When I walked into the conference on “Promoting Self Esteem and Positive Body Image” at Sheppard Pratt early a couple of Sundays ago, I felt the welcome from the participants. After the cold and snowy day on Shabbat, the warmth of the community felt wonderful.  I was there as a presenter, but also as a member of the Jewish community helping others. The program was sponsored by The Center for Eating Disorders at Sheppard Pratt, The Orthodox Union, Jewish Community Services, and Hadassah. The joining together of all these groups provided a connection of mutual caring.

We were welcomed by Dr. Harry Brandt and Dr. Steve Crawford, co-directors of the Center for Eating Disorders.  Both of these physicians are committed, with their professional staff, to guiding others throughout Baltimore in their recovery from eating disorders. Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, the keynote speaker, was eloquent and poignant as he spoke about honestly acknowledging that we have a problem in our community, like other Jewish communities throughout the world.  He emphasized that we have to take a look at ourselves and our culture to aid and guide us toward health.  Next, I attended the showing of the movie, “Hungry to be Heard,” produced by Elisheva Diamond. The documentary was touching, portraying with raw honesty the pain and life-long struggle of people with eating disorders. Courageous young women and a man spoke about their lives and the toll that their eating disorders have taken on them and also on their families. We need to be there to help them.

The panel for which I was one of the moderators, “Hearing Our Voices,” was one of the highlights of the program for me. We listened to healthy teens in the Baltimore area talk about their everyday stress and how they cope. The Jewish teens, coming from diverse backgrounds, were juniors and seniors at various public and private high schools. They were open, honest and caring as they spoke about their daily struggles with school, family, and friends. They told about their healthy coping skills, such as how they use sports and exercise as daily aids to combat stress. They also spoke about the importance of family, and how playing with a younger brother, or simply sitting with their parents, was a releaser from stress. The female students touched on the impact of the media on how they view themselves. These teens felt that their strengths to be healthy came from their friends, families and schools.

I had enjoyed talking with them before the program and I knew that the audience was enlightened by what they shared. Their parents and schools should be proud to be part of these adolescents’ lives and to have given them so much.  As I listened to them with a smile on my face, I thought that we hear a lot that is negative about teens. How lucky for us in this room to hear and see so much positive. It’s out there—we just have to look for it, and become a part of our teens’ lives. We need to engage with them and listen.  These teens are our leaders of tomorrow, and I am looking forward to the future. 

By Debra K. Waranch, LCSW-C, Jewish Community Services Therapy Services

Jewish Community Services, an agency of THE ASSOCIATED: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore, offers a wide range of supportive services and resources for you and your family.  To learn more, call 410-466-9200, or visit http://www.jcsbaltimore.org.  Questions about parenting?  Send an e-mail to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), and check out the Parenting Tip of the Month at http://www.jcsbaltimore.org.