UBCO Looking For Participants to Join Healthy Weight Therapy Program

A team of UBC Okanagan researchers are delving into the world of cognitive science in relation to healthy body weight, and they’re looking for participants to help out.

The Interprofessional Clinic at UBC’s Okanagan Campus is launching a healthy weight service. The service will include individual and/or group assessment and treatment for a number of health and weight-related issues, such as weight loss, obesity and diabetes, binge-eating and emotional eating disorders, weight gain prevention, nutrition, and physical activity changes.

The Healthy Weight Specialty Service includes a 10-week cognitive-behavioural group therapy program for weight loss. Group sessions will take place Monday or Thursday evenings from 5:15 to 6:45 p.m.

Participants will also receive an individual health and wellness assessment before and after the program. There is a cost-recovery fee of $200 to participate, which will include treatment materials and a Fitbit for activity monitoring.

Those with extended health care plans may be able to submit the expense for psychological services to their insurance provider. A sliding scale fee structure and/or payment plan is also available.

The program will be led by UBC Okanagan’s clinical psychology program, specifically doctoral students under the supervision of Director of Clinical Training Lesley Lutes.

“Our mission is to provide low-cost behavioural health services to the university and wider community,” said Lutes, who teaches graduate-level psychology with the Irving K Barber School of Arts and Sciences. “This can be achieved by using doctoral clinical psychology students who can provide treatment under the supervision and licensure of our clinical faculty, who are registered psychologists.”

As an internationally recognized researcher, Lutes specializes in weight management treatment aimed at disease prevention and health promotion. Her research is largely aimed at adults and children in under-served populations.

For more information about the Healthy Weight Specialty Service, contact Marlis Wecels at the Interprofessional Clinic at 250-807-8241 or ipc.ok@ubc.ca.