Recognizing and Challenging Size Privilege: A Primer for Mental Health Clinicians and Researchers.

Abstract

With the prevalence of higher-weight people and the adverse outcomes associated with weight stigma, body size is a necessary component of multicultural training. However, body size has not routinely been included in identity-based prejudice training for mental health professionals. This article aims to support clinicians and researchers in their recognition of, and response to, weight stigma and size privilege. Further, this article asserts that training in sizeism is essential for the multicultural competencies of mental health providers, psychological science researchers, and those in allied fields. As such, methods for recognizing, situating, and challenging size privilege are proposed.