Workshops and educational seminars on the prevention and treatment of eating disorders

Who is this service for?

This service is aimed at schools and colleges working with young people. We offer workshops and teaching sessions to both students and staff on the prevention and treatment of eating disorders.

Each workshop is designed to address aspects of the personal, social and health education framework for KS3 students (11-14 year olds) as laid out in the UK National Curriculum. The workshops for students aim to help the young person understand what is self-esteem and body image and to broaden ideas around beauty and self-acceptance. The educational seminars for staff aim to de-mystify eating disorders, their causes, presentations and effects as well as equipping them with the skills to respond and support the young person with an eating disorder.

Are you aware of the problem?

Everyday young people are taught how they should look, yet this is not found in any school or college curriculum, it is instead found through media imagery on our TV’s, magazines, fashion, beauty, music and the world of the celebrity. For young people this can be compounded by the developmental challenges associated with becoming an adult. When you consider these pressures it is not surprising that an increasing number of young people are turning to self-destructive behaviours in order to cope with these pressures.

Do you know how to identify the problem?

Would you know if a young person in your school or college was struggling with an eating disorder? Would you or your staff team be able to identify some of the signs or symptoms? It is most likely that the young person’s friendship group may be the first to notice. Would they feel able to discuss their concerns or observations with a member of staff without feeling like they have betrayed a friend? Do you have a forum where young people can understand and deal with feelings about physical appearance, question beauty myths and build self-esteem?

Can you cope with the problem?

Once you had identified a problem would you feel equipped leading your staff team in dealing with it? Would you feel sufficiently well informed to support both your staff and students? Would you be able to deal with the potential impact that one person’s difficulties could have on his/her peer group? Would you know where to access professional support or advice if you needed it?

Could you use a specialist?

We know that in order to help the young person we also need to equip the teaching staff with the right tools to first identify the eating disorder and then to decide the best course of action in relation to treating it. With this aim we offer educational workshops for teaching staff and body image/self esteem workshops for students.

For teaching staff

Educational seminars will focus on the following:

Introduction to eating disorders.
Eating disorders, body image, self-esteem and the media.
Eating disorders, physical, psychological and emotional effects.

For students

The workshops will focus on the following:

What is self-esteem and body image?
How the beauty ideals of our society affect us.
Responding to and supporting the young person with an eating disorder.
To broaden ideas around beauty and self- acceptance.
Exercises to strengthen self -esteem and self -acceptance.