You Grow Girl! is a balanced, integrated workbook addressing core issues girls 9–16 struggle with every day.  It helps girls see and be smart about connections between self-esteem, thought patterns, eating habits, and overall health. Its interactive sections on weight/size/food issues, coping with stress, culture and peer pressures, deceptive media, internet images, exercise, mindfulness, and more, help girls get a healthy perspective that fosters good habits to serve them for a lifetime.

The closing chapter bridges gaps between girls and adults with many hands-on things to do and explore together that bring it all together and  bring it home.

I Am Beautiful

A Promise to Myself

Foreword, Joan Jacobs Brumberg

Chapter 1: Self-Esteem and Body Con?dence

                Samantha's story
                What Is Self-Esteem?
                Factors That Raise and Lower My Self-Esteem
                It’s Good to Be Me!
                What Is Body Con?dence?
                Now You See It, Now You Don’t: the magic of airbrushing
                Factors That Raise and Lower My Body Con?dence
                Things I Want To Remember

Chapter 2: Food as Fuel

                Izzy's story
                Metabolism and Using Food as Fuel
                Understanding Serving Sizes
                Understanding Hunger and Fullness Cues
                   The Hunger and Fullness Scale
                   Listen to fullness and hunger cues
                Dancers and performers
                Healthy Eating Attitudes
                Things I Want To Remember

Chapter 3: Way to Go!

               Jenna's story
               The Power of Positive Thinking on Self-Esteem
               The Power of Positive Thinking on Body Con?dence
               The A-BE-C’s of Stress Management and Coping
               My Problems and My Coping Skills
               Things I Want To Remember

Chapter 4: Get Moving!

               Amy's story
               The Impact of Stress on Your Body
               Exercise Is More than Just Activity
               Exercise for Enjoyment
               Ask for Help
               Things I Want to Remember

Chapter 5: Five Lessons of a Highly Effective Teenaged Drama Queen

               Drama Queens Say and Do Things that Create Drama
               Drama Queens are Smart . . . but Sometimes Unwise
               Wise People “Sit and Go Blah”
               Wise People are Mindful: They “let go” of Unhealthy Thoughts and Feelings
               Wise People Focus on Inner Beauty
               Things I Want To Remember

Chapter 6: Beautiful Girls

Chapter 7: Do I Really Feel Bad About Myself? or did I just finish reading a teen magazine?

               Becoming “media literate” (and what, is that, exactly???)
               Messing with your mind
               Ten things you can do together

Appendix A: My Daily Food Journal

Appendix B: My Daily Activity Journal

Appendix C: My Hunger and Fullness Scale

Appendix D: My Problems and My Coping Skills Journal
                  General A-BE-C form
                  Sexual issues
                  Drugs, alcohol issues

Supplementary Material: Okay Girls! Listen up

Acknowledgements

References

Index

“The concept and the exercises are great. This workbook helps a girl hold up a thoughtful, healthy mirror to her interior life as a young teen. You GROW Girl! is perfect for those who worry about obsession with body image . . . interactive exercises provide practical, easy tools for a healthy pathway through adolescence.”  —Joan Jacobs Brumberg, author of The Body Project and Fasting Girls

"You GROW Girl! is a helpful tool to assist young ladies with needed strategies for a positive self-worth.  I recommend this book for school counselors conducting individual and group work with adolescent females. A must have resource!” —Lesli C. Myers, Ed.D., Assistant Superintendent for Student Services, Ithaca City School District, past president of New York State School Counselor Association

“Positive energy radiates throughout this wonderful new book! Its breezy style and fast-paced exercises keep girls turning the pages until they get to the end. I strongly recommend this workbook for girls. And I highly encourage Moms (Dads, too) to buy your own copy and work the thoughtful, insightful exercises. Sharing your answers with your daughter opens the door to more intimate conversations."  —Jessica B. Gillooly, MFT, PhD, Los Angeles, CA, author of Before She Gets Her Period: Talking with Your Daughter about Menstruation

“The workbook looks awesome — definitely needed these days.” —Amy Penwell, Operations Manager, Girls on the Run International

“This inspiring and insightful collection of activities, stories,and words of wisdom helps girls learn to accept, appreciate, and love their bodies . . . to be at peace with their identities . . . so they can lead healthy and happy lives. You Grow Girl! teaches that inner beauty is what counts and that the medias ends out confusing and misleading messages.” —Caryn Honig RD LD, professor, University of Houston, owner of The Healthy Weigh, and founder/ organizer of Beautiful Me!

“Research shows that unhealthy dieting, body dissatisfaction,low levels of physical activity, and poor eating patterns areway too common among adolescent girls. Parents and educators looking for a good resource for the girls in their lives will be thrilled to find You Grow Girl! This book will help girls feel self-empowered to make changes in how they view their bodies, talk about weight, and deal with stress. Girls are advised to stay away from unhealthy dieting and, instead, adopt eating and exercise behaviors that can be maintained on an ongoing basis. A big thank you to Gina and Kim for writing this book!” —Dianne Neumark-Sztainer PhD, Professor and author of I’m, Like, So Fat! Helping your teen make healthy choices about eating and exercise in a weight-obsessed world

"You GROW Girl! normalizes the challenging emotional and physical experiences of pre-teen and teen girls and offers them practical advice . . .  in a language they can understand. Osika and Johnson remind us that true beauty grows from the inside out and that it emerges from the deep connections we build with ourselves and others.” —Mary Tantillo, PhD, Univ. of Rochester's Center of Excellence, Strong Memorial Hospital

“This workbook will be a great help as teens struggle to sort out the sweeping range of emotions that is part of growing up and learning to have confidence in themselves as young adults.” —Sharon Alger-Mayer, MD, Medical Director, Comprehensive Care Center for Eating Disorders, Albany, NY

This title is currently out of print in the paperback format but is available in ebook form from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and many other major ebook suppliers. Used print copies are also available from third-party sellers.

Click here for information about Put the Blame on Eve: What Women Must Overcome to Feel Worthy

Gina Scarano-Osika, Ph.D. (right), is a NY state licensed psychologist with 13 years’ experience working with young women and adults. She has appeared on FOX news and in a variety of TV/radio/print media.

Kim Dever-Johnson, MA, LMHC, NCC (left), Gina's co-author for You Grow Girl!, is a certified Elementary School Counselor and a Licensed Mental Health Counselor who administers health/wellness therapy for children and adults at hospitals and private medical facilities.

Together they have developed a popular You Grow Girl! program for use in schools and community programs.