You are good just the way you are!

"Am I too fat? A question that even children of primary school age ask. The pressure to be as thin as possible is great. In order to counteract the thinness craze and to give adolescents a positive body image, Dr. Catherine Senécal shows in her book how parents can support their children from an early age in developing a healthy relationship with their bodies. 'You are good the way you are!' deals in detail with prevailing role clichés, beauty ideals and social norms. In a well-founded, clear and easy-to-understand way, the psychologist offers new ways of thinking and gives concrete advice on how to set a good example for your daughters and sons. With useful practical tips and questionnaires, the title helps to prevent acute eating disorders, but also to recognize them in serious cases, to classify them correctly and to find treatment options."
Schlingel – The family magazine of the LVZ, issue 9 / 2019

"Eating disorders are a growing problem among children and young people in our society. Parents are often helpless in the face of these disorders, and it is difficult to help the affected children. Dr. Catherine Senécal has a doctorate in psychology and is the founder of the CHANGE clinics for cognitive behavioral therapy in Canada. In her book, she provides valuable insights into the structure of the various eating disorders and what underlies them. With solid, scientifically based facts, she gets to the heart of the problem and shows which social changes are necessary to get it under control. The most important approach lies in the immediate environment of the children and young people, and especially with the parents. They have a significant influence on the child's self-image, which in turn is crucial for eating disorders. (...) Worth reading for all parents."
Hanover Kids, March 2020

"An inconsiderate comment from parents or friends regarding appearance or weight will not have any consequences for young people. But influenced by gender-fixated upbringing, questionable ideals of beauty or by the influence of the media, our children all too often develop more or less disordered eating habits. The causes are identified, parental behavior is reflected and different forms of therapy are suggested. Concrete practical tips round off the non-fiction book. Addresses of help services can be found in the appendix. (...) Great non-fiction book on a topic that should be brought more into focus. Comprehensive information is prepared in a way that is easy to understand for a wide range of readers and provides useful help."
Forum Reading North of the BLLV - Middle Franconia, Beate Pfänder

Topic: Eating disorders and figure obsession

We want young people who are happy with themselves and their bodies and who show no tendency towards anorexia, bulimia, etc. – how can we achieve this?

Eating disorders and a negative body image are not a problem that only affects adults; they usually have their origins in childhood and have many different causes: a negative approach to physicality, gender stereotypes in education, media and consumer behavior... This makes it all the more important for parents and educators to protect children and accompany them on their way to becoming self-confident and life-affirming personalities.

Dr. Catherine Senécal, author of the guidebook "You are good just the way you are!", examines the latest state of knowledge, critically questions how we raise our children, what we set an example for, and what role the media and consumer behavior play. And above all, in her book she gives us valuable practical tips on how we can help young people and support their self-esteem in order to reliably prevent eating disorders.

Disturbing facts

We should not close our eyes to dangerous tendencies.

→ 41% of girls of normal weight would like to be slimmer.
→ Girls' clothing is usually tighter and shorter than boys' clothing. The range of movement (climbing, cycling, running around on the floor) is therefore limited from the start, and comfort is only of secondary importance.
→ Toys are increasingly being divided into genders: girls get pink glittery things with unicorns, elves or princesses, for boys everything is blue with skulls, warrior figures, dragons or footballs.
→ The more girls are exposed to sexualized media, the more likely they are to prefer sexualized clothing and the more negative their body image is.
→ During puberty, one in seven boys and one in three girls consider themselves overweight.
→ 12% of adolescents have already been on a diet to lose weight.
→ 28% of boys of normal weight would like to be more muscular.
→ Cosmetics companies are increasingly targeting prepubescent children with their marketing.

Different forms of eating disorders

An eating disorder has many faces, but none of them is harmless.

Food avoidance:The child becomes so picky about the consistency and choice of food that his health or weight suffers.

Anorexia (anorexia nervosa):Feeling that their physical appearance is unacceptable, a child or adult may restrict their diet to such an extent that drastic weight loss is the result.

Binge eating (food addiction):A child or adult has recurrent binge eating episodes (eating large amounts of food quickly), which may be accompanied by weight gain.

Bulimia (binge eating disorder):Feeling that their appearance is unacceptable, a child or adult may try to control their calorie intake compulsively. Uncontrollable eating binges are then followed by (self-induced) bouts of vomiting, the use of laxatives or extreme exercise.

Bigorexia (muscle addiction):Those affected are very afraid that a part of their body is not sufficiently or correctly muscled, which leads to resorting to methods and substances intended to change their appearance.