Written by Laura Ross, Middle School Counselor, former Dove Self-Esteem Project Cadre Trainer with Cairn Guidance, a Dove Self-Esteem Project Partner, and her state’s 2018 School Counselor of the Year
Middle school can be a tough time for adolescents. They are figuring out who they are in the world apart from their parents, trying to find the place that they belong among their peers, wondering what type of future will be ahead of them, and looking to see if they measure up with the world around them. This unsure search often focuses on looks: what they wear, how they wear it, what their hair, face, and body should look like. The focus on appearance leads adolescents to comparing themselves to others, attempting to reach unattainable appearance ideals, and taking to heart, mind, and soul the messages they receive from media multiple times a day, damaging their self-esteem and body confidence.
As school counselors, we see how a lack of body confidence and low self-esteem can impact students not only socially and emotionally, but also academically, and in their future goals and aspirations; the three areas of focus for school counseling.
It is estimated that between 40-70% of adolescent girls and boys experience low body confidence. Low body confidence and self-esteem results in poorer classroom participation and performance, poorer psychological and physical health, and opting out of basic life activities like going to the doctor, joining a sports team or club, or even giving an opinion. According to The Dove Global Beauty and Confidence Report, when girls don’t feel good about the way they look…8 in 10 girls opt out of important life activities, 7 in 10 girls stop themselves from eating, and 7 in 10 girls have not been assertive in giving their opinion.
I have seen this in my own students, so when I implemented Dove Self-Esteem Project Confident Me! lessons it was no surprise to see how my students connected to the curriculum immediately. Their response to the topics and discussions were as if they have been waiting to process and discuss these pressures with someone to help them understand and problem solve how to deal with the pressures and stress of appearance ideals, media messages, comparisons, and body talk.
The Dove Self-Esteem Project Confident Me! lessons are FREE! YES! It’s a FREE curriculum focused on all genders of students. The curriculum is based on a scientific literature review about adolescent girls’ body confidence. This evidence-based Content Development Framework is the foundation for the Dove Self-Esteem interventions and the six areas to improve body confidence: family, friends, and relationships, teasing and bullying, talking about appearance, media and celebrities, competing and comparing looks, and respecting and looking after yourself. There is a 5-lession curriculum and a 1-lesson curriculum.
The lessons are not only correlated to the National Health Education Standards, they have a natural relationship with the ASCA (American School Counselor Association) Mindsets and Behaviors for Student Success. I have listed the ones I use below:
Mindsets
M 1. Belief in development of whole self, including a healthy balance of mental, social/emotional and physical well-being
M 2. Self-confidence in ability to succeed
Behaviors
Learning Strategies:
B-LS 1. Demonstrate critical-thinking skills to make informed decisions
Self-Management Skills:
B-SMS 5. Demonstrate perseverance to achieve long- and short-term goals
B-SMS 6. Demonstrate ability to overcome barriers to learning
B-SMS 7. Demonstrate effective coping skills when faced with a problem
Social Skills:
B-SS 1. Use effective oral and written communication skills and listening skills
B-SS 2. Create positive and supportive relationships with other students
The Dove Self-Esteem Project Confident Me! lessons can be implemented in small groups or whole class settings. Since I already had small groups set for male students at my school, this year I invited all the girls on my 7th grade team to sign up for the Dove Self-Esteem group. I mailed home information about the curriculum and a permission form to parents. I run the group for six weeks for 6- 8 girls and then start a new group for another 6- 8 girls. I am able to run the group four times within the school year. I know other counselors who run the group with girls and run the group with boys. They identify the students for the group using a student engagement instrument that measures students’ affective and cognitive engagement in schools including intrinsic motivation and future goals and aspirations.
Although there are only five lessons in the curriculum, I include an introductory session to the program and allow the students time to get to know each other first and create some connections with each other before we begin the curriculum. Once those connections are made, I have found that small groups allow students to support each other as they share their own experiences with body confidence and self-esteem. When exploring appearance ideals and media messages, you may find your students discussing the different appearance ideals based on race, ethnicity, and culture. In order for all group members to feel comfortable, it has been important that I pay attention to the diversity within the group and ensure that when creating the group, I don’t include a student who is the only student representing a race or ethnicity.
The single lesson or the five lesson program can be used in advisement or classroom lessons depending on the time you have to teach lessons. Teaching the lessons in a mixed gender class not only helps students explore their own self-esteem but also can help them begin to understand and empathize with other genders and the challenges they face with body confidence and self-esteem.
School counselors can collaborate with health and physical education teachers to deliver the Dove Self-Esteem Project Confident Me! lessons. School counselors and health and physical education teachers can partner together to deliver the single or 5-lessons in health or physical education classes. Health and physical education teachers as well as school counselors have implemented the 5-lessons in the first semester and then used the single lesson during the second semester as a booster session for students.
Connecting with our students and their body confidence and self-esteem challenges allows them to feel understood and heard as they explore and grow as adolescents. As their body confidence increases, that positive self-esteem translates to other areas of their lives and allows them to connect more positively to their academic participation and performance as well as their outlook on future goals and aspirations.
To learn more about the Dove Self-Esteem Project Confident Me! lessons, visit Dove Self-Esteem Project or email info@cairnguidance.com.
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