Empowering Girls: How Body Image, Body Autonomy and Reproductive Health Contribute to Mental Health
Description
In this question-and-answer-based discussion with experts on girls’ physical and psychological development, you will learn about how to empower girls and women and help them to feel comfortable in and knowledgeable about their bodies. The current sociopolitical climate has stripped girls and women of access to information about their bodies; body image, body autonomy and reproductive health are all at risk. Clinical work with girls and young women that embraces a feminist perspective can empower clients, help them develop body positivity, encourage body respect and boundaries, and enable them to seek appropriate medical and reproductive health care. A central tenet of our approach is that body positivity is not just a superficial goal but essential to girls’ and women’s mental health, health behaviors, and physical health. Research and clinical examples will be used to demonstrate the importance of empowering girls and young women.
Learning Objectives
- Attendees will be able to describe importance of body image and body autonomy to development among adolescent girls and young adult women.
- Attendees will be able to describe concepts of agency, boundaries, and consent as it pertains to the body image and sexual health of adolescent and young adult women.
- Attendees will be able to articulate how supporting feminism among girls and women will benefit their mental and physical health.
- Attendees will be able to list medical, personal, and developmental factors to consider when choosing contraceptive methods and reproductive health care support with adolescents and young women.
Instructor Bios
Charlotte Markey, Ph.D., has been a psychology professor at Rutgers University since 2002. She is a research scientist who has published over 100 scholarly articles and chapters about health issues. Dr. Markey is also an experienced book author, having most recently published The Body Image Book series (The Body Image Book for Girls in 2020; The Body Image Book for Boys in 2022, and Adultish: The Body Image Book for Life in 2024). She also recently co-edited the 3-volume Encyclopedia of Mental Health (2023). She writes regularly for news outlets such as Psychology Today and is often interviewed for TV, news articles, and podcasts including the NY Times, Washington Post, NPR, and NBC. Dr. Markey leads support groups for individuals with eating disorders and conducts psychoeducational webinars about body image for girls and parents. To learn more about Charlotte Markey, you can visit her website at www.CharlotteMarkey.com or the books’ webpages www.TheBodyImageBook.com
Jo-Ann Finkelstein, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and the author of Sexism & Sensibility: Raising Empowered, Resilient Girls in the Modern World. She earned a master’s in human development and psychology from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and a doctorate in clinical psychology from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. She completed her fellowship in women’s health at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and was a program evaluation consultant for health and sexuality education curricula for the Cambridge and Chicago public schools. Dr. Finkelstein has taught at the Illinois School of Professional Psychology, Northwestern University, and Loyola University Chicago. Her work has been highlighted in The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, and Women’s Health, and on HuffPost and CNN. She is the author of numerous academic papers related to parenting and child development, and her writing has appeared in Psychology Today, The Washington Post, Ms. Magazine, Your Teen Magazine, among other publications. Dr. Finkelstein maintains a psychotherapy practice in Chicago, Illinois. To learn more, visit joannfinkelstein.com.
Dena Moes RN, CNM is a certified nurse-midwife and reproductive health expert. She holds a Masters in Nursing from Yale University and has worked in women’s health for over two decades. Her book It’s Your Body: The Young Woman’s Guide to Empowered Sexual Health fills information gaps for teens and young adults in post-Roe America. Learn more at www.itsyourbody.net or follow Dena on TikTok and IG at @denamoeswriter.
Robyn Silverman, PhD, is a child and teen development specialist, popular podcaster and author of the best-selling book, How to Talk to Kids about Anything (Sourcebooks, 2023).
The instructors have no conflicts of interest for this program.
Contact Us
For questions, please contact: ce@gsapp.rutgers.edu
Continuing Education Information
Rutgers Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology (GSAPP) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0123.
Rutgers Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology (GSAPP) is approved by the National Association of School Psychologists to offer professional development for school psychologists. Rutgers Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology (GSAPP) maintains responsibility for the program.
LMFT/MFT and LPC/LAC Licensed in New Jersey: Programs approved by the American Psychological Association are acceptable sources of continuing education credits. Please see https://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/regulations/Chapter-34-Subchapters-10-31-Professional-Counselors.pdf, Section: 13:34-15.4 APPROVAL OF COURSES OR PROGRAMS on page 27. For all other professional licenses and certifications, please reference your issuing state board regulations regarding reciprocity of continuing education credits.
Rutgers Graduate School of Applied & Professional Psychology is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Rutgers Graduate School of Applied & Professional Psychology maintains responsibility for this program and its content.