Resources

A Bulletin by Margaret Notar, MSW, RSW, describing the use of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, an approach that uses acceptance and mindfulness processes, and commitment and behaviour change processes, to produce greater psychological flexibility.

A NEDIC Bulletin discussing eating disorders from an addictions perspective.

Les jeunes qui ont une piètre estime de leur image corporelle tendent à devenir des personnes qui hésitent à exprimer leurs opinions et qui peuvent en venir à éviter certaines opportunités académiques, sociales et économiques. Développer sa résilience dès la petite enfance est la clé pour acquérir une meilleure image corporelle et estime de soi. Révisé en 2016! Comprenant maintenant cinq leçons par niveau, allant de la 4e année du primaire jusqu’à la 2e année du secondaire, le programme Au-delà de l’image a été actualisé afin de bien outiller les enseignants et enseignantes pour aider les élèves à mieux comprendre les messages véhiculés dans les médias et les médias sociaux. Au-delà de l’image, invite les jeunes à pénétrer le monde des médias armés d’un esprit critique! Les élèves apprennent la mécanique et la symbolique utilisées dans la construction des messages médiatiques, pour ensuite apprendre à créer leurs propres messages sur la beauté au-delà des apparences. Au-delà de l’image explore les concepts actuels de beauté masculine et féminine et ce que cela signifie d’y correspondre, aidant ainsi les élèves à comprendre et à développer leur capacité de résilience vis-à-vis de ces messages stéréotypés.

A NEDIC bulletin discussing critical media literacy and the importance of research.

Beyond Images is a free curriculum for grades 4 through 8, filling a gap in media literacy curricula nationally and including activities that make a positive difference in combating appearance-based bullying and negative stereotypes. The curriculum provides the opportunity to explore key issues in today's society around body image and self-esteem as well as media messaging, while developing critical thinking skills. Revised for 2022, Beyond Images is also available in French.

Poor body image and self-esteem in youth can significantly impact their ability to interact with their world and pursue academic, social and economic opportunities. Building resilience and developing critical media literacy skills are two key components of teachers' toolkits for supporting today's youth. Beyond Images is a grade 4-8 curriculum that invites youth to engage in the world of media on their terms! Join two of the educators who created the Junior-Intermediate curricula as they share with you some of the ideas, strategies and resources that educators need in their classrooms today!

Studies show that how we feel about our bodies affects how we do socially, academically and physically. Understanding how body image is impacted in the school environment is fundamental to building resilience and positive self-esteem. Join Helen Vlachoyannacos OCT in exploring school-based experiences of body image and how to build resilience and self-esteem in the whole school community. Helen will address how to build community around body image issues among educators, parents, families and community members.

This session will provide an introduction to the subject of body image, and share tips for educators who wish to weave it into the classroom. Heather Thompson and Helen Vlachoyannacos wrote the Beyond Images curriculum for NEDIC, and will share their advice and perspectives on teaching body image to youth. They will also introduce the newly-revised Beyond Images curriculum, which is complete tool for educators and meets curriculum expectations for grades 4-8 across Canada.

A NEDIC Bulletin discussing body image and self-perception of women who have disabiliities.

A NEDIC Bulletin discussing body dissatisfaction and eating disorders in transgender individuals.

A NEDIC Bulletin examining body equity, particularly in an educational context. Body-equitable curriculums and their implementation are discussed.

Body Image is an international, peer-reviewed journal that publishes high-quality, scientific articles on body image and human physical appearance. This is an external resource, and NEDIC is linking to it for informational purposes only.

In this issue, Anita Khakh, BEd, MEd, discusses issues within the school context that can negatively influence students' body image, and proposes ways of creating positive institutional change.

Developed by the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport, with contributions from NEDIC, BodySense is an interactive e-learning course for adolescent athletes. It is designed to: educate and enhance their awareness and knowledge on how to navigate body image; bring balance to both their physical and mental health; and work towards greater respect and compassion for their body within and outside of sport. BodySense includes self-reflection and self-assessment activities as well as tools, resources, and useful links for athletes to explore.

Co-hosted by NEDIC and CWHN, this informative webinar recorded on February 4, 2010 covers the impact of media imagery on girls and women. The particpants' discussion was moderated by Shari Graydon, award-winning author, media educator and critic.

When most people think about women struggling with eating disorders, women with physical disabilities are rarely considered, despite the fact that studies and clinical observations have suggested that women with physical disabilities are actually at increased risk for developing an eating disorder. This webinar will discuss the role of physical disability in the development, maintenance, and treatment of disordered eating in women. Join Dr. Jennifer Mills and Kaley Roosen as they identify the severity of disordered eating within the population of women with physical disabilities, and discuss possible differences in how eating disorders manifest in this population.

For almost 20 years, Debbie Berlin-Romalis has facilitated support groups at Sheena’s Place, a non-residential, non-institutional centre for individuals, families, and friends affected by eating disorders. Through her clinical work and observations, Debbie has developed “trademarked concepts” that illustrate and highlight specific phenomena related to the social determinants of health and the onset and development of eating disorders.

This article by Yurico Shu Ping Li aims to provide insights into the cultural and familial influences that play a role in the development of eating disorders and eating disturbances among East Asian and Southeast Asian populations in Asia and North America. It will also discuss considerations for psychotherapy for East and Southeast Asians living with eating disorders.

A NEDIC Bulletin exploring the strengths and gaps of the existing body image literature as it relates to cultural sensitivity and body image programs for young Aboriginal women. Considerations for future directions in this area for research and clinical settings are also provided.

A NEDIC Bulletin discussing strategies for developing public awareness campaigns.

A NEDIC Bulletin discussing strategies for developing and implementing support programming in rural and under-served areas.

A press release promoting No Diet Day 2015. Instead of dieting, NEDIC promotes body acceptance, and encourages individuals of all ages to balance eating for health and eating for pleasure, while exercising for enjoyment.

Body-checking often feels automatic to people with body image concerns and it can be difficult (but not impossible!) to change. Understanding the impact that body-checking can have on body image is often a helpful first step toward making a change. This NEDIC Bulletin explains how body-checking is likely to reinforce and strengthen body dissatisfaction rather than alleviate it, and outlines strategies for reducing this behaviour.

A NEDIC Bulletin discussing the intersections of body image and self-esteem in women.

Alyssa Durbin and Dr. Jennifer Mills discuss the results of their recent study investigating how presenter self-disclosure influences message and presenter ratings in a school-based universal prevention program.

Educators and caregivers often try to protect children from falling victim to the “obesity epidemic”. Although they may have the best intentions, their attitudes toward food and weight may actually increase the risk of eating disorders and poor body image of the children in their care. In this webinar, Susan Osher MSc, RD will discuss the latest research and share her clinical experience on creating a positive and nurturing food environment. She’ll focus on strategies that empower and educate children so that they are able to nourish themselves with self-love.

What is eating disorder recovery coaching? How is it helpful for individuals with eating disorders? Written by Sarah Rzemeniak, certified recovery coach, with Carolyn Costin, founder of the Carolyn Costin Institute™ Coach Training Program, this Bulletin article explains how recovery coaches support affected individuals in overcoming the day-to-day challenges of recovery. This article also sheds light on how one can become a recovery coach and suggests what to consider in choosing a recovery coach.

A NEDICBulletin considering the Standing Committee on the Status of Women's report entitled "Eating Disorders Among Girls and Women in Canada" one year following the report's issue.

Social media platforms provide a unique opportunity for the public to be both consumers and creators, interacting with what is posted and posting content themselves with 24/7 access. With the popularity and accessibility of these platforms, experts in various domains, including eating disorders, have discussed the potential harms that social media use may pose. This Bulletin authored by Casidhe Gardiner, RD, explores what is known so far, what still needs to be studied, and potential prevention strategies.

Eating disorders are not a choice. They are not about vanity, weight or even food. Eating disorders are a serious mental health condition and may have serious health consequences.

The NEDIC team discusses myths, facts and false stereotypes surrounding eating disorders.

Eating Disorders Review provides news and original articles on diagnosis and treatment of all eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, other specified feeding or eating disorders, and obesity. This is an external resource, and NEDIC is linking to it for informational purposes only.

Eating Disorders offers a multidisciplinary perspective on clinical issues and prevention research that considers the essential cultural, social, familial, and personal elements that not only foster eating-related problems, but also furnish clues that facilitate the most effective possible therapies and treatment approaches.This is an external resource, and NEDIC is linking to it for informational purposes only.

The Professional Journal of beat, the leading UK charity for people with Eating Disorders and their families, European Eating Disorders Review is an international journal, publishing articles which review or report original research that has implications for the treatment and care of people with eating disorders, and articles which report innovations and experience in the clinical management of eating disorders. This is an external resource, and NEDIC is linking to it for informational purposes only.

A NEDIC Bulletin exploring the experience of fat women in therapy from a variety of perspectives. Cultural and psychotherapeutic prejudices against fat women are explored

A NEDIC Bulletin discussing "fat talk", or negative body-related conversations. The Bulletin discusses motivations and consequences of this type of talk as well as strategies to stop it.

A NEDIC Bulletin discussing challenges that women face in midlife that can negatively affect their body image and mental health and trigger or exacerbate eating disorder symptoms.

A NEDIC Bulletin exploring getting help, including how to select a therapist and what to expect from therapy, as well as common obstacles.

A NEDIC Bulletin exploring the recovery process, focusing on the period after the initial tasks of recovery have begun and potential issues or roadblocks that may arise.

Health At Every Size (HAES)® is an alternative paradigm to the traditional weight focused approach. Join Kori Kostka RD as she discusses her experience using this non-weight biased paradigm to help individuals build a positive body image, enjoy food, and discover the pleasure of moving their body to attain a sustainable, life-affirming and health providing outcome.

The NEDIC team discusses ways to support someone with an eating disorder.

A NEDIC Bulletin discussing the value of self-compassion and the burdens of self-consciousness and associated emotions.

Hearig comments about dieting, weight loss, and body size can be upsetting or harmful. How you respond, and whether you do so at all, is up to you – sometimes it's not worth engaging. If you do want to respond, consider the "nice/ice/spice" strategy. This tipsheet, adapted from Amanda Martinez Beck and J Nicole Morgan, co-hosts of the Fat and Faithful Podcast, provides ideas for responses that are nice, a bit cold like ice, and infused with spice.

This resource highlights how, as a parent or caregiver of a young person, you can help transform moments of negative body image that they experience into moments of feeling comfortable in their skin, and foster their connectedness with and appreciation for their body.

This French-language resource highlights how, as a parent or caregiver of a young person, you can help transform moments of negative body image that they experience into moments of feeling comfortable in their skin, and foster their connectedness with and appreciation for their body.

A NEDIC Bulletin considering the value of eating disorders prevention work and body image improvement work, and whether the two are linked.

In this webinar, Eva Pila MSc reviews the latest research on social physique anxiety in exercise, sport, and physical education and discuss its impact on eating disorders. The webinar includes evidence-based strategies to reduce body-related anxiety that can be applied by parents, teachers, fitness instructors and health professionals.

International Journal of Eating Disorders (IJED) publishes rigorously evaluated, high-quality contributions to an international readership of health professionals, clinicians and scientists. This is an external resource, and NEDIC is linking to it for informational purposes only.

Eating disorders represent an extremely difficult, time-consuming and costly condition to treat. Being young, female, and dieting are some of the few identified risk factors that have been reliably linked to the development of eating disorders. Several eating disorder prevention programs have been developed and trialled with children and adolescents. There is currently limited evidence in the published literature to suggest that any particular type of program is effective. This article is provided by Cochrane Canada.

There is a deep and troubling silence that cloaks boys’ bodies in schools. This absence of discussion has left the ways in which boys’ bodies are perceived, embodied, and lived in schools largely misunderstood. In this issue of the Bulletin, Chris Borduas, MPE and Michael Kehler, PhD examine adolescent boys' body image in Canadian health and physical education.

A NEDIC Bulletin discussing the experience of males affected by eating disorders, including barriers to care, myths, and symptoms.

A NEDIC Bulletin discussing triggers in the context of eating disorder recovery, and offering strategies to predict and manage possible triggers.

Frank Colosimo and Robbie Ahmed from Egale Canada discuss the m.Bodiment project, and ways for healthcare providers to be inclusive of the specific body image/eating disorder needs of the GBTQ community.

This NEDIC Bulletin discusses the impact of eating disorders on the affected individual's partner, with explanations of the stages of change from the Transtheoretical Model to help partners understand various challenges that their loved ones may experience. It also highlights self-care tips and books that partners may find helpful.

MediaSmarts is a Canadian not-for-profit charitable organization for digital and media literacy. MediaSmarts has been developing digital and media literacy programs and resources for Canadian homes, schools and communities since 1996. Through our work we support adults with information and tools so they can help children and teens develop the critical thinking skills they need for interacting with the media they love.

A Bulletin discussing the experience of men with eating disorders, including body dissatisfaction, symptoms, sexuality, and treatment.

Mirror exposure therapy is a form of exposure therapy designed to specifically target body image disturbances. It can be considered a first-line treatment for body image dissatisfaction and has also been studied as an adjunctive treatment for individuals with eating disorders. In this Bulletin article, Trevor C. Griffen, MD, PhD, describes mirror exposure therapy and provides recommendations for clinicians to consider.

A NEDIC Bulletin explaining the Health at Every Size model of care, as well as dissecting myths about what HAES is or isn't.

A NEDIC Bulletin exploring the role of stigma , either internalized or from health care providers, in the experience of bariatric patients.

This NEDIC Bulletin by Heather Wheeler, PhD, describes the ways in which clinical perfectionism is developed and maintained, how it affects individuals with eating disorders, and what can be done to change it.

A NEDIC Bulletin considering eating disorders prevention. This Bulletin considers both primary (eliminating factors causing eating disorders) and secondary (reducing the causes and perpetuating factors of eating disorders) prevention.

The COVID-19 pandemic created insurmountable obstacles to organizing and holding a NEDIC conference in 2021. However, with this special issue of the NEDIC Bulletin, we can revisit Radical Unlearning, celebrate the sharing of knowledge and ideas that occurred, and extend the discussions that were sparked. NEDIC is grateful to the conference participants who contributed to this Bulletin. In their article, Kelsey Sick, Catherine M. Sabiston, and Eva Pila discuss the development of an evidence-based and stakeholder-informed program for sport contexts that aims to prevent body image concerns and disordered eating, and to address gender inequity in sport participation. Justine Van Herk, Sara Santarossa, Jory Fulcher, and Sarah J. Woodruff report on their evaluation of a community-based workshop and toolkit designed to educate mothers about how to effectively help their adolescent daughters navigate the online world. In her contribution, Annina Schmid provides an overview of solution-focused approaches to counselling and explains how to use solution-focused dialogue to help clients who are engaging in disordered eating as a means to lose weight envision and pursue a more positive relationship with food and their body.

A personal trainer who has recovered from an eating disorder, Jay Walker brings a unique perspective to his work in body-image and fitness. Jay hopes to help people understand how the fitness industry can impact men’s relationships with their bodies, challenging misconceptions about health and recovery along the way.

A NEDIC Bulletin exploring the self-monitoring of weight from an eating disorders perspective, considering potential benefits and risks.

A NEDIC Bulletin exploring the transition to post-secondary education as a risk factor for struggles with body image and eating.

In this issue of the NEDIC Bulletin, Megan Buchkowski, MA, Sarah Nutter, PhD, and Jessica Saunders, PhD report on their findings from a qualitative study that investigated how time spent in nature affected the recovery experiences of a group of women who had lived with an eating disorder. Their findings add to the growing body of evidence demonstrating the potential health and wellbeing benefits of spending time in nature.

A NEDIC Bulletin examining the experience of Black women with eating disorders and offering an overview of research and gaps in research

A NEDIC Bulletin exploring the adolescent experience of eating disorders through the lens of the stages of change.

The meaning of fat is in constant flux. Why do we understand fat as bad? Who is fat and what constitutes fatness? Is it a number on a scale or a BMI measurement? Is it a quantitative, treatable illness or a qualitative, lifelong accumulation of experiences? This presentation aims to consider the prevalence of taken for granted truths about fat bodies and health and specifically the ways that a fear of fat may have broad societal impacts on people of all sizes. By looking at fat as a relevant and controversial identity experience, we aim to explore the intersections and interstices between how we are seen and how we are treated; between who we are and who we are presumed to be. Presented by May Friedman (Associate Professor, School of Social Work, Ryerson University) and Sabrina Friedman (Social Worker).

While people with eating disorders are notoriously secretive, warning signs can include anything from unhealthy attitudes towards food to abusing laxatives.

Les jeunes qui ont une piètre estime de leur image corporelle tendent à devenir des personnes qui hésitent à exprimer leurs opinions et qui peuvent en venir à éviter certaines opportunités académiques, sociales et économiques. Développer sa résilience dès la petite enfance est la clé pour acquérir une meilleure image corporelle et estime de soi. audeladelimage.ca

This session, presented by Kori Kostka RD, Doron Eisen MD, and Claudia Mariano NP, reviews the impact of a weight-based approach on patient care and health outcomes; and challenge participants by presenting a new paradigm using Health At Every Size(R) from a registered dietitian, family physician, and nurse practitioner perspective for weight management referrals which can transform patients and health teams. The presenters comment on the challenges and possible solutions for implementing this approach in a team-based environment.

A NEDIC Bulletin exploring primary prevention in schools, in the family, and beyond, with a focus on the experience of adolescents..