Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Research
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Health & Society
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Research
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Health & Society

Learn Skills for Loving the Body You’re in With The Body Project Virtual Workshop

Wednesday, January 18, 2023, By News Staff
Share
College of Arts and SciencesfacultyPsychological Services CenterpsychologyStudentsworkshop
two women smiling and laughing against a red wall

A four-week body positivity workshop is offered by the Psychological Services Center in February. (Photo courtesy of the National Eating Disorders Association)

The prevalence of diagnosed eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder, are on the rise in the U.S., as Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital reports that as many as 30 million Americans have an eating disorder.

Many more Americans demonstrate symptoms of disordered eating without having a diagnosed condition.

The University’s Psychological Services Center, housed in the College of Arts and Sciences, is recruiting participants for an evidence-based eating disorder prevention program called The Body Project.

This four-week virtual, no-cost body positivity workshop is offered for eligible folks between the ages 12 and 24. The workshop is for individuals who struggle with the very common problem of body image dissatisfaction, but do not have an eating disorder diagnosis.

Program Details

  • Two groups are available based on age: adolescents (ages 12-17) and young adults (ages 18-24).
  • The sessions run Feb. 2-23 on Thursdays from 6-7 p.m. on Zoom.
  • Due to licensing, participants must be located in New York state.
  • The groups will be co-facilitated by Professor Afton Kapuscinski and Destiny Orantes, a doctoral student in clinical psychology.
  • Interested students—or faculty and staff members interested in enrolling their adolescent children—can request further information or join The Body Project by contacting Heather Pierson via email or at 315.443.3595.

Kapuscinski, associate teaching professor of psychology, says she was motivated to bring this program to campus after attending a session on The Body Project at an eating disorder conference in 2019.

“The presenters, Ellen Bennett and Sharon Mathiason, shared in common that they had daughters who had died from eating disorders, anorexia specifically,” Kapuscinski says. “They had run these groups before and their enthusiasm and passion about it was so palpable—it was infectious. I wanted to bring something to our community that could prevent other mothers from having to go through that.”

Participants will practice speaking, writing and acting in ways that are in opposition to the appearance ideal and in support of body acceptance and high self-esteem.

“The main goal of the program is to challenge the societal appearance ideal,” Orantes says. “As a prevention program, the primary outcomes we like to see among participants are reductions in body dissatisfaction and disordered eating, as well as decreasing the cognitive dissonance that can occur in terms of differences between our attitudes and our behaviors.”

Participants in previous cohorts have reported increases in the general level of pride they take in themselves, and an increased ability to thrive in areas of their life beyond their physical appearance.

“When we are focused on the way we look and that is the area of concern for us going about daily life, we miss out on being able to do a lot of other things,” says Kapuscinski. “I’ve been pleased to see prior participants say that their ability to focus on what interests them and what they’re passionate about expands through the group, allowing them to spend more time being present with those activities rather than worrying about how they appear to others.”

The small group format also promotes commitment and accountability, the facilitators say, compared with talking about body image issues one-on-one with a mental health practitioner.

“When you say something that is counter to the thin ideal or appearance ideal to a group of other girls or women, that means something different than if you just talk about it with your therapist,” Kapuscinski says. “It’s more likely to facilitate actual changed behavior in a person’s life.”

The Body Project launches Feb. 2. Contact Heather Pierson, office coordinator in the Psychological Services Center, by email (hmpierso@syr.edu) or phone (315.443.3595)  to join or for further information.

  • Author

News Staff

  • Recent
  • Chancellor Leads Ceremony Recognizing Crown Honors Professors
    Tuesday, January 31, 2023, By Dan Bernardi
  • 7 Reasons to Attend Interfaith Exploration Week
    Tuesday, January 31, 2023, By Dara Harper
  • NBA Hall of Famer and Former Detroit Mayor Dave Bing ’66 to Speak on Feb. 17
    Tuesday, January 31, 2023, By Jessica Youngman
  • Arts and Sciences Professors Honored by American Association for the Advancement of Science
    Tuesday, January 31, 2023, By John Boccacino
  • A Critical Link: Field Supervisors Support Teachers-in-Training Through Experience and Reflection
    Tuesday, January 31, 2023, By News Staff

More In Health & Society

Navigating Healthy Relationships This Valentine’s Day

It’s hard to miss the approach of Valentine’s Day if you step into most U.S. stores this time of year. Products and advertisements are blanketed in pink and red, reminding customers of all the merchandise they can buy to demonstrate…

New Research Shows Pandemic’s Toll on Frontline Health Care Workers

For frontline health care workers, the mental health impact from the pandemic is extending beyond career burnout. Much of the attention on the mental toll suffered by frontline workers has focused on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). New research from a…

Psychology Professor Part of Two Grants Totaling Over $5M to Advance Alcohol-Related Research

During his nearly 30-year career at Syracuse University, Stephen Maisto, professor emeritus of psychology in the College of Arts and Sciences, has devoted much of his research to the assessment and treatment of substance use disorders. Continuing that work, Maisto was…

Former Syracuse University Athletic Trainer Credited With Performing Life-Saving CPR on Buffalo Bills’ Damar Hamlin

Former Syracuse University football athletic trainer Denny Kellington is being praised for helping save the life of Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin after Hamlin collapsed on the field in the first quarter of a “Monday Night Football” game vs. the…

Addressing Trauma Through Writing

As director of the Minority Stress and Trauma (MST) Lab, Jillian Scheer’s research focuses on bettering the mental and behavioral health of diverse and underserved sexual and gender minority people who have experienced trauma. In support of that work, Scheer,…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • @SUCampus
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2023 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.