Eat Newsletter Aug 2009

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EATING AWARENESS TEAM

Welcome to EAT’s new-look newsletter Exciting things are happening at EAT Warm greetings from all of us here at the Eating Awareness Team! Exciting things are happening at EAT: we’re working on a website with the help of Webbuild (www.webbuild.co.nz) and will soon have a great set of online resources for you to access and refer others. Our youth counsellor, Rachel Lattimore, has recently started a parents’ group in conjunction with Princess Margaret Hospital. Read about it over the page. On another note, the recession is hitting us all, and not-for-profit’s are certainly no exception. At the present time, our counselling and support services are stretched to maximum capacity and we have had to institute a waiting list. In response to this EAT will be holding an online craft auction in October to coincide with Love Your Body Day 2009 (see http://create4eat.wordpress .com/). While this will be a great event and

Give to EAT!

we look forward to your involvement later in the year, if you are able to support us now by donation we would be very grateful. EAT’s main source of funding comes from the Canterbury District Health Board. This funding, however, is not sufficient to cover all of the costs involved in providing our service to the people of Canterbury and the wider South Island. We pursue many other options for community funding and spend a lot of time and energy seeking additionual funds to maintain the service. Currently, we are in urgent need of more funding. If you are able, please give to EAT and in doing so help someone who is suffering from disordered eating or body image issues. Until next time, the EAT team.

In this newsletter: EAT Update Eating Disorders in the Media New Parents Group Inititative Contact EAT

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If you’d like to donate to EAT, here’s how: Cheque: payable to Eating Awareness Team Direct Credit Account Name: Eating Awareness Team Inc. Account Number: 030855 0393532 00

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EAT Staff and Collective Officers Contact Us phone: 03 366 7725

Rachel Lattimore Youth Counsellor

Fiona O’Neill Chairperson (Collective)

Lucy Allen-King Media (Collective)

Kate Yeoman Adult Counsellor

Jacqueline Anne (Collective)

Anita Harrison Administration & Finance (Treasurer)

Julie Loan Adult Counsellor

Jackie van Litsenburg Volunteer Counsellor

Charlotte Murphy Fundraising

email: [email protected]

Eating Disorders in the Media Kate Yeoman, Adult Counseling Co-ordinator

Introducing Lucy

You may have seen the recent story about a contestant in the Australian Miss Universe contest whose body was deemed “too thin”, suggesting she was suffering from an eating disorder. I was contacted by a major current affairs programme for comment, and the experience reinforced my feeling that the media’s treatment of eating disorders is often simplistic and unhelpful. The show’s producer clearly wanted me to confirm that the contestant was shockingly thin and probably had an eating disorder. Unfortunately, as I explained to him, I was in no position to judge this from watching a YouTube video. I also pointed out that the other contestants were uniformly slim: any of them may or may not have suffered from body image issues and food difficulties. I said I was happy to come on the show to discuss how women’s bodies are scrutinised in events like beauty pageants, and the mistaken idea that what a person’s body looks like can tell us whether they have an eating disorder. In the end, I wasn’t on the show. When I watched it that night I realised how thoroughly my ideas failed to fit the black-andwhite story they presented; and how they jarred with the follow-up story – a feel-good item about the happy, healthy contestants in NZ’s pageant. The main item involved the host and two pageant representatives scrutinising the contestant’s body and debating whether she had an eating disorder. Overall, I felt the show perpetuated inaccurate and harmful

ideas about eating disorders and “beautiful” bodies: • One contestant was singled out, suggesting that the others had “normal” bodies and were obviously free from food and body image issues; • In fact, all the contestants had body types that are uncommon to most women, and that don’t reflect the diversity of beautiful bodies; • Directing suspicion at one woman reinforces the idea of an eating disorder “look”; • This is a dangerous assumption because, actually, people with all kinds of bodies can have eating disorders or distress around food and body image; • Also, if this woman did have an eating disorder, media scrutiny would be the last thing she’d need; • And if she were unwell, the item suggests that it is somehow her fault, despite the pressure to be slim that is undoubtedly a feature of beauty pageants. While discussion of disordered eating and body image difficulties is badly needed in the media, the conversation needs to address the complexity of these issues. Clearly my take on things didn't sit comfortably next to the pre-packaged ideas about "normal" and "healthy" that the media

perpetuates. NZ needs its media to look at these issues more deeply and sensitively - in a less simplistic, less sensationalist, more challenging way.

has an 80% recovery rate. This highlights the importance of including families and support people on the recovery journey. By increasing understanding of ED’s and their effects on family and individuals, people can work together against the ED and toward more life affirming goals. It also serves to

shift shame and blame which often interfere with the recovery process. Instead, understanding and learning to meet needs is fostered. The group is now running as a monthly peer-support service and newcomers are welcome. Rachel Lattimore, EAT’s Youth and Family Counsellor.

We'd like to introduce Lucy Allen-King who has been a part of EAT's Collective group since March 2008. Lucy is excited to be taking on a role within the organisation as our Consumer Liaison and Volunteer Coordinator. Lucy will facilitate communication between EAT's clients and the service we provide. We have also had an increasing number of past and present clients and the members of the public wanting to volunteer within the service. Lucy will act as the coordinator for this type of work and if you would like to offer up your services we'd be most appreciative! Most of the work isn't glamorous but is really essential to the maintenance of EAT's services. Lucy can be contact by email: [email protected].

New Parents’ Group Initiative I have just finished running a Parents’ group collaboratively with the ED service at PMH. The group was a skills-based learning group focused on communication skills and supporting parents to support their child to recover from ED. It is based on the Maudsley Method, which uses family therapy and