USD to Offer Training for Leading Weight Loss Program

Solution Method Also Useful in Treating Addiction, Stress & Depression

Training for one of the most effective programs to promote weight loss and prevent obesity will be offered at the University of San Diego Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science this fall.

The Solution Method, pioneered by a University of California, San Francisco researcher, teaches relaxation and other self-nurturing skills to help curb desires for excess eating and other unhealthy behaviors. A 2000 study found the program not only helps patients lose weight, but keep weight off for sustained periods of time. The study of 27 participants found an average weight loss of 13 pounds in three months that was sustained over a six-year period.

“This will be a stimulating update of the science and evidence-based practice for professionals who work in the behavioral sciences,” said USD Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science Associate Professor Kathy James.

The training at USD’s Manchester Executive Conference Center will be offered Thursday and Friday, Oct. 18 and 19. It is open to nurse practitioners, physicians, dieticians, counselors and other professionals who treat obesity, stress and addictive behaviors. To become certified, professionals must complete the two-day course, along with a follow-up specialty program that can be completed by distance learning. Professionals can earn continuing education credits by completing the program.

“While the program has been shown to be extremely effective, there still aren’t enough certified instructors,” James said. “By offering this training, we can make the program available to many more individuals and families in the San Diego community.”

Adult obesity rates rose in 31 states last year, according to the fourth annual “F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies are Failing in America,” 2007 report from the Trust for America’s Health (TFAH).  Twenty-two states experienced an increase for the second year in a row; no states decreased.  A new public opinion survey featured in the report finds 85 percent of Americans believe that obesity is an epidemic. 

The Solution Method and a companion program, Shapedown, for children and families, work by helping individuals to re-train their brains to ease stress and promote relaxation and pleasure. When these skills are used repeatedly, they provide lasting improvements in stress reduction and the desire for addictive behaviors.

The cost of the program is $195. To register go to www.thesolutionmethod.org or call (415) 457-3331.

About the University of San Diego

Strengthened by the Catholic intellectual tradition, we confront humanity’s challenges by fostering peace, working for justice and leading with love. With more than 8,000 students from 75 countries and 44 states, USD is the youngest independent institution on the U.S. News & World Report list of top 100 universities in the United States. USD’s eight academic divisions include the College of Arts and Sciences, the Knauss School of Business, the Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering, the School of Law, the School of Leadership and Education Sciences, the Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science, the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies, and the Division of Professional and Continuing Education. In 2021, USD was named a “Laudato Si’ University” by the Vatican with a seven-year commitment to address humanity’s urgent challenges by working together to take care of our common home.