What to expect from starting treatment together.

After you reach out to express interest in working together (via this page), we will chat by phone to discuss what brings you into treatment. If we both agree that we would be a good fit to work together, we will schedule an initial appointment. However, if we feel that you might need a different type of treatment, or provider, I would be happy to provide you with referrals based on our conversation.

The initial appointment is about 50 minutes. We will review paperwork, and I will ask you very broad but directed questions about multiple areas of your life in order to help contextualize our following conversations. This will include questions about your medical history, family, social support, symptoms that you might be experiencing, and anything else that might be relevant to working together. After this session, we can schedule our regular follow up sessions.

Follow up sessions for therapy are typically 50 minutes, and for nutrition it’s 45 minutes. For therapy, and nutrition counseling most individuals see me weekly, however some individuals see me 2x a week. We can discuss what makes the most sense based on your presenting needs.

Will we be doing nutrition AND psychotherapy during a session?

No, each session will be either a nutrition or psychotherapy session depending on what we both agree to at the start of treatment. This will be made clear when we begin working together.

However, If at some point you would like to change the treatment plan we can do that. You just need to talk to me about it and we will start a new treatment contract. For example, if you began working with me doing nutrition work, and then wanted to switch to do psychotherapy, we can update the treatment contract to ensure that we are both on the same page.

For individuals looking for specific eating disorder treatment, we will decide if you would like me to be your therapist, or dietitian. If you’re not already working with another therapist or dietitian, we will then refer out to another provider who can provide that adjacent treatment. In other words, if I am your eating disorder dietitian, you will also need to see a therapist in addition to seeing me. Or, if I am your therapist, you may need to see an eating disorder dietitian in addition to seeing me.

What’s the difference between a Registered Dietitian, and a Nutritionist?

All Registered Dietitians are nutritionists however not all nutritionists are Registered Dietitians. Let me explain.

A Registered Dietitian (also referred to as a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, RD, or RDN) is a nationally recognized title for individuals that have completed advanced training in the field of nutrition.

The use of the title “Nutritionist” does not legally bind any individual to specific certifications or credentials, however in Washington State, a Certified Nutritionist (CN) must hold an advanced degree within the field of nutrition.

A Registered Dietitian (RD or RDN) must:

  • Have obtained at least a bachelors degree or higher.

  • Have completed dietetic specific coursework such as basic and advance nutrition, clinical/medical nutrition, biochemistry, anatomy and physiology, food science, and nutrition throughout the life cycle.

  • Have completed a minimum of 1200 supervised practice hours by an ACEND-accredited program with specific training in clinical nutrition, community nutrition, and food service management.

  • Have passed a national examination administered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR).

  • Continue to complete professional educational requirements to maintain registration.

In Washington State a Certified Nutritionist (CN) Must:

  • Have a masters or doctorate degree In one of the following: public health nutrition, human nutrition, food and nutrition, or nutrition eduction.