Anxiety and Eating Disorders with Joanna Zelichowska

Joanna Zelichowska is a registered clinical counsellor and the manager of Jessie’s Legacy Eating Disorders Prevention Program at Family Services of the North Shore. Jessie’s Legacy was named after Jessie Alexander, a young woman who took her own life after a long battle with disordered eating and depression. Although Jessie did not live to see this happen, her hope upon her own recovery was to help others and prevent the pain and anguish she experienced. 

In this episode of #OurAnxietyStories Joanna touches on her work at Jessie’s Legacy and discusses the resources available for those in need of support. Growing up as a dancer and gymnast, Joanna recognized that anxiety around body image was common among her peers. This led to her interest in learning more and becoming a clinical counsellor. Joanna notes that symptoms of anxiety tend to occur before disordered eating, and that oftentimes eating disorders are used as a way to cope with anxiety, as they can provide a sense of control. To learn more about how anxiety and eating disorders can overlap visit www.heretohelp.bc.ca/infosheet/the-overlap-between-anxiety-and-eating-disorders.  

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#OurAnxietyStories is brought to you by Anxiety Canada™, a leader in developing free evidence-based resources, including the free anxiety-management app, MindShift CBT. To learn more about Anxiety Canada, visit www.AnxietyCanada.com. 

Anxiety Canada™ is proud to be affiliated with HeretoHelp. HeretoHelp is a project of the BC Partners for Mental Health and Addictions Information funded by the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA).