Shortly after beginning her career in university counseling, Patricia de Barbieri was shaken by the self-image problems she discovered common in young women. "These women were bright, attractive, interesting and creative leaders, but they didn't see themselves that way," de Barbieri says. "They were focused on the negative they saw in terms of food, weight, body image, and self concept. It seemed to be a tremendous waste of potential."
Now working as a professor and Chair of the Department of Counseling and School Psychology at South Connecticut State University, de Barbieri has made it her life’s work to combat eating disorders.
Over 300,000 women in America currently suffer from bulimia alone. "There are more people ill than we can treat," de Barbieri explains. ""More and more, we are talking about prevention. Unless we can stop eating disorders from occurring, we aren't going to be able deal with the number of women suffering from them."
De Barbieri feels strongly about the accessibility of healthcare to improve this nationwide epidemic. "One of the impediments to recovery is a lack of healthcare and resources. If you don't have insurance and you can't get the kind of services you need, your recovery is hampered,” she says.
Focusing on healthy life choices rather than weight loss is paramount to preventing the next generation from developing eating disorders. De Barbieri gives presentations to build awareness, works with universities across the country to develop eating disorder programs, and is currently writing a book on recovering from bulimia.
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