Fat Counselling: Therapy and Fat Liberation with Jo Reader and Cat Chappell

In this episode
Ninna is joined by Jo Reader and Cat Chappell, known as The Fat Counsellors, for a rich and affirming conversation about therapy, fat liberation, and the need to challenge fat bias in therapeutic spaces.Jo and Cat share how their personal experiences and professional paths led them to create The Fat Counsellors and develop training that supports both therapists and the wider public in unlearning internalised fatphobia. Their work is grounded in compassion, activism, and the belief that everyone deserves to feel safe and seen in therapy.We explore:

• The story behind The Fat Counsellors and their mission
• What inclusive therapy looks like in practice
• How therapy roles differ across countries and why that matters
• Fat bias in medical and social systems, and how it shows up in the therapy room
• Practical steps for finding or becoming a fat-inclusive therapist
• What it means to be anti-diet and why it is not anti-dieter
• The intersections of fatness, privilege, and oppression

This episode is for anyone navigating therapy, working in mental health, or wanting to better understand how to challenge fat bias and support body liberation.Mentioned in this episode

• The Fat Counsellors: thefatcounsellors.co.uk
• Jo Reader: joreader.com | Instagram: @fatacceptancetherapist
• Cat Chappell: catchappell.co.uk
• Facebook Group: The Fat Counsellors (for therapists)
• Aubrey Gordon’s film Your Fat Friend

Transcript
Available at thefatpsychologist.com/podcast

00:05 – Intro
01:13 – Today's Episode
03:33 – The origins of The Fat Counsellors
05:46 – Training Beyond Therapists
08:10 – Understanding the Role of Therapists and Counsellors
10:00 – Biases in Medical and Social Contexts
17:47 – The Importance of Anti-Diet Culture
24:47 – Practical Steps for Inclusive Therapy
27:48 – Jo, Cat and their bodies
30:04 – Oppression: centering fatness
31:18 – Find Jo and Cat
32:55 – Outro