Body Image Therapy in Chicago & Northbrook IL

Body image concerns exist on a spectrum, from occasional negative feelings about appearance to significant distress that affects daily functioning, relationships, and your relationship with food. Wherever you are on that spectrum, you deserve care that takes it seriously and does not reinforce the harmful messages that got you here.

• Persistent dissatisfaction with your appearance that does not respond to reassurance
• Significant time spent checking, avoiding mirrors, or scrutinizing your body
• Clothes, social situations, or activities avoided due to body concerns
• Mood significantly affected by how you feel about your body on a given day
• Comparing your body to others frequently and unfavorably
• Beliefs that your body is fundamentally flawed or unacceptable
• Difficulty being present during intimacy because of body concerns
• Restricting food or over-exercising in response to body dissatisfaction
• Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD): obsessive preoccupation with perceived defects others do not notice

Therapy for body image concerns draws from ACT for building a values-based relationship with your body, CBT for addressing distorted thinking patterns, IFS for compassionate work with the parts that carry shame, and trauma-informed approaches when body image is connected to sexual trauma, abuse, or chronic criticism.

What is body image therapy?
Body image therapy uses evidence-based approaches to address negative, distorted, or distressing thoughts and feelings about one’s body. It works to reduce body dissatisfaction, address the underlying patterns and histories that contribute to it, and build a more neutral or compassionate relationship with the body over time.

Is body image therapy the same as eating disorder therapy?
They overlap but are not identical. Negative body image is a core feature of many eating disorders, and eating disorder treatment typically includes body image work. However, body image concerns can exist independently of a formal eating disorder diagnosis.

What is Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)?
Body Dysmorphic Disorder is a mental health condition characterized by obsessive preoccupation with a perceived defect or flaw in appearance that is either not visible to others or appears minor to them. BDD causes significant distress and impairment and responds to ERP and CBT-based treatment. BDD typically responds best to the same ERP-based approach used for OCD, rather than general body image therapy. If BDD is your primary concern, we’d want to connect you with one of our ERP-trained clinicians.

Can therapy help if I have always felt bad about my body?
Yes. Long-standing negative body image often has roots in early experiences, cultural messages, and relational history that therapy is well-positioned to address. The duration of body image struggles does not determine their treatability.

Is body image therapy available via telehealth?
Yes. Midwest Counseling offers body image therapy via telehealth across Illinois and many other states.