spotlight
newsletter
Counseling and Personal Development Center, Westchester Campus • Spring 2006
Welcome to the first issue of Spotlight!
Counseling is a process that helps people
work out personal, academic, or vocational
problems. The professional staff at the
Counseling Center at Pace University is
available to assist students, staff, and faculty
in the resolution of these problems.
The Counseling Center offers personal
counseling, alcohol and other drug
assessments, resources and support services
for students with disabilities and victims
of sexual assault, workshops and other
programs, crisis intervention, and referrals
to community and other programs.
In personal counseling, students discuss
personal or emotional difficulties in
complete confidentiality. Services include
individual and group counseling. Concerns
discussed include adjustment to college,
relationship and family issues, depression
and/or anxiety, self-esteem, and alcohol
and other drug use, to name a few.
Ask Dr. Page:
One very common problem among
students is concern about eating and body
size. This issue of Spotlight aims to help
students identify when eating concerns
may be significant and how they can be
addressed. You will also get first-hand tips
from a current student on how to cope
with stress, both with ongoing, proactive
behaviors and during your Spring Break.
Most importantly, we hope that,
through this issue, you will become more
familiar with the many ways in which
our Counseling Center can help students
identify, understand, navigate, and work
through their personal concerns in order to
have a successful and fruitful academic and
extracurricular career at Pace University.
— Lauren Saler, PsyD
Senior Staff Psychologist, Counseling and
Personal Development Center,
Westchester Campus
Spotlight on Eating Problems
Dear Dr. Page:
I frequently think about food, eating, and my body.
How can I tell if my preoccupation with food
and weight is actually an eating problem?
Signed,
Maybe I Have an Eating Problem
Continued inside
Inside this issue:
Ask Dr. Page: Spotlight On
Eating Problems
Eating Problems: Confronting
With Care
Manage Stress, Don’t Let It
Manage You
Getting Ready for Spring Break 2006
Ways to De-Stress at Pace
Pace University Counseling and
Personal Development Center,
Westchester Campus
Services at the Counseling Center are
confidential and available free of charge to
members of the Pace community.
Our Pleasantville office is located in the
Administration Center, 2nd floor, and
our office is open 9:00 a.m to 5:00 p.m.,
Monday through Friday. Evening hours by
appointment.
Our White Plains office is available by
appointment only.
Call us at (914) 773-3710 or drop in to make
an appointment.
We also have Walk-In Clinic (no appointment
needed) on Mondays through Fridays, from
1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. in Pleasantville.
n Emotional (e.g., mood swings, low self-
esteem)
n Psychological (e.g., preoccupation
with
food, fluctuating body image)
n Social (e.g., eating in secret, strained
relationships)
n Physical (e.g., significant weight loss or
gain, fatigue)
If you identify with some of the behaviors
and feelings described here, you might
want to speak with a counselor, physician,
or nutritionist about your concerns.
Sometimes getting treatment for a
developing eating problem can prevent it
from evolving into an eating disorder.
Continued from cover
Dear Maybe I Have an Eating Problem,
Eating problems can consist of various
levels of eating-related feelings, attitudes
and behaviors along a continuum from a
preoccupation with body image and food to
an eating disorder.
Preoccupation with body shape and
size and food involves frequently thinking
about food, eating, and your body. For
example: thinking about what you ate at
your last meal and feeling you need to
“make up for it,” being a little inflexible
about what you “allow” yourself to eat,
and/or feeling guilty or bad for what you’ve
eaten. In addition, you may not like the way
certain parts of your body look or you may
consistently feel you could lose a few pounds.
In general, these feelings do not interfere
with enjoying life and engaging in situations
involving food.
Eating or body image distress is when
your preoccupation with eating and body
size and shape does interfere with daily
interactions and activities. For example:
thinking a great deal about food or your
looks, being fairly rigid in your eating
patterns, having some fairly strict rules
about eating, working hard to change your
body size and shape, and/or experimenting
with compensating for eating like vomiting,
fasting, extreme exercising. Typically, you
will not have experienced a significant
amount of weight loss or have a regular
pattern of disordered eating behavior.
Eating disorders most
commonly refer to:
n Anorexia Nervosa involves a significant
fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, a
restriction of food intake, and significant
weight loss. Women with anorexia often
stop menstruating. People who struggle
with this disorder sometimes engage in
compensating behaviors such as extreme
exercising.
n Bulimia Nervosa involves binge-eating
episodes during which the person eats
large amounts of food and feels unable to
control the eating. The person may also
engage in compensatory behaviors (e.g.,
vomiting, use of laxatives, overexercising)
to offset food eaten.
n Binge Eating Disorder describes a pattern
where binge eating occurs, but without
compensating behaviors.
People who struggle at the Preoccupation,
Distress, or Eating Disorder levels often
experience a number of symptoms:
n Behavioral (e.g., routinely restricting
calorie or food intake for the primary
purpose of feeling more in control, eating
episodes during which you feel out of
control)
Overcoming Eating
Problems
There is hope for those who suffer from
eating problems. A variety of treatment
approaches have been effective in preventing,
reducing, or stopping the troublesome
behaviors and in developing new ways of
coping with underlying feelings.
An important first step, and often the
most difficult, is to acknowledge that you
have an eating problem. This also involves
realizing that your distressing eating
behaviors and feelings are about more than
just food.
The next step is to talk with experienced
professionals. Treatment for eating problems
can consist of medical monitoring,
nutritional counseling, education, and
individual and/or group counseling.
Along with providing relief from having
to keep such an important issue secret,
professionals can help you improve selfesteem, challenge negative body image
messages, develop healthy and supportive
relationships, and guide you toward a
healthier lifestyle.
The Counseling and Personal
Development Center offers individual
counseling and a support group for eatingrelated issues, as well as referrals to other
campus and community resources.
—Jennifer Page, PhD
Post-Doctoral Fellow, Counseling and Personal
Development Center,Westchester Campus
Concerned about a Friend?
Confronting with Care
Manage Stress,
Don’t Let It
Manage You!
Before you talk with your friend, consider the nature of your relationship with regard
to whether you have a trusting friendship, a good foundation for intimacy, and wellestablished boundaries.
You might also consider consulting with a professional at the Counseling Center in
order to get additional information. He or she can help you with a plan for whether
and how to approach your friend, suggest resources available in your area, and help
you take care of yourself in the process.
If you decide to approach your friend, remember that your motivation to
approach stems from how much you care.
Imagine this: You can’t get through the day
without several cups of black coffee. You can’t
remember the last time you slept the whole
night through. You are tired, your muscles are
sore, you have a constant headache, and you
are extremely irritable.
These are just some of the classic symptoms
of stress. For many students, college may be the
most stressful time of your life.You may suddenly
find yourself bogged down by papers, projects,
exams and presentations, with deadlines for every
class falling right in the same week. There is also
the added pressure of fitting in socially, and trying
to find time to have fun and relax.While a little bit
of stress can be beneficial, too much can dampen
your college experience, and be a detriment to
your health.
4) Use “I” statements. These convey your
thoughts, feelings, and reactions (i.e., “I
heard you throwing up last night and I am
concerned”). Using “you” statements tends to
convey judgments and may cause your friend
to become defensive.
5) Remain patient. While you may view
the behavior as something that needs to be
“fixed,” your friend may be protective of the
eating disorder. Individuals often deny there
is a problem or get very angry with others for
suggesting that there might be.
1) Create an action plan. Read up on eating
disorders, write out a list of specific behaviors
of concern, consider whether to include anyone
beside yourself, and plan where and when to
approach your friend. You also want to be able
to give your friend information about where
help is available.
2) Approach with compassion. Listen first
so that your friend feels heard and understood,
treat what is said seriously, do not add to your
friend’s guilt by judging behavior or nagging
about eating/not eating.
3) Emphasize specific behaviors. Focus
on the specific behaviors of concern and not
on your friend’s personal characteristics. For
example, “I’m concerned that whenever we go
to eat you never want to come along” rather
than “Your legs are skin and bones.”
6) Recognize the limits of your own power
and responsibility. You do not have the
power to make your friend change or control
how your friend will respond to you. You do
have the power to be genuine, supportive,
and concerned. Inform yourself about eating
disorders and the recovery process, be honest
with yourself about the amount of time and
effort you can expend in helping your friend,
and maintain healthy boundaries.
Helping a friend with an eating problem can
be frustrating and overwhelming. If it begins
to interfere with your studies, your ability to
enjoy activities, or other parts of your life, get
some advice and support by consulting with a
professional at the Counseling Center.
—Jennifer Page, PhD
Post-Doctoral Fellow, Counseling and Personal
Development Center, Westchester Campus
There are numerous ways to manage stress, and
keep yourself from experiencing burnout:
Try to make the most of your day.
Don’t spend hours checking e-mail, Facebook,
Myspace, or chatting online. Even though it may
be fun, it is certainly not productive.
Make sure you have a good work
environment.Your environment has a big
effect on your mood. So ideally, it should be one
that makes you feel more relaxed. Try to keep
your space organized and free of clutter, with
bright, but not harsh lighting.
Maintain healthy habits. Though
pulling an all-night cram session is not unheard
of, it really shouldn’t become habit. Try to get a
full night’s sleep, and maintain a balanced diet.
Regular exercise is also important.
Manage your time. Of course you’re going
to freak out if you haven’t cracked your syllabus
all semester and then realize that a 10-page paper
is due in a few days. Invest in a planner, and try to
get started on major assignments right away. You
should also remember to make time for yourself
and your friends.
Take advantage of the resources on
campus. Tutorial Services is available to help
students in a wide array of subjects. Sign up for a
Stress Management and Self-Hypnosis Workshop
at the Counseling Center or consider talking to a
professional there about personal issues that are
interfering with your success at Pace. You can also
utilize your peers, academic advisers, professors,
and the residential life and student development
staff for support, information and guidance.
—Malikah J. Kelly
Student Assistant, Counseling and Personal
Development Center,Westchester Campus
De-Stress Over Spring Break
In Pleasantville and Briarcliff:
It’s that time of year again. College students
are gearing up for the much anticipated Spring
Break. If you’ve been stressing all semester, it’s
time to give yourself a much needed vacation.
In order to get the most out of your Spring
Break, you need to plan accordingly. Here are
some tips that will help you get started:
n Stay
active at the Goldstein Health,
Fitness, and Recreation
Center
n Explore
the
Environmental
Center
Relax at Home
n Go
to Open Mic
Nite at Pace Perk
A great way to de-stress over Spring Break is to
just unwind at home. The academic year can
be pretty rough, and you might just need some
time to cut back, sleep late, pamper yourself
and hang out with friends in some of your
favorite spots in your hometown.
n Cheer
on a Pace
athletic team
n Take
certain risks. Be careful about how much
you or your friends drink, and be aware of
your surroundings. Stay out of suspect parts
of town, and never wander off by yourself
in an unfamiliar area. Go over some of the
country’s laws and customs as they may be
different from the ones here at home. And
finally, leave valuables at home, and avoid
carrying a lot of cash.
Be brave!
There are exciting travel locations from
Europe to the Caribbean, including some great
destinations right here in the United States.
When planning your trip, keep in mind:
n Budget. There are numerous ways to have
a great Spring Break trip without busting
your bank. Check out student-friendly travel
sites and party packages. You also need to
consider entertainment costs for wherever
you are going, so you don’t have a heart
attack when you open your credit card bill.
part in intramurals
n Participate
n Be safe. Along with having fun comes
Go to a Spring Break
Hot Spot
Ways to De-Stress in
and around Pace
Spring Break can be a time for you to
reconnect with yourself, your friends, and your
family. It can also be an opportunity to try
something new and/or do something that you
and your friends will remember years later.
Wherever you are going to be this Spring
Break, make sure relaxation is in your plan. Do
something you can’t do at school — listen to
the birds, do a good deed, take the back roads,
daydream… and make sure you’ll be wellrested when you return.
—Malikah J. Kelly
Student Assistant, Counseling and Personal
Development Center,Westchester Campus
in Pace Idol
Off Campus:
n Take
a walk or
a hike at the
Rockefeller State
Park Preserve,
Pocantico Lakes
Park, or the
Kensico Dam Plaza
to the local bookstore and glance
n Go
through a book on a topic you know
nothing about
n Go
to the neighborhood flower shop
and enjoy all the scents
n Sit
by a pond,
fountain, or stream,
and hear the water
n Buy
a game you
loved as a child
and play with friends
n Visit
a playground and swing as high
as you can