OWU Therapist, Author Advises 'Eating Mindfully' in Modern Life for SNC

September 19, 2003

DELAWARE, OHIO -- Dr. Susan Albers, author of Eating Mindfully: How to End Mindless Eating and Develop a Balanced Relationship with Food, will lecture as part of the Sagan National Colloquium public affairs series at Ohio Wesleyan University on Tuesday, Sept. 23, at 7:30 p.m. in OWU's Hamilton-Williams Campus Center Benes Room. Dr. Albers will address "Eating Mindfully In College and Beyond," which relates to this year's Colloquium theme on "Food: A Harvest of History, Culture, Politics, and Science."

A psychologist specializing in counseling college students regarding eating concerns, disorders, and body image, Dr. Albers will talk on the urban legend of the "freshman fifteen," the role of the media and culture, and the issue of why eating concerns and disorders are most likely to emerge during college. As some of the most common, dangerous mental health issues affecting college campuses today, eating disorders and body image issues are increasing.

She also discusses the principle of mindfulness, the Buddhist term for "awareness," and how this principle applies to living a healthier, fulfilling life as a student. By basing her philosophy on mindfulness of the body, feelings, thoughts, and mind as she examines a person's relationship to food, Dr. Albers will provide strategies for eating more mindfully.

Dr. Albers has worked as a therapist in several colleges and mental health clinics including the University of Notre Dame, Stanford University, the University of Colorado in Boulder, and, currently, Ohio Wesleyan University. She is presently working on her next book, which also deals with the issues of healthy and mindful eating.

The Sagan National Colloquium is in its 18th year at Ohio Wesleyan. All lectures are free and open to the public. More information is available at snc.owu.edu or 740-368-3995.