Sister to Sister Mentor Program
I am the founder and director of the Sister to Sister (S2S) Peer Mentor Program for
the Prevention of Eating Disorders. S2S recruits and trains sorority women to act
as positive role models and peer mentors to other women on our campus, specifically
around issues involving body image and disordered eating. I decided to start this
program for many reasons. First, I want to see the women at WCU learn to feel better
about themselves and their bodies, and to stop defining their self-worth based on
their appearance. Second, through my clinical work, I have seen the devastating effects
of eating disorders and believe that prevention is a worthwhile endeavor. Even if
this program helps to prevent just one woman from developing an eating disorder, it
will be well worth it! Finally, I hope that through this program, sorority women at
WCU will learn to feel more empowered and understand that they can make changes to
improve the climate in which they live (whether it be within their individual sororities,
the WCU campus, or the society as a whole).
My initial research at WCU found that eating disorders are not necessarily more prevalent
among sorority women as compared to non-sorority women. Nevertheless, targeting sororities
for this program makes sense for a number of reasons. First, body image concerns were
found to be greater among sorority women. Body dissatisfaction is one of the key risk
factors in developing disordered eating. Second, the sororities at WCU are made up
of a large group of women who serve as leaders on this campus. These women are dedicated
to the Greek system and the University. Most importantly, sorority women are dedicated
to each other - helping and supporting one another in an effort to make the college
experience a positive one. As a result, sorority women make ideal peer mentors!
More so than focusing on eating disorders, the Sister to Sister program aims to focus
on body image, self-esteem, and empowerment. Much research exists showing that body
dissatisfaction combined with low self-esteem places individuals at risk for eating
disorders. Listed below are the areas the S2S program targets and our goals for each
area.
- Body image: Goal is to increase acceptance of all body shapes and sizes, improve body
satisfaction, learn to treat our bodies well, and decrease the focus on appearance.
- Self-esteem: Goal is to improve self-esteem by decreasing the emphasis on appearance
in the evaluation of self-worth and increasing the emphasis on other, less superficial
characteristics.
- Empowerment: Goal is to recognize and take steps to change those things that perpetuate
body dissatisfaction and body obsession among women.
- My research shows that the S2S program is working! Since the program began in 2000,
sorority women's body image attitudes and eating behaviors have improved; whereas
those of non-sorority women at WCU have remained unchanged. It is my hope to introduce
S2S to other universities so more women can benefit.
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