March 2005 Archives

Thanks to Walter Vandereycken for drawing my attention to an interesting article which is written by Patricia Prinz and is free to download from an open access journal 'Public Library of Science: Medicine'.

The article deals with the increasing evidence suggesting that getting less than 8 hours sleep per night may be associated with weight gain and put people at risk of obesity. The largest of the studies mentioned included 1.1 million participants so it seems to be a robust finding! Another recent study was prospective in design, which meant that people were followed over time to see how lack of sleep was related to future weight gain. This clarifies the question about the direction of causation - data from earlier cross-sectional studies could have been due to obesity leading to poor sleep rather than the other way round.

Isham House (Northampton, UK) are seeking an experienced and enthusiastic RMN (E Grade, full or part time) to assist in the provision of comprehensive treatment programmes within our Eating Disorders Unit. Salary Range will be £19,395 - £23,312 plus £550 p.a. allowance.

The successful applicant will demonstrate excellent interpersonal skills, an ability to work closely with other multidisciplinary team members and to undertake the role of care co-ordinator to individual patients. Experience of working within this clinical area is not essential, but a commitment to professional and personal development is required. There are considerable opportunities for further training and the development of additional skills.

Employee benefits include contributory pension scheme, subsidised staff meals, life assurance cover, and access to excellent sports facilities whilst working within a very pleasant environment.

For further information or to arrange an informal visit, please contact Sue Mellem on 01604 616100.
Application packs are available from Liz Mudge on 01604 616184, or email lizmudge@cygnethealth.co.uk.

Closing date for applications is 7th April 2005.

Two positions are available at facilities within Counseling on Grand in Burnsville, MN. The first involves specific work with eating disordered individuals. Both require a person who is able to function autonomously and as part of a team. Both positions also provide numerous opportunities for case consultation, professional support and program development exist.

Bushman Psychological Services, LLC seeks a Licensed Psychologist, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist or Licensed Clinical Social Worker with experience and interest in working with adolescents and adults presenting with eating disorders. Applicant would be interested in providing individual, family and/or group therapy. Program development opportunities are also available. Applicant may balance his/her caseload with clients
presenting with other issues of interest to him/her. Opportunities to work with a DBT based program also exist. Bushman Psychological Services, LLC is an outpatient mental health private practice facility with a special focus on treating eating disorders.

Patricia Verby Psychological Services seeks a Licensed Psychologist, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist or Licensed Clinical Social Worker with experience and interest in working with adolescents and adults presenting with self-injurious behaviors and other symptoms related to Borderline Personality Disorder. Applicant would be interested in providing individual, group therapy and family support services. Program development opportunities are available. Applicant may balance his or her caseload with clients presenting with other issues of interest to him or her. There is the opportunity to work with individuals presenting with eating disorders.

Patricia Verby Psychological Services INC is an outpatient mental health private practice facility, which has a special focus on treating individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder and related issues. This practice has a DBT focus.

Applicants may mail, email, or fax resumes/vitas to:
Bushman Psychological Services, LLC 14569 Grand Avenue South, Suite 200,
Burnsville, MN 55306; Kimbushman@frontiernet.net; Fax # (952) 898-5858.

Patricia Verby Psychological Services 14569 Grand Avenue South, Suite 200,
Burnsville, MN 55306; pverby_cog@frontiernet.net ; Fax # (952) 898-5858.

The Essential Handbook of Eating Disorders, edited by Janet Treasure, Ulrike Schmidt and Eric van Furth has just been published by John Wiley. The book is a shortened version of the original Handbook of Eating Disorders (still available from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com), containing fourteen of the most practical chapters from the original volume. Issues covered include medical complications, cognitive behavioural models and treatments, motivation, family therapy and inpatient treatment.

The Essential Handbook is available from Amazon.co.uk and but not yet from Amazon.com.

I've been reviewing the literature about men, eating disorders and body image for a presentation at work. I'll hopefully get a summary of the literature with some references up on the site in the next few weeks, time allowing.

But in the meantime, I came across an interesting article in In Touch, the magazine of the Australian Psychological Society about body image issues in men (thanks Graham!). Well worth a read for a quick overview of the area.

I have been meaning for some time to mention the Campaign for Real Beauty started by Dove. They are aiming to question conventional standards of beauty i.e. that to be beautiful women must be thin, young, conventional etc. You may have seen their ads on the tube which have captions like 'fit or fat?', 'grey or gorgeous', next to pictures of women who are often stunning looking, although perhaps not in a conventional sense. Of course the aim of the campaign is to sell more soap, but I did think it was a hopeful step which might encourage other advertisers to use a broader range of images of women in their campaigns. And it seems to provoke debate, at least judging by the number of scrawled comments on the escalator ads I've seen. Although I've often wondered how people have time to write anything as they are zooming up or down past a poster!

The website is nicely designed and opens with an online poll. Then you can get access to forums discussing beauty and body image (i.e. weight), unconventional looks and older women.