Over $3500 was raised for the Looking Glass Foundation when Tabitha Toy and Cathie Sabiston invited 75 friends to get together for the launch of Shelley Adams newest cookbook: WHITEWATER COOKS WITH FRIENDS. Guests sampled recipes from the cookbook, wines from Painted Rock Estate winery, and natural crafted soda from SIP Soda. Sebastian Meats in West Vancouver's Dundarave graciously provided the meat and cheeses for the events.
Provincial On-Line Support Groups
We are pleased to announce the launching of On-Line Support groups for those struggling with eating disorders throughout this province. With the vast reach of the computer network we can reach out and connect parents, adolescents and adults with each other to discuss feelings and concerns surrounding these illnesses. These groups are free and welcome participants. To register: http://lookingglass.umeetsupport.com/login
For further information contact Megan Bruneau, at megan.bruneau@gmail.com
* NOTICE TO REGISTRANTS FOR ONLINE SUPPORT GROUP: Due to technical difficulties, some emails sent to megan@lookingglassbc.com were not received. Please forward your email to megan.bruneau@gmail.com
Facts about On-Line Support Groups:
Coordinated by Megan Bruneau A BCACC Registered Clinical Counsellor, Megan holds a Master of Arts Degree in Counselling Psychology from Simon Fraser University. The role of the facilitator is to ensure the space is a positive atmosphere for users to connect with one another, seek support and limit feelings of isolation. The facilitators also create safety and containment for users with boundaries including no discussion of numbers, specific ed behaviours and no mentioning or alluding to names of treatment providers or centers, as well as names of other participants. Facilitators have a list of boundaries and rules to go over with group members in each group as well as a reminder of confidentiality which they repeat whenever new members join the room. While some users may already be in treatment, others may find these support groups as an opportunity to take the first step. The Looking Glass believes that the best approach to treatment is a team approach including a therapist, dietician and medical doctor.
Calling all volunteers! Are you a compassionate individual who is interested in becoming a part of the Looking Glass helping community? Are you hoping to gain experience in the mental health or eating disorders fields? We are currently recruiting ONLINE SUPPORT GROUP FACILITATORS for 2012. As an online support group facilitator, you will play the vital and privileged role of leading the various online support groups that Looking Glass offers. You will receive ample training that will give you the tools to feel confident inhabiting this important role. Come join our team, gain valuable experience, and make a difference! If you are interested or know someone who might be, please email megan.bruneau@gmail.com for more information!
Leaving ED Behind: Making sense of disordered eating and tools to help me move on.
Purpose of the Group:
This group is intended for individuals (17 years and older) struggling with disordered eating and wanting to gain a better understanding of the role/function of their eating disorder. The group will discuss:
- Understanding why an eating disorder is part of a person's life
- Thoughts about change and the factors that influence readiness to make changes
- Specific strategies to cope differently
- Myths around health and eating
- The group starts Monday February 6, 2012, and will meet five consecutive Mondays until March 5, 2012.
- Group will meet from 7 pm (sharp) until 8:30 pm.
- The group will meet at Suite 300, 601 West Broadway (one block West of Cambie).
Expectations of Participants:
Respect confidentiality. Individuals missing more than one group will not be permitted to continue. Individuals are not expected to make any changes, but simply to be curious about the role of their eating disorder in their life.
Cost: Expenses for this group are covered by the Looking Glass Foundation. www.lookingglassbc.com
Group Facilitators:
Daryl Ternowski, PhD, Registered Psychologist (#1672)
Kim Williams, Registered Dietitian (#0799)
Referral Process:
People interested in attending the group are invited to contact Dr. Ternowski at 604-219-0381, or by e-mail drternowski@me.com, after January 9, 2012. Note: Space is limited.
The Looking Glass will present an evening to remember February 10th, 2012
SAVE THE DATE
16:9 The Bigger Picture on Global Television aired a half hour special on eating disorders featuring The Woodstone Residence. The story has been be uploaded to the Global website.
The graduating fashion students at John Casablancas Institute are putting on a fashion show called Celestial Bloom on March 8th at Performance Works in Graville Island. All proceeds are being donated to the Looking Glass Foundation. Doors open at 6:30pm. For tickets please call John Casablancas Institute at 604-688-0328 and pay by credit card or you can purchase them at reception at JCI. For more information visit the John Casablancas intitute web-site: jcinstitute.com/blog/events
NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
2010HSERV0076-001493
Nov. 26, 2010
Ministry of Health Services
B.C. TO FUND RESIDENTIAL FACILITY FOR EATING DISORDERS
VICTORIA - The Province of British Columbia today announced a partnership with the Looking Glass Foundation to provide operating costs of up to $4.1 million for a new residential treatment facility for eating disorders.
"Families in British Columbia must cope with tremendous stress and challenges on a daily basis when a loved one has an eating disorder," said Health Services Minister Kevin Falcon. "That is why we have agreed to further improve care options for individuals suffering from eating disorders by providing operating funds for a dedicated residential facility as part of strengthening our provincial eating disorders services."
When the non-profit Woodstone Residence on Galiano Island opens its doors in February 2011, it will provide residential care for medically stable patients with eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa. Based on discussions between the Ministry of Health Services, the Ministry of Children and Family Development and the health authorities, the primary age group for patients is between 17 and 24 years of age.
While the vast majority of patients with eating disorders are supported in the community, the residential facility builds on a comprehensive provincial system of services for people with eating disorders.
The expected length of stay for resident is about two to three months with the province providing funds for 10 of the 20 beds. The remainder will be privately funded. The Province is providing operational funding of up to $4.1 million over three years, until October 2013, with startup costs covered by the Looking Glass Foundation.
"Locating the residential facility on Galiano Island should provide an excellent balance between separation from the pressures of urban life and access to a range of important support services," said Saanich North and the Island MLA Murray Coell. "With support from the provincial government, the Woodstone Residence will offer a safe, efficient, sustainable and accessible treatment option to individuals and families in need."
The Woodstone Residence will provide treatment to intercept eating disorders before they reach medical crisis and risk of hospitalization as well as treatment for patients discharged from hospital-based care but needing care prior to returning to their community.
The Woodstone Residence will also work together with the individual's community health-care team to ensure ongoing care and support in the community after discharge. This approach supports the early intervention and appropriate treatment focus of the 10-Year Plan to Address Mental Health and Substance Use in British Columbia, Healthy Minds, Healthy People.
"In keeping with the cross-ministry approach put forward in the 10-Year Plan, we are working closely with the Ministry of Health Services to provide a continuum of effective, results-oriented, community-based services to support children and youth with mental health issues and their families" said Mary Polak, Minister of Children and Family Development.
A decade in the making and spearheaded by three mothers - Cindy Dobbe, Dolores Elliott and Deborah Grimm - who lived through the heartache of their daughters' experiences, the facility will be operated by the Looking Glass Foundation, which provides support for individuals and families struggling with eating disorders. Licensing of the facility will be through Vancouver Island Health Authority to ensure the highest level of health and safety for the residents at Woodstone.
"We are thrilled to see this day arrive and to know that our perseverance has paid off for the benefit of so many in B.C. who suffer from various eating disorders," said Looking Glass Foundation chair and founder Cindy Dobbe. "We would not be here today without the support of the provincial government and Health Services Minister Kevin Falcon, as well as the generosity of a number of B.C. companies and individuals, all of whom have come together to provide the funding necessary to open our doors in February."
Creating this new residential facility also supports the Action Plan for Provincial Services for People with Eating Disorders, which committed to minimize the need to refer client out-of-province and out-of-country for residential treatment and strengthen the continuum of care in B.C.
Currently, British Columbia offers 14 inpatient beds for youth with eating disorders and seven for adults. These are for the most severe cases, which require constant medical attention. Outpatient services are also offered to patients diagnosed with an eating disorder.
The Woodstone Residence will deploy telehealth outreach, assessments and treatment as a result of a funding contribution from TELUS.
In 2008, an estimated 55,432 British Columbians, aged 15 years and over, were at risk for developing an eating disorder. That same year, an estimated 52,187 girls and women and 5,267 boys and men in British Columbia, aged 10-54 years, were living with a clinically diagnosed eating disorder.
The vast majority of affected individuals are adolescent girls and young women in their peak childbearing years.
In British Columbia, women with anorexia nervosa have a mortality rate almost 15 times higher than women of the same age in the general population. Anorexia nervosa has the highest mortality rate of any mental disorder and a substantial proportion of these premature deaths are the result of suicide.
-30-
Media contact:
Michelle Stewart
Communications Director
Ministry of Health Services
250 952-1887 (media line)
For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province's news feeds using RSS, visit the Province s website at www.gov.bc.ca.
Liberated From Within
FREE Weekly Drop-In ED Support Groups
Beginning August 11th, 6:30pm - 8:00pm
51 B, Fawcett Road, Coquitlam, V3K 6W9
Facilitated by Janna Morrison, MA, MFT, RCC
e-mail liberatedfromwithin@gmail.com
phone 604.551.3151
Provincial On-Line Support Groups
We are pleased to announce the launching of On-Line Support groups for those struggling with eating disorders throughout this province. With the vast reach of the computer network we can reach out and connect parents, adolescents and adults with each other to discuss feelings and concerns surrounding these illnesses. These groups are free and welcome participants. To register: http://lookingglass.umeetsupport.com/login/
Monday: Family/ Friends Support
Tuesday: Adult Support
Thursday: Adolescent Support
*All sessions start at 7:30pm & end at 9:00pm*
For further information contact Janna Morrison, MA MFT RCC at janna@lookingglassbc.com
Facts about On-Line Support Groups:
Coordinated by Janna Morrison, MA, MFT, RCC, a Registered Clinical Counsellor with numerous years of experience running Eating Disorder groups. She worked at the National Eating Disorders Association, providing support and referrals for people all over the country as well as working in a residential treatment setting for eating disorders as an Individual and Family therapist. The role of the facilitator is to ensure the space is a positive atmosphere for users to connect with one another, seek support and limit feelings of isolation. The facilitators also create safety and containment for users with boundaries including no discussion of numbers, specific ed behaviours and no mentioning or alluding to names of treatment providers or centers, as well as names of other participants. Facilitators have a list of boundaries and rules to go over with group members in each group as well as a reminder of confidentiality which they repeat whenever new members join the room. While some users may already be in treatment, others may find these support groups as an opportunity to take the first step. The Looking Glass believes that the best approach to treatment is a team approach including a therapist, dietician and medical doctor.
Looking Glass Foundation Scholarship Winners
2011 Award Recipients
Lacey Elliott and Abbey Eurchuk
2010 award recipient
Natalie Maxey
2009 Zornista Kaneva
2008 Nicole Bemister and Michelle Dean.
2007 Sarah Banks
The Looking Glass Foundation believes it is important that all students have the opportunity to pursue their academic and career goals free from the emotional and financial barriers that make it difficult. In April of 2007 The Foundation established a $1000 scholarship fund to be awarded yearly to a deserving individual who has been afflicted by an eating disorder and would like to attend a post secondary educational program.
For more info on this award please email us.
Looking Glass Scholarship
The Looking Glass Foundation is pleased to award an annual $1000 scholarship to a student who has received or is currently receiving treatment for an eating disorder. The successful candidate must be currently attending, registered or accepted to attend a post-secondary institution. In a letter of application, candidates must demonstrate financial need and provide evidence of the potential for success to further their educational plans. Submission of a letter of support or recommendation would be an asset.
Applications must be submitted by May 15th, 2011 and will be awarded June 01, 2011.
The Woodstone Treatment Centre
We are no longer building, we are ready to go and with the necessary funding and government support Woodstone will open soon.
Please review the following CHEK TV News Clip
View Clip
(skip ahead to 18:46)
Brian had the courage to speak up for his daughter, now it is your turn to support Brian, Samantha and numerous others who suffer with eating disorders. Please sign our petition, call your MLA and let them know it is time to act, we can longer allow eating disorders to be the hidden illness.
Provincial On-Line Support Groups
UPDATE
The Looking Glass Foundation is excited to have On-Line Support groups beginning at the end of March. Coordinating these groups and supervising volunteers is Janna Morrison, MA, MFT. Janna has worked at the National Eating Disorders Association in Seattle as well as at a treatment center specializing in the treatment of Eating Disorders in the U.S. Recently moving back to Vancouver, BC, she is excited to be part of this new resource for British Columbians. For those interested in volunteering as a facilitator for these on-line support groups, there is an application form below which you can email to volunteering@lookingglassbc.com. After reviewing applications, she will be contacting candidates for interviews, with training sessions beginning in mid-March. For further information or questions about on-line support through the Looking Glass, contact Janna at janna@lookingglassbc.com.
OSG Application (MS Word) | OSG Application (PDF)Help us get to the other side of Eating Disorders
9504 Erickson Dr, Burnaby BC, V3J 1M9
CRA:863814042 RR0001
BC Society Registration #344941
Please help the Looking Glass Foundation
We ask you our friends, family and supporters to please help us in gaining the attention of The Ministry of Health. We are asking for you to write a letter on behalf of the foundation stating the need for services or signing the prepared document below and return it by scanned copy to info@lookingglassbc.com or fax 604-986-6011.
Please send this on to your family, friends and those who support the foundation in
its belief that what we have today is not enough and something must be done!
Thank you.
The Looking Glass Foundation would like to thank The North Vancouver Community Players who donated four thousand dollars from the proceeds of their Christmas show Snow White the traditional English Pantomime. The superb talents of the actors stage crew and production people made the well known classic fun uplifting and enjoyable for all of us in the theatre. We are sincerely grateful to Martin and Fran for allowing us to be part of this incredible show.
Are 12 and 13 year olds capable of making a difference?
Judging by the thoughtful and careful planning of Vancouver
Talmud Torah's seventh grade students, our future is in very
good hands. This year the Looking Glass was the proud recipient
of $600 from the MVP program. The Grade 7 students allocated
$18000 to charities throughout the world. Fulfilling the mitzvah
(commandment) of tikkun olam (repair of the world.) A very special
thankyou to Abee Pinsky-Haiduga for choosing our charity.
Rally 4 Recovery
The Looking Glass Foundation is proud to announce the arrival of Tara Levis (24 years) a survivor of anorexia and bulimia to Maple Ridge on Tuesday, August 18th. Tara a third year social work student from the UNBC successfully rode her bike from Prince George to Maple Ridge to raise public awareness of eating disorders. Tara was 11 years old when she developed an eating disorder and spent nearly a decade in and out of treatment facilities in Canada and the US. After losing one of her close friends to this disease she knew it was time to take the next step in her recovery journey. Tara started to cycle in an effort to establish a more positive relationship with her body; as my strength has grown, my confidence has grown and I am learning to appreciate the incredible resilience of the human body and soul. My biggest hope is that by sharing my story and demonstrating that it is not shameful but in fact empowering to speak out, I will encourage those who are currently suffering in silence to reach out for help before it's too late. Tara began her journey in Prince George on August 8th and ended her ride on August 18th, just in time to relax before she volunteers at the Looking Glass Foundation's 5th annual summer camp. The Camp is for adolescents and young women who struggle with eating disorders and is designed to focus on wellness and improved quality of life. The Camp took place at Loon Lake August 23rd to August 30th. Throughout her cycling journey Tara is raising money through her website www.rally4recovery.com for the Looking Glass Foundation to build Canada's first residential treatment center for adolescents living with eating disorders.
My Eating Disorder: Why It's Part of My Life, and Ideas of How to Change - April 12 to May 10, 2010
Click here for full PDF info sheet.
The foundation has won international recognition for the award winning 'not every suicide note looks like a suicide note' awareness campaign. We were privileged to have DDB Marketing create an impactful campaign that reflected both the seriousness of this disease and optimism for those afflicted, and leave the viewers with a positive message of hope.
We were honoured with $5000 from the BMO Employee Charitable Foundation.
Pictured: Ashish Arora - Branch Manager, 10th and Granville Branch, Dana Cameron - Area Manager, Vancouver Westside, Deborah Grimm - Looking Glass Foundation, Carolyn Heaney - B2B Area Manager, Vancouver Centre
The Grade 7 students at Queen Alexandra Elementary School produced an inspirational account of their concerns in 2008, the result Welcome to My Life was magnificent. Those who volunteered their time and efforts should be commended for a play that was truly special. The students raised over $1000 and donated the proceeds to The Looking Glass Foundation. We are honored!
The Looking Glass Foundation was the proud recipient of the 2008 BCAB Humanitarian Award presented May 09 in Harrison Hot Springs.
Established in 1980 the Humanitarian Award was created to provide charitable organizations with a distribution network to communicate their message. The British Columbia Association of Broadcasters recognizes the need to relay information that has a positive impact on all British Columbians and as such, offers significant television and radio airtime free of charge to one or two organizations every year. Millions of people see and hear these messages and the BCAB welcomes the opportunity to provide such a worthwhile service.
Dr. Michael P Levine, PhD, FAED
We were extremely pleased with Dr Levine and his wonderfully informative presentations. He is a gift and we look forward to having him back. To review the talks please go here.
His scholarly interests are the prevention of negative body image and disordered eating, and the links between those topics and mass media, community psychology, and public health. He has published many articles and chapters on these topics, and presented numerous papers and invited talks at professional meetings and educational conferences in the United States, Canada, Spain, Australia, and Great Britain.
"Raise the Roof 2008"
Our fourth annual fundraiser was a huge success. We would like to thank all our guests and volunteers for helping us raise over $200,000.
