The Critic, the Child and the Nurturer: A group case study of art therapy in a weight-neutral frame for women with body image concerns

This article explores how art therapy can function as a weight-neutral practice for South African women experiencing body image distress. Grounded in a six-week narrative art therapy group, the study drew on Ashlee Bennett’s (2022) three characters: the Body Critic, the Younger Self, and the Body Nurturer. Participants were able to externalise shame and imagine new ways of relating to their bodies. Using a qualitative, arts-based approach, the group revealed how internalised body criticism often stems from gendered, cultural, and familial influences. Through arts-based thematic analysis, three therapeutic processes were identified: the externalisation of internalised shame, the re-authoring of body narratives, and the emergence of self-compassion. Findings suggest that art therapy grounded in a weight-neutral stance offers an inclusive, ethically responsive alternative to weight-centric models of care. The article concludes with recommendations for (1) practice – embedding weight-neutral and anti-fat-bias frameworks in therapeutic work, (2) training – integrating critical engagement with weight-neutral practices and confronting anti-fat bias in art therapy education, and (3) research – developing decolonial and contextually grounded approaches to body image in South Africa. This study represents the first documented application of weight-neutral narrative art therapy in the region.