Body image

Body image is how you see yourself, how you feel about the way you look and how you think others see you. In essence, it is your physical identity. It can be positive, neutral or negative. It is heavily influenced by the media, family, friendship groups and social networking, and often forms in adolescence and early adulthood. If a client presents with body image issues, be careful to recognise if these also involve deeper psychological issues associated with eating disorders (such as bulemia nervosa, anorexia nervosa or over-eating). These issue should not be coached but need to be referred to the relevant medical authority. However, clients can be coached on improving their body image, when not associated with one of these serious medical conditions.