Keynote Speaker
I have been a keynote speaker at major conferences including the National Eating Disorders Association, the International Association for Eating Disorders Professionals, and the Association for Women in Psychology. I regularly provide lectures and training to treatment professionals. I am available to book speaking engagements with your organization or conference.
Elizabeth Scott LCSW, CEDS-S, is an educator and psychotherapist whose work focuses on the intersection of embodiment, social justice and mindfulness. As Co-Founder and Director of Training for The Body Positive, Elizabeth has taught educators and students to use the Be Body Positive model to promote joyful embodiment and excellent self-care since 1997. In her private practice, she trains treatment providers in her Big-Hearted Embodiment model and is developing an international community of clinicians who are committed to social justice and positive embodiment as core values in their treatment work. Elizabeth has studied yoga, Buddhist meditation and breathing practices for 33 years. She practices psychotherapy in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Sample lecture topics:
The Be Body Positive Model, Practical Resources for Transforming Body Image in Clients
Elizabeth Scott LCSW, CEDS-S, will introduce the rich resources available for clinicians working with clients with disrupted embodiment.
We will explore:
- The five competencies of the Be Body Positive model.
- Practical applications found in the model to bring to clinical work with clients.
- The research on self-compassion as a resource for recovery.
After this presentation, participants will be able to:
- Identify the five competencies of the Be Body Positive model.
- Teach three interventions that promote positive embodiment in clients.
- Describe the difference between self-compassion and self-esteem based on the research of Kristin Neff.
The Be Body Positive Model, Practical Resources for Transforming Body Image in Clients
Elizabeth Scott LCSW, CEDS-S will introduce the Dimensions of Positive Body Connection identified through 15 years of research by Niva Piran and presented in her book: The Developmental Theory of Embodiment: Journeys of Embodiment at the Intersection of Body and Culture.
We will explore:
- The social conditions that contribute to disruptions in embodiment like eating disorders, self-harm and substance abuse.
- The practical constructs that promote resistance to suffocating social messages offered in Niva Piran’s, Developmental Theory of Embodiment.
- How a social justice perspective in clinical treatment can empower providers to challenge power inequities and oppressive social conditions in their client’s lives.
- Identity and social location; risk and protective factors for disruptions in embodiment such as eating disorders.
After this presentation, participants will be able to:
- Identify three social conditions that promote disruptions in embodiment according to Niva Piran’s research.
- Describe the innovative construct of “embodiment”, which expands our perspective from the limiting framework of “body image”.
- List three of Niva Piran’s “Positive Embodiment” dimensions.
The Body Story as Clinical Through-Line: Practical skills for implementing the Be Body Positive Model in clinical work
Elizabeth Scott LCSW, CEDS-S will discuss how the client’s “Body Story” can be used as tool to guide the process of recovery from assessment to termination, supporting clients to transform their relationship to their bodies to one that is peaceful, connected, and joyful.
We will explore:
- Practical, step by step tools to introduce the Be Body Positive Model in 5 clinical sessions using the “Body Story” as the through-line in recovery.
- How to address the client’s “critical voice” and support them to turn towards their fears with compassion and curiosity.
- Tools and activities available in the Body Positive Clinical Guidebook that simplify the implementation of the Be Body Positive Competencies in clinical work.
After this presentation, participants will be able to:
- Identify the role of the “Body Story” in clinical assessment and treatment.
- Describe the five competencies of the Be Body Positive Model and share one activity to use with clients for each competency.
- Use the Cultivate Self-Love competency to guide clients to transform their critical voice.
Ethics in Eating Disorders Treatment: Exploring our personal and collective ethical decision-making processes in the treatment of people with eating disorders
Elizabeth Scott LCSW, CEDS-S will introduce some of the ethical considerations we make when treating clients with eating disorders.
We will explore:
- The impact of oppression and privilege on embodiment.
- Trauma informed treatment as a model for a social justice-oriented treatment approach.
- Fat bias and size diversity in clinical care.
- The ethics related to care for life-threatened clients.
After this presentation, participants will be able to:
- List three of the ethical dilemmas that arise when caring for people with eating disorders.
- Discuss their own beliefs that inform their ethical decisions.
- Find resources to learn more about trauma informed treatment.
Breathe, Grieve and Love Deeply: Using Breath as a Resource for Positive Embodiment in Clinical Practice
Elizabeth Scott LCSW, CEDS-S, will share practical breathing practices useful for helping clients embrace loss and change and build confidence inhabiting their bodies more fully.
We will explore:
- Bring awareness into the body and reduce anxious thoughts.
- Cultivate calm and centeredness.
- Release grief and loss.
- Promote aliveness and energy in the body.
After this presentation, participants will be able to:
- List three benefits of focused breathing practices.
- Teach appropriate breathing practice for anxiety and depression.
- List three resources for more information about breathing practices.
Responding to Climate Extinction Anxiety: Helping our clients find the social and psychological resources they need face climate change
Elizabeth Scott LCSW, CEDS-S will discuss the work of Ecophilosopher Joanna Macy, PhD, scholar of general systems theory and Buddhism and described in her book: Active Hope: How to Face the Mess We’re in without Going Crazy. We will discuss how to respond directly to the pain our clients feel for the world without pathologizing their distress.
We will explore:
- How fears about the our earth’s future can arise in therapy and how to respond directly and usefully to those anxieties.
- Strategies to help client’s express climate extinction anxieties directly instead of through symptoms.
- Resources to share with clients to help them shift from despair to empowerment in the face of this global crisis.
After this presentation, participants will be able to:
- Identify three questions useful for starting conversations with clients about their feelings about climate chaos.
- Discuss some of Joanna Macy’s contributions to the work of addressing environmental despair.
- Teach a practice to strengthen our capacity to face the crisis we are in and respond with greater resilience and creativity.
Feedback from Elizabeth’s recent lectures
“As someone who has a history of an eating disorder, I see how a lot of my own treatment was good for short-term success, but ultimately didn’t help me re-connect with my body. I love how Elizabeth seeks to help us re-connect with our bodies and our innate wisdom and this can help us beyond food and eating.”
“I really got a lot of out the ideas presented on competitive self-esteem, white supremacy, exceptionalism and perfectionism and the impact it has on all of us and the way we objectify our bodies.”
“I appreciated the wholeness of the ideas presented; to really get at the root of these issues and truly affect change; the knowledge of the presenter and the resources provided to learn more.”
“I loved how Elizabeth spoke to the benefits of self-compassion and how it frees you up to take more risks; Niva Piran and Kristen Neff’s works; and how joy is a radical and fierce way to resist oppression.”
“I appreciated everything, but especially Elizabeth’s ability to synthesize and communicate concepts with humor!”
