We are thrilled to announce the release of Finding Balance with Food, a small group curriculum created by Fb Founder and author Constance Rhodes.
This unique twelve-week small group tool combines video teachings, group sharing, and creative activities for a one-of-a-kind small group experience.
Specially designed for churches, colleges and small group counseling settings, the FbWF curriculum combines professional tools with lay-friendly language and structure to give you everything you need to host a successful group.
Quick Links:
What It Is | What It Isn’t | Who It’s For | Activities | Video Teachings | Look Inside | Product Features | FAQ
What It Is
FbWF is a twelve-week guided journey toward greater health and freedom for anyone who thinks frequently about food and/or the size of their bodies. It is a chance to breathe deeply and consider our relationship with food, how it developed, and how to be healthier in the future. The structured study format provides a safe environment for personal reflection and growth, as well as an opportunity to foster relationship with other women walking a similar road. With Biblically-based content, it is ideal for those seeking to incorporate faith into their overall wellness pursuits.
What It Isn’t
FbWF is not a diet. It is not a weight loss program. It is not a treatment program for eating disorders and should not replace one-on-one counseling or nutrition therapy currently in progress. That said, it IS a guided journey toward understanding the why’s beneath our issues with food and our bodies, and can be a wonderful complement to any recovery process. With most disordered eaters experiencing fluctuating eating patterns, the primary goal of the study is to stabilize eating and weight so that deeper issues can be addressed. As healthier ways of managing food and emotions are embraced, however, healthy weight loss/weight gain (depending on what’s needed) has been a natural result for some participants.
Who it’s For
FbWF is designed for use with adult women ages 18 and up who struggle with food in any way, including chronic dieters, obsessive exercisers, emotional eaters, binge eaters, health food junkies, and those with more clinical types of eating issues including anorexia and bulimia. Please note: participants must be medically stable for the group experience to be safe and effective for all. Suggestions for ensuring a healthy group makeup are included in the Leader Guide.
Activities Add Creativity
Each week incorporates an activity. Don’t worry, they’re not complicated or difficult, just projects that will remind you how fun it can be to play around with stickers and beads and paint and crayons. Activities are designed to help illustrate points made in each week’s lesson, and become special mementos along the way. We believe that this unique aspect is an important part of why our groups experience a very high retention rate, with an average of 90% of participants completing the full twelve-week course!
Teaching Videos Guide Your Journey
"I love the videos! They add such a relatable touch..." says participant Paula Thibault, from San Jose, California. Constance’s weekly videos weave elements of her own personal recovery journey into warm and encouraging teachings designed to prompt deeper exploration of what drives our unhealthy relationships with food and our bodies. With a casual, conversational style incorporating foundational Biblical truths, these videos help set the tone for a positive and inspiring group experience.
It’s All about Relationship, Baby!
Each week’s structure is designed to promote a healthy level of interaction between participants. Ice breakers, discussion questions, and the incorporation of weekly teaching videos by Constance helps challenge and inspire your group members to break free from isolation and make meaningful connections with fellow participants and with God. Don’t be surprised if some of the friendships made in the group continue once it’s over, and if those who attend as friends in the first place find themselves even closer as a result of journeying together.
Look Inside...
Click on an image to get a sneak peek of the study.
Participant Manual
$16.99
Thin Cage Book
$13.99
Leader Guide w/ CD-ROM
$29.99
Teachings DVD
$34.99
Package Deals
Leader Kit
$89 ($95.96 value)
Participant Pak
$28 ($30.98 value)
Group Kit for 6 (inc. leader)
$225 ($250.86 value)
Add Ons
Add’l Leader Guide (no CD-ROM) - $15*
We highly recommend having a co-facilitator for your group. This helps the group run more smoothly and allows for unexpected absences without having to delay the group. Additional leader guides are offered to those already purchasing the Leader Kit. Does not include CD-ROM with editable templates and forms, and sound-clips needed for study. *This product will be featured at this price in a drop down list when you order any of the FbWF products.
Tell Me What You See - $12*
Hope for those Overcoming an Eating Disorder
As featured in the FbWF curriculum, this unique recording produced by Music for the Soul features 20 songs and spoken word segments voiced by Sara Beth Geoghegan, Missi Hale, Allie LaPointe, Constance Rhodes and others. *This product will be featured at this price in a drop down list when you order any of the FbWF products.
The Art of Being - $12*
Reflections on the Beauty and the Risk of Embracing Who We Are
Also referenced in the FbWF curriculum, this beautiful hardcover book includes essays written by recording artists including Sara Groves, Jars of Clay, Switchfoot, Phil Keaggy, Tammy Trent, Gloria Gaither, Ginny Owens, Out of the Grey and others. With deckled-edge pages and beautiful photographs inside, it’s a wonderful gift for any occasion. *This product will be featured at this price in a drop down list when you order any of the FbWF products.
"Fb Gathering" Support Group Tool - For open groups
This groundbreaking new service offers downloadable videos and discussion guides designed to complement any recovery journey. While the FbWF curriculum is designed for a closed group with each week building upon the next, “Gathering” downloads provide content without homework to serve as a healthy structure for “open” groups meeting anywhere around the world. With new content posted weekly, you can follow along with the current sessions, or select your own topics from a constantly expanding library. Forms, promotional tools and facilitator guidelines are all included in the monthly service. Individual subscriptions also available for those who wish to watch in the privacy of their own home.
Curriculum Features
For the Participant/Group:
- Weekly Videos
- Weekly Reading/Homework (light!)
- Weekly Activities
- Class Syllabus
- Participant Guidelines
- Resource Page
For the Leader:
- Facilitator Guidelines
- Room Setup Tips
- Supply Lists
- Informed Consent Form
- Confidentiality Form
- Suicide Agreement Form
- Activity Templates & Instructions
- Promotional Flyer Template
- Powerpoint Slide Template
- Email Blast Content to Promote Group
- Graduation Certificate
- Resource Page
- PLUS! CD-Rom featuring editable templates, music and sound clips
FAQ
How is this study different from others?
What is the foundational principle?
Is it right for non-religious settings?
I am a counselor at a college. How will this benefit my students?
I don’t have a counseling degree. Can I lead?
How important is a co-facilitator?
What if I struggle with eating issues of my own?
What if someone registers who is too unhealthy?
How many people should I have in my group?
How many participant paks should I order?
How long can I wait to order additional participant paks?
What if someone wants to join midstream?
How do I handle liability issues?
What if someone becomes suicidal?
What if I want to print the templates without the page numbers?
What is FINDINGbalance?
We are a Christian non-profit dedicated to helping people discover and embrace a healthy relationship with food. A key area of focus for us is creating resources that can foster recovery work done on a local level.
Who is Constance Rhodes
Constance is the founder and CEO of FINDINGbalance. She is the author of Life Inside the Thin Cage and The Art of Being (Waterbrook/Randomhouse). She is co-founder and spokesperson for The True Campaign and host of the weekly Fb Gathering support group webcast. With more than thirty years personal experience with eating issues, she is a lay expert on the subject and a visionary for developing easily accessed tools for disordered eaters across the eating continuum.
Who is this curriculum for?
Women 18+ who desire a healthier relationship with food and are seeking a faith-based solution.
Is it only for thin people?
Participants (and leaders) may be overweight, underweight, or somewhere in-between. Size is not what matters. What connects us all is the sometimes unhealthy ways we manage food, and a collective desire to find freedom in this area.
We’re doing another eating issues study right now at my church. How is this one different?
Many popular faith-based programs such as Thin Within, Lose It For Life, First Place and the controversial Weigh Down Workshop focus on weight loss. Weekly weigh ins, food logs, and other elements are often incorporated with this aspect in mind. While those programs help many people, our approach is different. First, our audience includes all disordered eaters, from overeaters to under-eaters and everyone in-between. Second, we believe that programs specifically focused on food and/or weight loss can unintentionally trigger or exacerbate disordered eating patterns. For these reasons, the FbWF study is NOT focused on weight loss (or even weight gain, for those who need it), but rather the underlying factors beneath our issues with food. Since most studies delve into some of these areas as well, it is a natural progression to consider the FbWF program as a next (or first) step. Our study is based on Biblically sound truths as well as practical, evidence based programming and is a perfect complement to any recovery process.
What is the foundational principle of this curriculum?
Our foundational principle is based on a talk Beth Moore once gave, in which she described balance as moving away from the extremes of obsession and carelessness toward a healthy place of respect. We teach participants to discover what it means to relate with food in a way that respects who they are, physically, emotionally, intellectually, relationally and spiritually. This principle is depicted in a diagram on the Introduction page of the participant manual, and can be applied to any area of our lives to help us find the balance we seek.
I am in a non-religious setting. Is this study right for my audience?
While Life Inside the Thin Cage (the textbook for the study) is appropriate for any setting, and while groups are open to anyone regardless of their faith, the FbWF curriculum does incorporate Christ-centered teaching aspects in both the video teachings and workbook content. Depending on where you are, this may or may not be the right fit.
I am a counselor at our college. How could this study benefit my students?
FbWF combines cognitive behavioral elements with group dynamics and creative activities as well as sensory elements such as music and video. This combination has proven to encourage a healthy group atmosphere and strong retention rates, while fostering relationships which can continue to provide support after the group is over. In these ways, it is a perfect complement to any recovery protocol.
I don’t have a counseling degree. Can I still lead a group?
Yes! This curriculum was specially designed for counselors and lay persons alike. That said, this is delicate work, and it is important to know that you are ready before jumping into it. Our Facilitator Guidelines offer a lot of helpful questions and information to help you determine if you are ready yet. If you are, you’ll find that the content of this study is perfectly designed to help even those who have never lead a group in the past.
How important is it to have a co-facilitator?
While we realize it’s not always possible to find a co-facilitator, we highly recommend doing so whenever you can. Having someone share the leadership role with you provides emotional and practical support, as well as spiritual support, as we recommend praying together over the group and individual members each week. It will also help prevent class from getting cancelled if you happen to get sick or have something come up unexpectedly. A good co-facilitator is someone who feels called toward healing work, and who has also reviewed the Facilitator Guidelines and can honestly say they can abide by them.
What if I/my co-facilitator still struggle with eating issues of our own?
Research indicates that as many as three out of four women struggle with eating issues, so we know that there are many who will feel called to lead a group partly out of their own felt need for healing in this area. If you (or your co-facilitator) struggle in this way, we recommend taking a careful review of the Facilitator Guidelines and being honest with yourself when it comes to your ability to abide by them. If you are under medical care for eating issues or another addiction, or have a concern that you are medically unstable, we recommend waiting until you’ve been stable for 12 – 18 months before leading a group. If you are medically stable and are currently in a relationship with a counselor or mentor, show them the guidelines as well and ask them if they think you’re ready. Finally, ask God to reveal to you whether this is the right time for you to lead a group. If you test out all of those things and feel a peace about proceeding, then we invite you to do that, being careful to have accountability along the way should the study stir up issues in your own heart that need to be processed outside of the group.
What if someone registers who seems to be very unhealthy?
It is very possible that you will have someone register for the group who is not medically stable and/or is not in a healthy enough place to benefit from the group. For example, if someone is purging on a frequent basis or has recently dropped a significant amount of weight, they may not be able to cognitively process what is happening in the group, and may even become disruptive. On the registration form (which should be received before confirming attendance for anyone), there are questions to help you ascertain where potential participants stand in their current eating issues. Your informed consent form and participant guidelines additionally spell out to participants that if you recognize a concern for their health or well-being they may be asked to seek outside help. The bottom line is that this is not a crisis intervention group, and those who are not healthy enough to benefit from it should be referred to a professional outside the group.
How many people should I have in my group?
Based on our own experience in hosting groups for the past five years, we believe that a great size is between 5-7 participants, including a facilitator. If you want to go larger than that, a good model to follow is to have the entire group together for the video, and then break down into smaller groups (each with a facilitator assigned to it) for the sharing and activity portions. This allows time for everyone to be heard without having to rush, which is an important aspect of the group experience. If this is your first time leading a group, you may want to go smaller, though we recommend a minimum of three to keep conversation flowing.
What happens in the class?
You begin with a brief check-in using the “Balanced Personal Inventory” sheet in each week’s homework. Next, you’ll watch a video teaching followed by group discussion. There is also a weekly creative activity.
How much should I charge?
In most settings, especially those not facilitated by a clinician, it is recommended you charge only what it takes to recoup the cost of books and manuals, as well as any materials fee you might wish to add. For materials (activities), you can usually figure about $1-$3 per week per participant. So a healthy materials fee for the full 12 weeks would be somewhere in the neighborhood of $20 - $25 dollars per participant. This would be in addition to the fee for the book and workbook. If you are a clinician and wish to add a session fee for your professional services, there is room for you to put that amount on the registration form. In the spirit of our non-profit calling, however, we request you keep fees as low as possible to ensure the greatest reach. This might include creative ways of obtaining supplies needed to eliminate the need for a materials fee. We have intentionally kept our own prices low in an effort to keep costs down as well.
How many participant paks should I order?
It is a good idea to take advantage of our 6-person group kit special, because a) it offers a savings of around $25, and b) a group that size is ideal. If you are unsure you will be able to find enough attendees, you can always save the extras for the next time around. Or, you can purchase the leader kit and participant paks separately.
How long can I wait to order the additional participant paks?
On the registration form included in your leader guide there is space for you to set a registration cut-off date. You can order additional participant paks once you’ve seen the response. Kits for 6 or fewer can ship via Priority Mail for $15 or less, so you can have them in 2-3 days.
What do I do if someone wants to join mid-stream?
For the safety and effectiveness of your group (not to mention, a good group vibe), it is important that you NOT allow anyone to jump in past the first or second week. Ideally, you can let them try it out on the intro week, and inform them that after week one, the group will be closed. If they can’t commit, you can take it as a sign that this may not be the right time for them. On that note, try to avoid trying to convince people to take the class. As spelled out in the Facilitator Guidelines, it is important that they take full responsibility and make the choice for themselves.
How can I promote my group?
Included in the Leader Guide is a CD-ROM with many editable templates and forms, including promotional flyers (2 up) and language you can literally copy and paste into an email blast and/or send to your local newspaper or church bulletin.
Do you have PowerPoint?
Yes! We have included an editable PowerPoint slide on your CD-ROM in the Leader Guide so you can easily (and stylishly) promote your group!
How do I handle liability issues?
One of the unique aspects of this curriculum is that we’ve done all the hard work for you. Included in the Leader Guide are Informed Consent, Confidentiality and Suicide Agreement forms which will help protect you from potential liability concerns outside of the scope of the group. Additionally. Facilitator and Participant Guidelines help set clear ground rules to set the stage for a healthy group experience.
What is Informed Consent?
The Informed Consent Form which is included in the Leader Guide spells out the expectations and purposes of the group, and protects you from potential liability concerns. This form is an agreement between you and the participants, and will be filled out during your first session together.
What about confidentiality?
Confidentiality is key for any small group experience. Included in the Leader Guide is a confidentiality agreement which you will have all participants sign at the first session.
What if someone becomes suicidal?
Small group work can sometimes bring up issues and feelings that can be hard to manage for some individuals. Because of this, we’ve included a Suicide Agreement form in your Leader Guide to spell out expectations and a course of action should the need arise.
What if I want to print the activity templates without the page numbers?
You can either simply white them out, or the preferred method is to pop in your CD-ROM and print directly from it. On that disc are all of the templates in their native size/form without page numbers or trim marks.
Still got questions?
Email us directly at groups@findingbalance.com and we’ll do our best to answer them. You can also join our Facilitator Forum – a private message board for those who are facilitating this study. This new feature will be up by the end of October, 2009. To receive an email when it is up, click here.