Philosophy & Approach

My Philosophy

"Food is our common ground, a universal experience."

- James Beard

Food and Body are complex topics. Food sustains our bodies, and provide memories and experiences that tie us together socially and culturally. We need to eat for physical health, and for overall wellbeing. Food should not be a source of stress but rather one of life and enjoyment. We all deserve to enjoy food and all that intersects with it- culture, religion, taste, travel, and more- while eating in a way that fits your unique needs.

My Approach

Every client's story is unique. Food is one piece of that story. You are the expert, and I will partner with you to explore your relationship with food, movement, and body image while understanding sleep, stress, lifestyle, relationships, medical conditions, lived experience, and more. I aim to help clients eat with body trust and choose food that meets their health, taste, sensory, medical, social, cultural, financial, and emotional needs.

Of note, for clients with eating disorders, I usually require working with a therapist and medical doctor as well. I work closely with this team to provide the best care.

Foundations of my work include:

Providing the Best Care Possible

Listening to you actively.
Cultivating a supportive therapeutic relationship.
Meeting clients where they are at.
Firmly rooting my practice in Healthy at Every SizeTM principles.
Being honest about when a higher level of care is needed (for eating disorders).
Truly believing that all foods fit- from pasta to spinach to granola bars to nuts to...
Bringing in Intuitive Eating® counseling & resources when appropriate.
Using my training in body image, Motivational Interviewing & counseling skills like CBT, DBT, Exposure and Response Prevention & ACT.
Providing trauma-informed care.
Providing clear, evidence-informed answers & debunking nutrition myths.
Using food & cooking in the work.
Partnering with you on your journey.

Continual Learning & Improvement

Staying up to date on nutrition science literature, as well as topics in psychology and medical science.
Building continued proficiency in counseling techniques like Motivational Interviewing, food exposure, CBT, etc.
Obtaining clinical supervision on eating disorders, OCD, GI diagnoses & other nutrition-related health concerns.
Attending continuing education opportunities regularly.
Reflecting on my biases and privileges, and acknowledging my blind spots.
Researching topics that I do not have lived experience in.
Collaborating with other members of a client's treatment team (including coaches, family, peers, etc), and learning from them.
Obtaining the Certified Eating Disorder Specialist (CEDS) in 2023.
Learning from clients!

Philosophy & Approach

My Philosophy

- James Beard

​

My Approach

Listening to you actively.

Cultivating a supportive therapeutic relationship.

Meeting clients where they are at.

Firmly rooting my practice in Healthy at Every SizeTM principles.

Being honest about when a higher level of care is needed (for eating disorders).

Truly believing that all foods fit- from pasta to spinach to granola bars to nuts to...

Bringing in Intuitive Eating® counseling & resources when appropriate.

Using my training in body image, Motivational Interviewing & counseling skills like CBT, DBT, Exposure and Response Prevention & ACT.

Providing trauma-informed care.

Providing clear, evidence-informed answers & debunking nutrition myths.

Using food & cooking in the work.

Partnering with you on your journey.

Staying up to date on nutrition science literature, as well as topics in psychology and medical science.

Building continued proficiency in counseling techniques like Motivational Interviewing, food exposure, CBT, etc.

Obtaining clinical supervision on eating disorders, OCD, GI diagnoses & other nutrition-related health concerns.

Attending continuing education opportunities regularly.

Reflecting on my biases and privileges, and acknowledging my blind spots.

Researching topics that I do not have lived experience in.

Collaborating with other members of a client's treatment team (including coaches, family, peers, etc), and learning from them.

Obtaining the Certified Eating Disorder Specialist (CEDS) in 2023.

Learning from clients!

kate@katesweeneynutrition.com