Strengthening Sisterhood: Empowering Girls to Resist Societal Pressures, Fight Unrealistic Media Standards, and Develop a Healthy Body Image, Part I Strengthening Sisterhood: School Counseling Techniques to Help Adolescent Girls Manage Relational Aggres

Strengthening Sisterhood: Empowering Girls to Resist Societal Pressures, Fight Unrealistic Media Standards, and Develop a Healthy Body Image, Part I

Today’s standards of beauty are unrealistic and unattainable. It’s not a coincidence that body image disturbances are widespread, contagious, and toxic. Girls are inundated with confusing messages that often interfere with their ability to learn, lead, and develop authentic relationships. This workshop will address these important issues, with a focus on helping girls develop leadership skills to combat and revive a generation that has become exhausted by body bashing, social media saturation, and the myth of perfection.

 Expected session outcomes:

·       Participants will have a clear understanding of body image, media literacy, and the
        pressures girls face on a daily basis.

·       Participants will learn how to creatively assist girls and their families in developing
        leadership skills that promote a healthy and balanced life.

·       Participants will learn specific counseling techniques to empower girls to rise above
        our cultural standards of success.

·       Participants will learn tools to teach girls to assertively advocate for themselves.

·       Participants will be provided with a plethora of resources that can easily be
        integrated into a comprehensive school counseling program.

 Strengthening Sisterhood: School Counseling Techniques to Help Adolescent Girls Manage Relational Aggression, Part II

Navigating the cultural and social context of girl world is not a simple task. Relationally aggressive behavior is often prevalent during the tumultuous adolescent years, and intensified by the use social media. And while relational aggression in youth continues to receive national attention, resources that address this behavior remain scarce. This workshop will focus on the cultural context of relational aggression, current research including the role of bystanders, and prevention and intervention strategies to help girls manage this behavior. 

Expected session outcomes:

·       Participants will understand the context of relational aggression and the myriad of
        ways girls engage in this behavior.

·       Participants will learn about current research and evidence-based techniques to help
        adolescents cope with relational aggression.

·       Participants will learn techniques to lesson relationally aggressive behaviors.

·       Participants will understand bystander behavior.

·       Participants will learn interactive and proactive prevention and intervention
        strategies.

·       Participants will learn how to work with caregivers of girls who engage in, and are
         targets of relational aggression.

Julia V. Taylor, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Counselor Education in the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA. Prior to academia, Taylor worked as middle and high school counselor for eight years. Afterward, she was appointed to the founding leadership team for Wake County Public School’s first single gender academy, where she served as the Dean of Student Services.  During her time as a practitioner, she focused the majority of her research on body image, media literacy, relational aggression, and girls' leadership development.  In turn, she authored The Body Image Workbook for Teens,  The Bullying Workbook for Teens, Salvaging Sisterhood, G.I.R.L.S: Group Counseling Activities for Enhancing Social and Emotional Development (G.I.R.L.S. is two separate curricula, one for secondary ages, and another for elementary ages), and a children's book, Perfectly You. Taylor frequently presents this line of research to parents, educators, school counselors, and students across the country.  She has a passion for helping girls develop a true sense of self, stand up to unrealistic media expectations, take healthy risks, and cultivate meaningful relationships. When not working, she enjoys yoga, running, reading, and spending time with friends and family in Brooklyn, NY - her home away from home.