Directly connected with a self-talk system that is attentive to you – to what you are thinking, feeling and wanting – is developing a way to speak up for you.  We call this self-advocacy or assertiveness, and we see that it involves 3 principle factors:

1) self-awareness – knowing what you are thinking, feeling and wanting

2) a sense of having the right to speak up for yourself

3) expressive or assertiveness skills.

The following link is to a website aimed at helping parents learn about self-advocacy. I think it is a good resource.  Try it.

http://www.parentcenterhub.org/repository/priority-selfadvocacy/

Readings

1) I recommend that you begin with the chapter below from the Guerney Relationship Enhancement Manual. The whole chapter is excellent, but please be sure you at least read pages A-37 & A-38.

2) The college student narratives is a different sort of piece than we usually read.  I found it interesting.

3) The compulsive eating, obsessive thoughts of food... article is more of our customary research - looking at the factors with respect to assertiveness.

4) The comparison of eating disorders...article also connects eating issues with assertiveness.