CE: “Working with Fat in the Countertransference” – Dr. Hilary Offman
July 19, 2025 @ 9:00 am - 12:30 pm PDT
Sponsored by
The WILA Alumni Association
:::PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Saturday, July 19th, 2025; 9 am-12:15 pm PST
9:00-9:10 – Welcome, CE reminders, introduction, review of CE information
9:10-9:50 – Paper presentation: “The Intersectionality of Misogyny: On Being Female, Fat, and Trans”
9:50-10:30 – Discussion
10:30-10:45 – Break
10:45-11:15 – What happened when I was a guest supervisor for a case on fat
11:15-12:15 – Discussion
In Western culture, fat is one of the worst things you can be. In addition, the application of stereotypes like laziness, greediness, and lack of self-discipline to fat bodies automatically assigns a sense of culpability in the form of a morality of appearance. This societal view further marks fat individuals as ‘failed’ members who are then more likely to internalize collective fatphobia into a marginalized self-identity. Therapists working with fat patients must, therefore, be prepared to confront their patients’ profound feelings of shame. How can we navigate this complexity?
In a ‘two-person psychology,’ a framework that emphasizes the importance of the analyst’s subjectivity in the co-construction of meaning, we need to take into account how the therapist feels about fat. Should we admit to patients that we share the same feelings about fat as everybody else, or do we pretend that we don’t in order to be “nice”? Regardless of whether we have ever been fat, almost all of us have experienced what it’s like to be afraid of it. How much of it, if any, should we share?
This presentation delves into some of the countertransferential issues that surface when therapists work with fat. In the first part, Dr. Offman will feature a paper entitled “The Intersectionality of Misogyny: On Being Fat, Female, and Trans. This case study explores countertransference working with a fat trans patient, both before and after my transformation from a very fat therapist to a ‘regular’ one.
For the second part, Dr. Offman will present what happened when guest-supervising a case involving a slim psychoanalytic candidate and her 400-pound patient. We will use this example to facilitate a discussion about how crucial it is to acknowledge the impact of the analyst’s subjectivity with respect to fat, whether to ourselves or to our patients.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Upon completion of the program participants should be able to:
- Identify the essential features of a two-person psychology and how they relate to the treatment of patients with fat bodies.
- Formulate how the desire to be ‘nice’ while neglecting one’s own feelings and experiences related to fatness may affect the treatment of these patients.
- Apply new insights into countertransference when working with fat patients to enhance one’s own clinical practice.
PRESENTER
Hilary Offman, MD FRCPC, is a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst with a private practice in Toronto, Canada. She is a lecturer and supervisor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto. She is also a supervising analyst, faculty and Board member for the Toronto Institute for Contemporary Psychoanalysis (TICP). She is the former co-chair of the Candidates Committee for the International Association of Relational Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis (IARPP) and a current member of the IARRP Board of Directors, where she co-chairs the International Chapters Committee. Her writing interests include themes of otherness, queerness, and fatness. Her papers are used to teach about working psychoanalytically with patients who identify as non-binary. Her article “Fatphobia is Real” won the Council for Advancement and Support of Education in Medicine (CASE) Gold Writing Award. She recently published her first poem, “Why? July?” in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
CE INFORMATION
- 3 CE credits are available for all nationally licensed clinicians
- This CE is at the intermediate level
- To receive CE credit you must attend the entire event
The Wright Institute Los Angeles (WILA) is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. WILA maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
Rates go up on 07/05/25!
Licensed Clinician – $120
WILA Alumni Member – $100
Student / Pre-licensed Clinician – $60
WILA Alumni get a discount!
Membership gives you many benefits including discounts on CE events like this one. Join or Renew today to save!
Refunds and Cancellations
Registrants who cancel with more than 24 hours’ notice are eligible to receive a refund by emailing WILA’s Business Director
Questions or concerns?
Email info@wilaalumni.org for help