In this 75-minute capacity-building presentation, facilitators from Island Health and the National Eating Disorder Information Centre will introduce educators to the pertinent signs of disordered eating in youth. Attendees will learn practical strategies for combatting diet culture in the classroom, including tips for talking about food and body, and engage in a discussion on potential ways to embed conversations into existing curriculum. Finally, attendees will learn about a framework to support a student coming forward with concerns and be guided to safe, evidence-informed healthcare resources to support those affected.
Content Warning: This workshop will include mention of specific eating disorder symptoms and invite discussion about potentially activating situations and experiences educators have had in the classroom. Facilitators will be prepared to support attendees who might also have their own struggles with disordered eating with resources, and trust attendees’ own way of navigating our session (breaks, camera off, etc.).
6-12
This session is full.
Brenna Wasylenki (she/her) is a Public Health Dietitian and Healthy School Lead with Island Health working in the North Island. Prior to becoming a Registered Dietitian, she worked as a teacher in Alberta. She is passionate about working alongside communities and schools to address barriers to health. She was born in Fort McMurray and moved to the Comox Valley in 2020. In her spare time, she loves to be outdoors hiking, running, walking, kayaking.
Ary Maharaj (he/him) is a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) and strongly dislikes both boxes and binaries. Hence, he's trying his best to be a clinical practitioner, community facilitator, and contribute to policy at the same time. He currently works in community education at the National Eating Disorder Information Centre and provides reduced-cost psychotherapy through Hard Feelings Mental Health. At Sheena's Place, he's honoured to co-facilitate free, group-based support for BIPOC folks experiencing disordered eating. He is immensely passionate about practicing from a place of cultural humility and aims to balance recognizing the impact of systemic injustices on mental health with creating spaces that allow people to have breathing room to experience collective healing.