Q & A with Julie Holland : )

I got really excited when I came across this interview on PsychCentral.com with Julie Holland because I really like Julie-- aside from being a great person, she knows her eating disorder stuff. She is the Director of Certification for IAEDP (the International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals) and currently works for the Eating Recovery Center in Denver. Anyways, Julie spoke to PsychCentral.com about fat talk, self esteem, and other related topics, as October 19-23 was Fat Talk Free Week (to learn more about Fat Talk Free Week, check out my post here). She has some very good things to say, especially regarding helpful advice for parents on how to help their children have positive body image. The following interview is copied and pasted below but can be accessed on PsychCentral.com by clicking here.

Q&A with Julie Holland

By MARGARITA TARTAKOVSKY, M.S.
October 20, 2009

Julie Holland, MHS, CEDS, is recognized in the industry as both a clinician and public speaker. A certified eating disorders specialist, she has directed marketing and customer relationship management programs at several leading eating disorder treatment programs across the country. Ms. Holland has specialized in the treatment of self-esteem, eating and body image issues for adults and adolescents for more than 23 years. She is a Certified Eating Disorders Specialist and Director of Certification for the International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals, as well as an Approved IAEDP Supervisor.

1. How does fat talk affect one’s self image?

   Fat talk brings a sense of negativity toward how individuals think about themselves and their body. It can also affect how individuals relate to others.

2. What are several things parents can do to improve their child’s body image?
   • Be accepting of all body types rather than labeling one as the “best.” Encourage children to think about people they admire and love who are different body sizes and shapes.
   • Be positive about what our bodies do for us rather than placing so much emphasis on how they look.
   • One of the most important things a parent can do is be a positive role model - be positive about your own shape and size. Do not talk negatively about your own body or constantly complain about needing to change your body to fit a perceived ideal.
   • Think about statements you make and make sure what you are saying is a positive influence. For example, girls who are tall are often told “you are so big!!!” when what individuals really mean are “wow, you are really tall for your age.” Follow it up with a positive statement like “I bet you love being tall!” Otherwise, it can be perceived as negative.
3. At what age should you start talking to your kids about body image?

   From birth on. I remember looking into my daughter’s eyes at a very young age - a few weeks, months - telling her how much I loved her and how much I wanted her in my life. All types of comments shape a child’s body image - not just messages about their bodies.

4. Can you give an example of how to turn a negative thinking pattern into a positive one?
   • Encourage individuals to focus on the wonderful things their bodies do for them. Think of your body as a powerful tool and make a list of all the wonderful things you can do with it. Again, think about those individuals you love and admire who are different shapes and sizes.
   • Encourage children to be inquisitive, critical thinkers and not just accept things at face value. Rather than preventing children looking at magazines, encourage them to look at magazines and ask questions - “Why do they touch up the models’ photos?” “Why do they use young models to wear adult women’s clothing?” “Do I really like the way this model looks or is that what I’m being told I’m supposed to like?”
   • Learn to question messages portrayed in the media - magazines, television.
   • Each time you catch yourself or someone else saying something negative about yours or their body, replace it with three positive comments.
   • Don’t limit what you can do in life by your body size. Let others see you doing things - moving your body - regardless of body size.
   • Exercise and body movement are great ways to counteract negative body talk.
   • Stop using the scale to determine your worth. Don’t emphasize certain numbers on a scale. Your weight doesn’t define who you are as a person.
   • Stop comparing yourself to others. Being unique is what makes our world a wonderful place!
   • Compliment yourself frequently. Make a game of it: e.g. Every time I see a red car today I will say something positive about myself.
5. The holidays are almost upon us, which means that talk of how to avoid gaining weight and New Year’s resolutions will be, too. How do you recommend we deal with all the advice?
   • Stay away from “good food, bad food” talk. Remember it’s all about moderation.
   • Encourage individuals to set resolutions that are non body-size-based. Instead, set goals that are “body movement” based. Make resolutions that are geared toward feeling good about your body now - not when you lose five pounds.
   • Surround yourself with people who have healthy relationships with their bodies, food and weight.
6. Anything I haven’t asked that you’d like our readers to know about having a healthy body image or fat talk free week?

   Everything we do or say can impact another individual. Oftentimes, we think we are only our own worst enemy. However, at any given moment we are saying or doing something that can influence how another individual thinks about him- or herself. Pass good body talk and feelings along. Each of us makes a difference.

Remuda Ranch (and Twins!!)

From time to time, we have reps from eating disorder treatment centers that stop by our office, or meet with us over lunch to tell us about their facilities, treatment modalities, etc... And because we specialize in treating eating disorders, we often end up referring a fair number of clients to treatment centers, so it is helpful to spend time with representatives so that we have good information and know the kind of service and treatment that we are recommending to our clients when we refer them somewhere. One of my favorite places (shameless plug because I did contract work there for awhile) is Carolina House- www.carolinaeatingdisorders.com. Check it out- it is fabulous!! I will share more about the Carolina House in another post, but for now, I want to share a little about Remuda Ranch. A rep from Remuda stopped by our office today and I wanted to share a few things that stood out to me.

First, I love that Remuda Ranch is a Christian based treatment center. While they accept clients of all faiths, their therapists are all Christians. About 3 years ago, Remuda was bought out- while they have loosened up on some of their Christian focused rules (they no longer require chapel attendance, for example), they still maintain a Christian focus, which I think is great. Second, they admit teenagers!! It is difficult to find residential treatment for eating disorders (especially locally) for teenagers and adolescents. Hospitals, like UNC, will admit teenagers, but for many parents, the thought of having their child in a residential type setting is easier to handle than having them in a hospital. Also, I was astounded to learn that Remuda will admit patients as young as 8 years old! It is SO sad that girls as young as 8 years old are struggling with eating disorders. The rep that came to our office, Michele, said that they got a call recently about a 7 year old needing treatment. How devastating.

Remuda, aside from individual/family/group therapy, offers equine therapy, as well as canine therapy. They also place a large focus on life after treatment and offer an equivalent of a sober living facility/halfway house program called LIFE for clients who have completed treatment. There are currently two locations in the US- Arizona and Virginia. To learn more about the different treatment and programs offered, visit Remuda's website at www.remudaranch.com.

Remuda Ranch was recently in the news (http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS118833+13-Oct-2009+PRN20091013) reporting that they have seen an increase in the number of twins that are suffering from eating disorders. I remember watching an episode of Intervention awhile back (great show on A&E that makes me cry every time I watch it) that featured a set of identical twins that were struggling with anorexia. If you aren't familiar with the show, the family of the featured people stage an intervention and persuade them to enter into treatment. The set of twins featured on the show went to Remuda in Virginia; when the show aired, they were doing well and were healthy. It was a very moving episode and very inspiring to see them recover.

Campaign For Real Beauty

Dove launched a global campaign back in 2004 that is now known as the DOVE Campaign for Real Beauty--I thought it was definitely worth mentioning for many reasons. The purpose of this campaign is to bring about change on a widespread scale by encouraging women to discuss and explore the definition of true beauty, as well as broaden the stereotypes that they hold about beauty. According to statistics compiled from a global study performed by Dove, only 2% of women believe they are beautiful. They also found that the majority of women define beauty as being thin, young and blonde. Based on these statistics and others (which can be accessed on Dove's website), Dove decided to take action by targeting young girls for the purpose of helping to address the issue of self-esteem.

There are many great resources on this site for young girls as well as teenagers, including quizzes, blogs, videos and more. These can be accessed by visiting Dove's website at www.campaignforrealbeauty.com.

One of my favorite things that Dove has done is to produce a few short videos that explore our perception of beauty, as well as how the media influences our perceptions of what is beautiful. I will post a few links so that you can view them if you would like. They are really great! The first one is called Evolution and documents a photo shoot from beginning to end, including the final image that we, as consumers/society, end up viewing. You can watch it by clicking HERE. The second one is my favorite- it gives me chills!! Click HERE to view it.

For more information on Dove's Campaign For Real Beauty, visit their website (link above).

Gurze Books- Eating Disorder Resources!

Gurze Books is a GREAT resource for information, resources, books, etc on eating disorders that has been around since 1980. It is a publishing company and its logo is located to the right. Gurze has a very user friendly website, located at http://www.bulimia.com and can be accessed by clicking here. There is something for everyone on this site, whether you are a parent of a child with an eating disorder, have an eating disorder yourself, or are a professional who wants more information on eating disorders. Check it out!

Stress...

With a new academic year in full swing, I have heard parents, college students and teenagers alike mention the increased level of stress that accompanies this time of year. Changes in routines and schedules can be stressful- regardless of whether the change is positive or negative. We tend to think of negative events as being stressful, but positive events can also trigger stress. Whether you are returning to school as a student, or you are a parent who has children returning to school, or you are neither and are undergoing stressful situations at work/home, learning how to healthily manage stress is an important skill to possess. For this reason, I thought that I would post some tips for managing stress, brought to you by the American Psychological Association :)

Stress Tip Sheet

In today’s fast-paced and ever-connected world, stress has become a fact of life. Stress can cause people to feel overwhelmed or pushed to the limit. The American Psychological Association’s 2007 “Stress in America” poll found that one-third of people in the U.S. report experiencing extreme levels of stress. In addition, nearly one-in-five report that they are experiencing high levels of stress 15 or more days per month. While low to moderate levels of stress can be good for you when managed in healthy ways, extreme stress takes both an emotional and physical toll on the individual.

With the consequences of poorly managed stress ranging from fatigue to heart disease and obesity, it is important to know how to recognize high stress levels and take action to handle it in healthy ways. Being able to control stress is a learned behavior, and stress can be effectively managed by taking small steps toward changing unhealthy behaviors.

APA offers the following tips on how to manage your stress:

Understand how you experience stress, Everyone experiences stress differently. How do you know when you are stressed"How are your thoughts or behaviors different from times when you do not feel stressed"

Identify your sources of stress.What events or situations trigger stressful feelings" Are they related to your children, family, health, financial decisions, work, relationships or something else"

Learn your own stress signals.People experience stress in different ways. You may have a hard time concentrating or making decisions, feel angry, irritable or out of control, or experience headaches, muscle tension or a lack of energy. Gauge your stress signals.

Recognize how you deal with stress. Determine if you are using unhealthy behaviors (such as smoking, drinking alcohol and over/under eating) to cope. Is this a routine behavior, or is it specific to certain events or situations" Do you make unhealthy choices as a result of feeling rushed and overwhelmed"

Find healthy ways to manage stress. Consider healthy, stress-reducing activities such as meditation, exercising or talking things out with friends or family. Keep in mind that unhealthy behaviors develop over time and can be difficult to change. Don't take on too much at once. Focus on changing only one behavior at a time.

Take care of yourself. Eat right, get enough sleep, drink plenty of water and engage in regular physical activity. Ensure you have a healthy mind and body through activities like yoga, taking a short walk, going to the gym or playing sports that will enhance both your physical and mental health. Take regular vacations or other breaks from work. No matter how hectic life gets, make time for yourself — even if it's just simple things like reading a good book or listening to your favorite music.

Reach out for support. Accepting help from supportive friends and family can improve your ability to manage stress. If you continue to feel overwhelmed by stress, you may want to talk to a psychologist, who can help you better manage stress and change unhealthy behaviors.