#81: How can we help victims of weight based bullying?

with Janet Lydecker, PhD

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In this episode we discuss…

  • What weight-based bullying looks like 

  • How has bullying changed during COVID

  • What trauma symptoms do you see in kids 

  • How bullying affects teens 

  • How Trauma-Focused work can be adapted for weight-based bulling 

  • How weight stigma interacts with bullying 

  • How parents can be involved in the treatment 

  • How self-compassion and acceptance come into treatment 

  • How people like to talk about weight

  • What power words like fat and Ob*sity have




Weight-based bullying is brutal and, unfortunately, pretty common. Despite our best body-positive efforts to protect our kids, young victims still sustain emotional and psychological wounds that can have traumatic, life-long effects. But… there’s hope. New treatment to help bullied youth has emerged and Dr. Janet Lydecker, of Yale’s Teen POWER program, joins for a conversation about the path towards healing…and how parents can help.

Dr. Lydecker is a child psychologist specializing in treatments for teens with eating disorders and higher weight. Dr. Lydecker runs the Teen POWER program at Yale, which currently has treatment studies for teens with binge eating as well as teens who have been bullied or cyberbullied. In addition to this work, Dr. Lydecker spends her time gardening, baking sourdough, and taking her puppy for walks.

Connect with Janet on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Facebook , and her Website

Resources mentioned or recommended:

Jordan Best