Seattle University Collaborative Projects - International Academy of ...

Jamie Chriqui, University of Illinois at Chicago, USA (jchriqui@uic.edu)This presentation will review the public policy strategies that are being implemented acrossfederal, state and local jurisdictions in the United States to counter the childhood obesityepidemic. Specific focus will be placed on examining the associations and/or impact that suchlaws and policies are having on affecting the obesogenic environments within which children areliving as well as their association with and/or impact on BMI and related behaviors/risk factors.Specific legal/policy strategies to be discussed include laws and policies at the state, local, and/orschool district levels related to: (1) physical activity including, but not limited to, those related tophysical education and safe routes to school; (2) restricting the availability of foods andbeverages sold outside of meal programs (i.e., “competitive foods”); (3) school district wellnesspolicies; and (4) beverage and food taxes. Examples of the disparate impact of such laws andpolicies on lower income and racial/ethnic minority populations also will be discussed.The Stories of Shame and Resilience in Counsellor Trainees with Experiences ofEating DisordersHelena Dayal, University of New Brunswick School of Graduate Studies – Faculty of Education(helenadayal@gmail.com)Shame is a complex and intensely painful emotion that is accompanied by feeling trapped,powerless, worthless, and leads to withdrawing from others. Shame is associated with the onsetand maintenance of eating disorders. Does shame inhibit student counsellors with eating issuesfrom help-seeking? This research question was asked because shame is possibly a majorcontributor to concealment, acting as a barrier to help-seeking among mental health professionalswith eating issues who are entering the workforce. It is possible that individuals who aremotivated by both psychological distress and need for help but who are ashamed to overtly seekhelp are attracted to helping professions, such as counseling. Counsellors with eating issues mayexperience personal and professional difficulties including counter-transference, overidentification,and feeling overly responsible for clients as a consequence of shame. Resilience toshame can be strengthened through verbalizing events associated with shame, and engaging inmutually empathic, growth fostering relationships. Currently, there is no research that considersthe role of shame as a barrier to help-seeking, or the resilience factors that contribute toovercoming shame in student counsellors. Using narrative inquiry, counselling students withself-perceived eating issues were asked to describe the areas in their lives where theyexperienced shame, how shame influenced support and treatment seeking, and how theyovercame shame. Results from this study can be used to inform university counselling programcurricula and treatment protocol for addressing eating issues. This may help to provide greaterinsight regarding the secrecy of eating issues and the factors that contribute to resilience.132