Student Bodies: Online help for body image and eating concerns

Are you interested in learning healthy eating and exercise habits?

Do you want to feel better about your body?

Would you like to work on these issues from the comfort of your home?

Student Bodies© is an Internet based program designed to help women develop healthy eating and exercise skills, challenge the belief that thinness equals happiness, and learn to accept and appreciate their bodies. Student Bodies© was developed by researchers at Stanford University and has been studied for over a decade. It has been shown to be effective in helping women learn healthier weight management strategies, experience less body image dissatisfaction, and reduce risk for developing eating disorders.

Student Bodies© requires an eight week commitment of two to three hours of work each week. The program includes reading assignments on topics such as the media and thinness, emotional eating, self esteem and eating disorders. Students move through the program as a group including ten to fifteen Towson female students. Each week students complete homework assignments and body image journal entries. Student Bodies© includes a discussion board where students can share reactions, challenges and concerns and receive feedback from other students and a Counseling Center staff member. A student may elect to use a user name in order to maintain a level of privacy from other students.

Students must complete an initial appointment at the Counseling Center to enroll in the program. When making the appointment, you should indicate your interest in Student Bodies©. During this meeting, it will be determined whether Student Bodies© is the best fit for your needs or whether other services at the Center or off campus would be more helpful. If it has been determined that Student Bodies© would be helpful, you will have a brief meeting with the moderator of Student Bodies©, who is a therapist at the Counseling Center. The Counseling Center is able to offer a limited number of Student Bodies© groups during the fall and spring semesters and therefore you may experience a brief waiting period.

It is important to note that in order to be accepted into a Student Bodies© group, students must agree to engage fully with the program through completing readings and homework assignments and posting messages on the discussion board. The research suggests that a strong commitment to the program may lead to greater improvements.

Interested? Schedule an initial appointment at the Counseling Center by phoning 410-704-2512. Student Bodies© groups will begin October, 2009.