ABSTRACT
Many psychological problems result from obesity. Obesity and being overweight are not topics that feature a great deal in the counselling and psychotherapeutic literature, and even less so where the focus is specifically upon obesity in men. What needs emphasising is that therapeutic counselling should address the whole person, rather than be symptom- or problem-centred. A counselling approach that stresses the importance of forming a therapeutic relationship with the client is vital, particularly as so many problems – and being overweight is no exception to this – have some connection to problematic relational experiences. For some men, putting on excess weight could stem from the experience of being bullied. Men who experienced sexual abuse may see creating a fat body as a way of minimising risk of further, unwanted attention, and this internal imperative may carry on into, and even throughout, adult life.
