Fat Collective: Exploring

This 8-week group is an opportunity for fat folks to gather in a supportive space, led by a fellow fat person (that's me, Alexandra!).

 

You will be invited to explore the systemic, cultural, and intergenerational influences on their fat identity both critically and compassionately.


I'm Alexandra...

a counsellor, consultant, and fat liberationist who is deeply committed to trusting my own body and supporting others to trust theirs.

To learn more about me, my approach to counselling, and my work, click here.

My approach is grounded in fat liberationist, anti-racist, gender/sexuality affirming, intersectionally feminist, decolonial, and anti-oppressive practices, all of which I continue to grow into.

Anti-fatness alienates fat people from one another and makes us afraid to be seen with other fat people. Have you ever been the only fat friend in a group? I have. There is so much power in fat people sharing space and building community.

Fat Collective: Exploring is for you if...

  • You are fat,

  • You feel ready (enough!) to explore your life through a lens of anti-fatness & fat liberation,​​​

  • You want to build fat community,​

  • You want to explore how fatness intersects with your other identities,

  • You feel ready (enough!) to look at how you perpetuate anti-fatness

  • You are in so-called Canada and are 19 or older,

  • & you're sick of hating yourself!

    ​

    You in? Jump to the details.

The Fat Collective is an opportunity for fat people to

share space & experience.

Here's what you can expect:

  • We’ll have some deep conversations that include both social analysis and self-analysis.

  • We’ll explore the parts of ourselves that feel icky, those parts that might perpetuate anti-fatness, but we’ll do it together. 

  • We’ll practice holding space for ourselves and for one another in a safe (enough), values-centered, and non-judgmental way.

  • We’ll connect through shared experience, including the levity and joyfulness that is part of the fat identity.

  • We’ll name and move through the breadth of our emotions - the deep rage and grief that arise when identifying how anti-fatness has harmed us and our communities.

It sounds simple, but in a world where we are constantly navigating the minefield of anti-fatness and diet culture, it’s vital that we find spaces to explore our experience that are contained and held in a safe (enough!) way.

The intention of this group is to create a space that that centers the experiences of fat people, explores the ways in which anti-fatness shows up, and offers alternative ways of being in relationship with ourselves, our loved ones, and our communities.

I hope this group will feel like a mix of a slumber party and a gender studies class.

My hope is that you’ll walk away with a sense of solidarity, a more embodied understanding that you’re not alone in your experiences of facing anti-fatness and oppression.

Through this process, my intention is for you to release some of the self-blame and shame that you may be carrying, while cultivating the building blocks you need to create a different kind of relationship with yourself, food, and movement. 

 

(And you may just walk away with a couple other fat friends to stay in touch with far beyond when our time together ends!)

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The Details:

Each call will start and end with a group check-in. We’ll all have an opportunity to share what we’re bringing to the space, how we’re doing, and anything in particular we need from the group that day.

Then, we’ll dive into our topic for the week. I’ll begin by sharing some context and personal examples. Then I’ll introduce a handful of guiding questions to shape our conversation. Everyone will have an opportunity to share your experiences on the call so we can practice sharing our stories in a safe (enough) space, feel less alone, and learn from one another.

We’ll look through both the lens of the broader systemic perspective (colonialism, racism, ableism, etc.), and then zoom the conversations in to ourselves and our own personal experiences.

I’ll be there to help us all make connection between the various elements we are talking about so our exploration will build on itself, week over week. I’ll also share the prompts from each call, along with a handful of resources, after each session.

Even though there’s some structure going in, the group can still be freeform and responsive to your needs.

The Schedule:

Week 1 - Opening​

We’ll get to know one another and set guidelines for how we want to hold space together.

Week 2 - Roots

Let’s dig into the roots of anti-fatness - within ourselves, culture, and history.

Week 3 - Relationships

How does anti-fatness show up in our relationships? Family, friends, found family, colleagues, neighbours?

Week 4 - Food

How has anti-fatness influenced what you know about food? How you engage with food?

Week 5 - Movement

How has anti-fatness influenced what you know about movement/exercise? How you engage with movement/exercise?

Week 6 - Reckoning

When did you begin to question diet-culture? Anti-fatness? How are we freeing ourselves from those confines?

Week 7 - Fat Joy

What does fat joy look like in your life? What does a fat joy practice look like?

Week 8 - Closing

We’ll reflect on our process through the group - where we started, what we want to take with us.

Upcoming dates

TBA

Investment:

$500+gst

Can be made in 1, 2, or 3 payments

$

Testimonials of Ali's Facilitation:

  • “Ali was a great facilitator. She was extremely attentive to each person's needs and created a warm and inclusive environment.”


  • “Ali is phenomenal. She approached this process with so much experience, kindness, compassion and skill.”

  • “Down to earth, patient, kind, knowledgeable, gives wonderful feedback, loved being able to work with them!”

  • "I felt so validated and seen in the fat collective group, and at ease in sharing my experiences with other fat folks. Ali was an amazing facilitator who was able to navigate us through some difficult topics and conversations with gentleness and so much support. I’m so sad the fat collective group has ended but I’m happy to have made new fat friendships that will extend beyond the group!"

The Process:

Applications for this round are currently closed.

Please fill in the form below to be added to the waitlist for the next offering. 

to review: spectrum of fatness

 FAQs

  • Group counselling is really vulnerable, I feel you! The norms around counselling are so individualized; society tells us that we have to suffer in silence and alone.

    There is such incredible power in group counselling. Research shows it is just as effective, if not more effective, than individual counselling.

    Sharing space with others who have similar experiences and can implicitly understand parts of your identity is nothing short of magical.

    There can be so much growth in vulnerability <3

  • Each person gets to decide how much you participate in the group. Of course we each show up how we need to on a given day, and a group process requires a certain amount of buy-in from participants. I always hold a group guideline of take space/make space, meaning to take a step back for others if you know you participate lots, and to step forward if you know you tend to be more reserved.

    It's expected for folks to have their camera on (exceptions can be made, but camera on is the baseline). It can feel super vulnerable, and I definitely recommend hiding your self view! If it were an in-person meeting you'd be expected to be in the room, not the hallway.

    I think it's also really powerful to be able to see one another, especially in this context of building safe, fat relationships! When do fat bodies get to share non-judgmental space? It's rare!

  • Check in with your insurer to see if your extended benefits will cover this group. It varies from province and territory. Make sure you indicate that it's group counselling provided by a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC).

  • I can accept e-transfer or credit card payments. I ask everyone to keep a credit card on their file for back-up.

  • Folks have the option of paying in 1, 2, or 3 equal installments. Participants get to decide how many payment they'd like their fee divided into.

    • First payment is due on, Monday, March 11th.

    • If there's a 2nd payment, it will be due on Monday, April 1st.

    • If there's a 3rd payment, it will be due on Monday, April 22nd.

  • Yes! There are a maximum of two spaces available at $400+GST for folks who would otherwise not be able to afford the group. Please send me an email if you're in need of sliding scale: alexandra (at) selkiecounselling.ca

  • Unfortunately the group is limited to just folks in Canada due to insurance restraints.

    If you're outside of Canada, you're welcome to come to Fat-Tea meetings! Their monthly peer meetings to connect with other fat folks and you can find out more here :)

  • The Fat-Tea is a free, monthly meeting available to fat folks all around the world to gather and discuss a particular topic for 90 minutes. It is an open group, meaning that anyone on the sign-up list can attend (or not) any of the meetings. Anyone who signs up can attend. While the meetings have a topic and myself or Alli P are at all of them, it is not a therapeutic or facilitated group. It is very open to the participants to guide the meetings.

    Fat Collective: Exploring is an 8-week, closed, counselling group for folks 19+ in Canada. This means that there is a pre-determined, interviewed group of people who come every week for the duration. While the space is collaborative, it is facilitated by Alexandra, who will presenting on different topics, keep track of time, open and close each session, ask reflective (often personal) questions to members, and facilitate group conversations. There is a cost associated with this group, as it is a counselling service.