Sona Dimidjian, University of Colorado Boulder associate professor of psychology and neuroscience, taught Women’s Mental Health to CU undergraduates last year and was repeatedly inspired by the enthusiasm of students to create a world in which girls and women were less vulnerable to the social pressures that influence health problems like eating disorders and depression.
“The CU undergraduates in my classes have such passion for learning ways to contribute and create a healthier world. When one of my graduate students sent me a link of a TEDx talk by Carolyn Becker, I knew it had something of value to share with the CU and Boulder communities,” Dimidjian said. “In that moment, the idea for a lecture series that would share the latest scientific research and facilitate conversations among clinical scientists and community members to enhance and support mental health and wellness was born.”
The first of such events was led by Becker, a body image expert and professor of psychology at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, on Thursday, April 17, and Friday, April 18. Organized by Dimidjian and funded by a grant from the CU-Boulder Outreach Committee, CU-Boulder hosted two community events presenting the latest psychological research aimed at helping girls and women embrace a healthy body image and reduce body dissatisfaction.
The public was invited to “Helping Girls and Women Develop Healthy Body Image,” on April 17. There, Becker discussed more than a decade’s worth of research on developing and disseminating proven strategies to prevent eating disorders and develop healthy body image. She provided steps for freeing individuals, particularly women and girls, from excessive focus on physical appearance and celebrating one’s capacities.
“Think about all of the women and girls in your life…and think about how much time and energy and emotion (they) spend disliking their bodies,” Becker said in her TEDx talk. “Imagine what we could do with all of that time, energy, emotion, and money if we were to have them be happy with their bodies.”
Following Becker’s lecture, a panel discussion was moderated by Dimidjian and featured local experts from the Boulder Valley School District, Eating Recovery Center, La Luna Center, and CU-Boulder.
Becker also led a workshop for clinicians and educators on April 18. The workshop introduced participants to a dissonance approach called “The Body Project,” a body image improvement program that has been found to reduce onset of eating disorders in high school- and college-age females. The workshop reviewed existing research support and provided experiential training in delivering core components of “The Body Project.”