Background: Learn how The Body Positive effectively promotes resilience against body image problems and eating disorders on college campuses and the Stanford research data that supports our model.
- Learn how The Body Positive prevents eating disorders on college campuses. Participate in an experiential, interactive presentation that shares how student leaders are trained to use the Be Body Positive Model to help their peers claim authority over their bodies and take responsibility for their own self-care, starting at the most fundamental level—feeding themselves. Presenters will share results of research conducted at Stanford University in 2014 that evaluated the effectiveness of The Body Positive’s peer leadership program. Learn how these compelling students leaders become positive role models working to establish a social climate on campus where healthy eating, positive body image, and excellent self-care are the norm.
In the spring of 2014, five Be Body Positive student groups were held on the Stanford University campus in various dorms and sororities. More than 30 students participated in the groups, which were led by 12 undergraduate and graduate students who were trained in a weekend intensive. The leaders were trained to use the curriculum to teach their peers about the five Competencies of the Be Body Positive Model. These compelling, positive role models used story telling, creative arts, and group process in college residences over an 8-week period to bring the Competencies to their peers. Student group participants responded to a set of questionnaires immediately before the groups began, after the last group ended, and at follow up time points of two weeks, eight weeks, and eight months. Many participants also submitted qualitative writing that provided feedback, insights, and lessons learned from the group experience. The quantitative results of this pilot study demonstrated meaningful improvements on measures associated with increased resilience against eating and body image problems. Group participants reported a reduction in their shape/weight control beliefs, body surveillance, and internalization of the thin ideal, an increase in body satisfaction, and fewer social determinants of poor body image, from baseline to the end of group. Further improvements on all measures were shown eight months after group ended. In this workshop we will share this exciting data for the first time and will also offer some of the teaching resources we use through interactive exercises. We will then share how the students who participated in this study continue to build a campus-wide Body Positive movement to establish a social climate where healthy eating, a positive body image, and excellent self-care are the norm.
Elizabeth has been practicing psychotherapy in Marin County California for twenty-five years, specializing in eating disorders treatment. She co-founded The Body Positive, an eating disorders prevention organization in 1996. Elizabeth has trained thousands of students and staff from middle school through college to lead Body Positive programs on their campuses. The college prevention model is currently being researched at Stanford University. Elizabeth trains eating disorders treatment professionals in all levels of care. Her experiences as a Body Positive psychotherapist are featured in The Body Positive’s recently released book, Embody: Learning to Love Your Unique Body (and quiet that critical voice!).
Kristen Lohse is a fourth-year Psy.D. student at PGSP-Stanford Psy.D. Consortium in Palo Alto, CA. As well as working on the Body Positive Project and body image/eating disorder prevention work, Kristen is also involved with the Stanford Child and Adolescent Eating Disorder clinic conducting research and assessment. She is the Program Manager for the Eating Disorder Resource Center of Silicon Valley which helps connect individuals with eating disorder treatment and resources, as well as coordinating trainings and educational events about eating disorders. Kristen currently sees patients through her clinical practicum as a psychology practicum student at Santa Clara University.
