The "If Only I Were Thin..." Treatment Program: Decreasing the Stigmatizing Effects of Fatness

The authors describe an innovative treatment program for fat women designed to increase the number and variety of their daily activities and decrease their fat phobic attitudes and depression, thereby increasing their self-esteem. Data on 47 female clients who completed the Fat Phobia Scale, the Restricted Activities Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory-Short Form, and the Self-Esteem Scale, before and after treatment, indicate improvement on all four instruments. The therapy approach, which focused on (a) increasing clients' daily activities, (b) examining individual eating patterns, (c) redefining standards of beauty, and (d) teaching assertiveness skills to confront the prejudice and discrimination faced by fat people, is presented in detail.