WELLNESS
Counselor Coffee
Julia Guillén Williams
Carmen Martinez
Kate Hankins
Pam Lever
Objectives
● To normalize the development of adolescents
● To normalize adult frustration regarding adolescent’s body
image
● To discuss ways to help our children achieve positive
wellness
○ With nutrition
○ Leading a balanced life
○ Positive statements
Developmental Facts & Needs
Physical
Intellectual
Emotional
Social
•Uneven physical growth
•Short attention span
•Fluctuating emotions
•Desire for independence
•Rapid brain growth
•Needs relevance in
learning
•High levels of anxiety at
times
•Sensitivity to peer
pressure
•Responds to choice
•Ambivalence
•Varied interests
•Fluctuating moods
•Changing interests and
priorities
•Concrete thinking
•Extreme self
consciousness
•Restlessness and periods of
fatigue
•Metabolic and hormonal
fluctuation
•Underdeveloped sense of time
and space
•Orientation to
present
•Need to focus on role
models
•Bullying …everyone is
trying to fit in – go with
the group
Wellness is a balanced life
Emoti
onal
Wellness
External Messages
Development
Social Media
Peers
Family
Friends
l
a
Physic
Self-Perception
+/-
Coping Skills
Intell
ectua
l
Body Image
Nutrition
Self-Worth
Physical Health
Mental Health
Socia
l
Discussion
What behaviors do Counselors observe at school, in terms of
body image?
●
Unrealistic expectations regarding body image
○
Low self esteem
○
Poor choices about food
●
Feelings of anxiety
●
Stress
●
School avoidance
●
Problems in relationships (parents and friends)
What behaviors do you see or experience at home?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c96SNJihPjQ
●
●
What does this video show us
about how we compare ourselves
to others?
What do you think the impact is
of comparing our appearance in
this way?
It is common to compare ourselves
to people we see in real life as well
as images we see in the media.
Comparing ourselves with others is
ultimately pointless because whilst
everyone is comparing, nobody's
happy or satisfied with the features
they have.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC4FY3uiB_s&feature=youtu.be
●
●
●
Does the conversation seem wellmeaning or harmful?
How do you think this conversation
makes all the young people feel about
their appearance?
How do you think this conversation will
affect their feelings about their
appearance in the long term?
People use body talk for lots of reasons, but
the outcome is almost always unhelpful as
body talk can make appearance seem more
important or valuable than other things, and
this can impact our confidence.
It is really common to engage in body talk,
which can include both positive and negative
conversations about appearance.
By practicing how to redirect conversations
away from appearance, we can avoid body
talk, build confidence, and spend more time
discussing what really matters to us.
Be aware of when body talk enters your
conversations.
nutrition
FACTS about teen bodies:
● Natural weight gain and other body changes during puberty
are normal.
● Teens feel peer pressure to look a certain way
● Teen struggles with self-esteem are at an all time high during
middle and high school
Sound like the perfect storm?
Nutrition
nutrition
Nutrition Guideline
●
●
●
●
Make sure your child understands that weight gain is a
normal part of development, especially during puberty.
Avoid negative statements about food, weight, and body
size and shape.
Allow your child to make decisions about food, while
making sure that plenty of healthy and nutritious meals and
snacks are available. Plan meals, shop together, move
together.
Keep the communication lines with your child open.
Leading a Balanced Life that correlates with Body Image
Words To Say
● Every single person is unique, so comparing the way we look to
others is not helpful or realistic - and it can have negative
consequences for ourselves and others around us. What makes you
unique?
● Focus on being the best possible version of yourself, you can
improve your own self-esteem and body confidence.
● Change your internal script. I admire you for ______. What do you
admire in yourself?
● Let’s plan the meals for this week. What should our eatwell plate look
like?
●
Show that you yourself have a healthy body image and enjoy keeping it healthy by choosing healthy
behaviors. You can do this by
○
Exercising with your child.
○
Go for a walk or a bike ride, take a yoga class, or do some yard work.
○
If they’re not inclined to join in, show interest in their activities, even if you can’t participate with
them.
●
Teach your teen how to think critically about advertising claims regarding diet and body. If your daughter
thinks she needs to look like a certain female celebrity, challenge the idea by asking how many people
she sees everyday that would measure up to that standard. Make sure they understand how calories and
exercise work.
●
Promote healthy cognitive habits – that is, help your child have a “good script” in their head to better
counteract what they hear and see in the media. Your child may not ever look like his favorite professional
athlete, but there’s nothing wrong with him working out, playing sports, and striving to be like said athlete,
as long as he’s approaching it from a healthy and well-rounded perspective.
http://childdevelopmentinfo.com/child-health-news/help-teenager-improve-body-image/#ixzz45wkRneZ2
Pam Myers, BSEd
Adolescents “Being The Change”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_hd9vA3MbE&feature=youtu.be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yTn7UvpUoQ&feature=youtu.be
Questions &
Comments
Thank you for coming!