Friday Forum Encore: Weight Bias and Behavioral Health: Enhancing Awareness and Optimizing Care

This program will be held virtually via Zoom. Details with instruction on how to view the webinar will be sent to all registrants the day before the program (5/9). Per the present request, this session will NOT be recorded for the CE21 virtual learning library. 

Program: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. This session is at the intermediate level and is designed for psychologists and other mental health professionals.

Friday Forums are cosponsored with the Metropolitan State University Psychology Department.

This program qualifies for 3.0 continuing education credits. Attendees must attend entire session to gain credit. Registration fee includes access to live webinar, program agenda, program PowerPoint, and continuing education certificate.

About the Program:

Weight bias has been called the last acceptable form of prejudice and can emerge in many settings, including healthcare. Unfortunately, behavioral health clinicians are not immune from perpetuating weight bias with their patients; these biases can impact providers’ perceptions, diagnoses, and treatment recommendations. For example, research has suggested that therapists expect poorer outcomes, are more likely to diagnose eating disorders, and hold stereotypical beliefs (e.g., they are “lazy”) about their patients of larger body sizes. Understandably, these biases can impact therapeutic rapport or treatment efficacy, ultimately causing serious harm to patients. This program will discuss the vast literature on weight bias as an important diversity characteristic that is often overlooked, including its etiology, perpetuating factors, and impacts on mental and physical health. Additionally, this program will provide concrete strategies and recommendations for clinicians to incorporate into their practice to optimize care for size-diverse individuals. Participants can expect an interactive presentation with opportunities for self-reflection, examination of our own biases, exploration of weight-biased content in popular culture, and large and small group discussion.

This program qualifies for 3.0 continuing education credits. Attendees must attend the entire session to gain credit. Registration fee includes access to live webinar, program agenda, program PowerPoint, and continuing education certificate.

Participants will be able to:

1. Describe the construct of weight bias and its implications in psychotherapy and behavioral interventions.
2. Explore the impact of weight bias in your personal life and clinical practice.
3. Use weight bias reduction strategies with your patients to enhance the quality of care for size-diverse individuals.

About the Presenter:
Afton Koball, Ph.D., LP, ABPP, is a clinical health psychologist and Senior Associate Consultant at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. She completed her doctoral degree at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, OH; internship training at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, IL, and postdoctoral fellowship at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. Dr. Koball’s primary clinical focus is in weight management and binge eating intervention. She works with individuals with pre- and post-bariatric surgery and those pursuing behavioral or medical weight management options. Dr. Koball has a particular clinical interest in the mitigation of weight bias experiences for her patients. Dr. Koball’s research interests are in the area of psychosocial correlates of obesity and bariatric surgery including weight bias, social media use, and post-surgery support optimization.

The speaker has indicated no conflicts of interest to report.

The Minnesota Psychological Association is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Minnesota Psychological Association maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

ACCESSIBILITY ACCOMMODATIONS:  If you need disability related accommodations to make this event accessible, please contact the Metropolitan State University Center for Accessibility Resources, 651-793-1549, or [email protected].