UTRGV’s Counseling center will begin the four-week Body Project session in February.
The Body Project is a body-positive program where anybody who identifies as female, come together to challenges society’s body norms.
UTRGV Clinical therapist and Body Project supervisor, Valerie Riveros explains what each session consists of.
It consists of a group of women that can come together to discuss different types of views that people may have about their bodies. And we want to integrate healthier views.
Each session is led by trained peer facilitators who have already gone through the program.
Body Project peer facilitator Stephanie Pinales says that although the program is not an intervention it helps prevent eating disorders.
And in the three-year post going through the program, girls tend to decrease any possibility of an eating disorder
Peer facilitator, Ana Garcia explains that the group becomes more than just a counseling session.
It’s really cool! You make friends, you don’t just kind of ‘oh I’m going to share my story with you’ and then ‘okay, bye, see ya!’ Like, no, it’s not like that, you keep in contact with them.
Peer facilitator Maria Peña, expresses that the group becomes so united that they can rely on each other.
We all have a shoulder to cry on.
The body project team is located on both Edinburg and Brownsville campuses. The team meets one hours each week for four weeks.
For more information on how to become part of the Body Project team visit their Instagram page at UTRGV Counseling Center or visit them at the Edinburg Student Union today from 11:30 to one p.m.
Reporter Samantha Garza
