true perception of your body;
- Learning to appreciate and celebrate your body’s natural shape;
- Understanding that appearance says little about one’s character and value as a person;
- Changing maladaptive behaviors that contribute to feeling dissatisfied with your appearance;
- Learning to feel comfortable and confident in your own body.
SELF-ESTEEM
Self-esteem, or confidence in one’s own worth or abilities, exists on a continuum ranging from high to low. Research has linked low self-esteem with a number of troubling outcomes, such as higher levels of depression and anxiety.
People with low self-esteem tend to view themselves critically, are excessively troubled by failure, exaggerate events as being negative, and interpret seemingly neutral comments as being critical. This can be problematic in many spheres of one’s life – particularly social functioning.
CEBT offers specialized treatment designed to improve self-esteem and self-worth for both youths and adults. The goal of self-esteem work is to help you find that powerful, resilient person that lives inside you, which serves to increase confidence and improve social relationships.