The Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Eating Disorders Coalition is celebrating National Eating Disorders Awareness Week with several free public events.
The first presentation, Hungry for Gold: Athletes and Eating Disorders features Dr. Margo Mountjoy, local Sports medicine physician. This talk will address early signs of disordered eating in athletes and how to screen for and respond to symptoms. This presentation will take place on at 4pm on Feb. 3 at St. Matthias Anglican Church, 171 Kortright Rd. W. at Edinburgh Rd. The free presentation addresses the relationship between eating disorders and Sports.
Dr. Margo Mountjoy, MD. Sport Medicine Physician will review the early signs of disordered eating in athletes and how to screen for symptoms. She will also discuss how to respond if you suspect that you or one of your athletes has an eating disorder and review local resources that are available to help.
Who should attend?
• Sports coaches
• High school teachers and guidance counsellors
• Health and mental health professionals
• Nutritionists
• Personal trainers
• Athletes
• Students of related disciplines.
The following Thursday, Faces of Recovery, an annual panel of people who are recovering from eating disorders will take place at 7pm on Feb. 10 at the Italian Canadian Club, 135 Ferguson St.
The panel includes individuals on the road to recovery from an eating disorder, as well as family members who have helped their loved ones cope with this difficult problem.
Eating Disorder and Body Image Expose
The Wellness Centre’s Acceptance Without Limits group at the University of Guelph is also hosting its annual Eating Disorder and Body Image Expose on Feb. 9 from 12 to 4pm at the University Centre. All events are free of charge with no pre-registration required. Donations to the coalition are welcome.
For more information, visit the Coalition’s website at eatingdisorderscoalition.ca.
About the Coalition:
Coalition member April Gates explained that the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Eating Disorders Coalition was formed in 2000 after a number of community agencies working in eating disorder prevention and treatment came together to celebrate National Eating Disorder Awareness Week. She said the idea was to address what they saw as gaps in services.
As a result, the purpose of the group is to increase public and professional awareness of eating disorders and unhealthy body images; provide eating disorder resources to the community; and to provide an opportunity for networking amongst a diverse range of health and mental health professionals, social service providers and others interested in the prevention and treatment of eating disorders.
The coalition website also provides and online directory of programs, therapists/counsellors, dietitians, and other resource materials.
Gates noted that group membership includes: Homewood Health Care, Trellis Mental Health, Guelph-Wellington Women in Crisis, University of Guelph Wellness Centre, Family and Children’s Services of Guelph Wellington, Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health as well as community volunteers.
Gates said each February, the local group plans events during National Eating Disorders Awareness Week.
Over the years, they’ve invited a variety of agencies and guest speakers. She added that the Faces of Recovery panel discussion continues to be positively received. She estimated that last year, 80 people attended the panel discussions.
“Everything is free to make it more accessible,” Gates said.
