2008 Woodie Awards
Combating eating disorders takes time, requires help
Health and Counseling Center promotes awareness
Allison Shaw
Issue date: 3/7/07 Section: News
Eating Disorder Awareness week, like the disorder itself, was a silent struggle.
Posters, magazine clippings of grotesquely thin models and nutrition pamphlets were left untouched at the "Healthy Habits: A Way of Life" presentation by Heather Peterson, yoga instructor and life coach.
Peterson spoke last Wednesday in the Driscoll Gallery informed students about healthy ways of nourishing their bodies and introduced them to the life-enhancing practice of yoga.
The low attendance disappointed members of the DU Health and Counseling Center, which offers professional help for eating disorders.
"The biggest problem is that people don't know that we are here," said Casey Wolfington, a physician at the center. "We have psychologists, psychiatrists and a nutritionist who has worked specifically with eating disorders."
Wolfington said the center offers treatment for multiple facets of eating disorders.
Students can assess themselves for symptoms by taking an online screening and make an appointment for a professional assessment and treatment plan.
In her presentation, Peterson said, "You spend so many years hiding it. Actually owning up to it is the hardest part."
Peterson, a graduate of DU's Lamont School of Music and a recovering anorexic/bulimic, described how she struggled with an eating disorder after graduating and recalled the pressures to stay thin as early as middle school.
As a dancer, Peterson was encouraged to manipulate and control her body in order to conform to a particular body shape that was both ideal and unrealistic.
"You feel awful," said Peterson of her experience with an eating disorder. "The emotional energy and emotional load are so draining."
Faced with the difficulty of admitting that she had a problem, Peterson finally sought counseling in her late twenties.
Peterson said that many of those afflicted with an eating disorder work too hard to hide it.
"That is when you know that you have a problem, when you have to hide it," she said.
Posters, magazine clippings of grotesquely thin models and nutrition pamphlets were left untouched at the "Healthy Habits: A Way of Life" presentation by Heather Peterson, yoga instructor and life coach.
Peterson spoke last Wednesday in the Driscoll Gallery informed students about healthy ways of nourishing their bodies and introduced them to the life-enhancing practice of yoga.
The low attendance disappointed members of the DU Health and Counseling Center, which offers professional help for eating disorders.
"The biggest problem is that people don't know that we are here," said Casey Wolfington, a physician at the center. "We have psychologists, psychiatrists and a nutritionist who has worked specifically with eating disorders."
Wolfington said the center offers treatment for multiple facets of eating disorders.
Students can assess themselves for symptoms by taking an online screening and make an appointment for a professional assessment and treatment plan.
In her presentation, Peterson said, "You spend so many years hiding it. Actually owning up to it is the hardest part."
Peterson, a graduate of DU's Lamont School of Music and a recovering anorexic/bulimic, described how she struggled with an eating disorder after graduating and recalled the pressures to stay thin as early as middle school.
As a dancer, Peterson was encouraged to manipulate and control her body in order to conform to a particular body shape that was both ideal and unrealistic.
"You feel awful," said Peterson of her experience with an eating disorder. "The emotional energy and emotional load are so draining."
Faced with the difficulty of admitting that she had a problem, Peterson finally sought counseling in her late twenties.
Peterson said that many of those afflicted with an eating disorder work too hard to hide it.
"That is when you know that you have a problem, when you have to hide it," she said.
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