INSIDE DOUGLAS COLLEGE / APRIL 17, 1990

 

 

Building on self-esteem

aising self-esteem is an ongo-

ing process for many women.
It takes time to learn techniques to
monitor and improve your self-
concept and self-esteem.

"We weren't born with low
self-esteem," says Lucy Alderson,
of Women Futures C.E.D. Society.
"We accumulate it in our lives."

"It’s very easy to get a dis-
torted self-concept," Alderson
says. This happens by focussing
on mistakes or things that aren’t

women say: ‘Well, what happens
next?’ or ‘Why can’t this be
longer?’ or ‘We'd like another ses-
sion," says Alderson. "So we
thought that we would try another
course, another day of work on
self-esteem."

Alderson points out, however,
that it’s not necessary to take Con-
fidence Building for Women, before
enrolling in Building on Self-Esteem.

The new course will benefit
women who have done some

 

"It’s very easy to get a distorted self-concept. This happens by
focussing on mistakes or things that aren't going well. Instead,
women should give just as much time —if not more time— to
things that are going well, to achievements and to things they

feel good about."

 

going well. Instead, women
should give just as much time —if
not more time — to things that are
going well, to achievements and to
things they feel good about. "We
can never do enough of that,"
Alderson stresses.

Douglas College is offering a
one-day workshop April 21st that
gives women a chance to evaluate
their progress in raising self-es-
teem and learning new techniques
to help build on it. Called Building
on Self-Esteem (Confidence Building
for Women, Level 2), it’s the first
time the course has been offered at
the College.

The workshop was created out
of the success of another course
Alderson has been teaching for
about three years called Confidence
Building for Women, which is
designed to help women increase
their level of self-confidence.

"At the end of every workshop

work on self-esteem or who have
been reading or thinking about it.
"They can come and check where
things have been working and
where they haven't," says Alder-
son. "They can take some more
time to touch bases with what’s
going on."

Alderson says the course is for
women only because it’s impor-
tant for women to have "a safe,
supportive environment to talk
about issues and experiences that
influence our self-esteem."

Some of the issues affecting
women’s self-esteem are fairly
large ones, including how society
values women’s work, both inside
and outside the home. It’s also im-
portant to look at personal ex-
periences that have had an impact
on self-esteem.

"What we will do in this
course is to continue to explore the
sources of self-esteem," says Alder-

son. "And that involves under-
standing some of the larger issues
as well as the personal ones.”

This discovery process will
help women build a more accurate
self-concept.

She says there is a very high
participation level in the
workshop. It includes working in
small groups, exercises and large-
group discussions. Women are en-
couraged to express themselves in
the manner with which they are
most comfortable, which may
even include drawing. "Some
people are very verbal and some
people use other techniques to fig-
ure out what's happening with
themselves."

Instructor Lucy Alderson is
currently working with Women
Futures, a non-profit organization
that deals with women and
economic development and per-
sonal empowerment issues.

Building on Self-Esteem (Con-
fidence Building for Women, Level 2),
is scheduled for Saturday, April 21,
9 a.m. to 4 p.m. To register call
527-5472. @