Full of Ourselves: A Wellness Program to Advance Girl Power, Health, and Leadership

This dynamic health-and-wellness education program was developed at the Harvard Medical School by a leading clinician and an acclaimed curriculum designer. It addresses critical issues of body preoccupation and reduces risk for disordered eating in girls (grades 3–8). Emphasizing girls’ personal power and overall mental and physical well-being, Full of Ourselves contains a range of upbeat units that foster:

• Increased self and body acceptance
• Healthier eating and exercise habits
• Leadership and media literacy skills
• A range of coping skills for resisting unhealthy peer and cultural pressures

Each unit ends with a “Call to Action” to help girls translate their new-found knowledge into positive action at school, home, and in their community. Older girls are trained as peer leaders and given the opportunity to pass along their learning to younger peers.

Evaluated with more than 800 girls, this primary prevention curriculum is the first of its kind to show sustained, positive changes in girls’ body image, body satisfaction, and body esteem. Educators, health professionals, counselors, and parents will find Full of Ourselves the ideal resource for helping girls make healthy choices for themselves.

Catherine Steiner-Adair is a clinical psychologist and school consultant, Director of Eating Disorders Education and Prevention at McLean Hospital, and in the Department of Psychiatry at the Harvard Medical School. Lisa Sjostrom, a veteran teacher and curriculum writer, is a Project Director at McLean Hospital, a Research Associate at the Harvard Medical School, and the Director of Helping Kids Thrive, an educational consulting firm.