CEUs for MFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs and LEPs

Do you believe diet and nutrition can make a difference with mental health but are unsure how to talk about it with clients? Learn how to bring Nutrition into the therapeutic setting AND earn 18 CEUs. Depression, anxiety, ADHD, Addiction, and other mental health issues can be significantly helped by diet and targeted supplements.

What are targeted supplements? This is individualized supplements that target specific symptoms and issues. For example, did you know that the amino acid 5-HTP converts to serotonin in the body? Or that the number one reason for alcohol relapse is skipping a meal/low blood sugar? This is just a sampling of what you will learn in the Nutrition Therapy Specialist Training course. Self-paced and complete with ready-to-use assessments. Start brining nutrition into your clinical setting the day you finish the course.

Worried about scope of practice? The course goes into complete detail on how to determine what is safe for you to say/do within your practice, depending on your location.

Ready for more information? Go to www.nutritionistherapy.com/courses for complete info. Take your practice to new places and see results almost immediately with clients.

Infertility and PCOS/Gut Health

Can nutrition and gut health help infertility

I don’t know of anything that is not helped by better nutrition - especially with an individualized, Functional Nutrition approach. 

Last summer, a lovely woman of age 37 started working with me. She was referred by another client of mine to give Functional Nutrition a try before going to expensive IVF treatments. In late July we had our first consult and she informed me that she was planning to begin the process towards IVF in October. 

“Andrea” worked in a helping profession and had a busy career. She and her husband had tried for two years to become pregnant. Recently, she had received a diagnosis of PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome). This helped guide my protocol. 

Luckily, Andrea already had a very clean diet (goals are always more quickly achieved when this is the case). Because part of PCOS is an overproduction of insulin and poor regulation of blood sugar levels, we changed her diet and eating habits to address this by increasing fiber, adding cinnamon (a natural insulin-sensitizer), replacing some high carb/simple sugar items, eliminating her non-stop snacking, and increasing her protein.

Also critical was balancing gut health, testing for food intolerances and eliminating certain foods based on the results, and adding a supplement that improves insulin sensitivity AND has been shown (by the New England Journal of Medicine) to cut free testosterone by more than half. (PCOS is also characterized by higher levels of androgens and testosterone). This supplement is a form of inositol called D-chiro-inositol. (For more info see Dr. Sara Gottfried’s work and the work of Dr. Felice Gersh). 

Optimizing Andrea’s nutrition was important too, and we added B12 (she is a vegetarian and B12 is mostly found in animal products) and a prenatal vitamin/protein powder from Seeking Health. 

In late September at our follow-up appointment Andrea had some happy news to share. (I told you a clean diet makes everything faster :)). She was pregnant! 

Don’t underestimate the results possible with Functional Nutrition. Whatever your goals are, they can be aided by individualized nutrition. 

This protocol took into account client’s history and health status - consult a health professional before writing your own protocol.

Shifting Anxiety

Sometimes young teenagers say things best. 


When I started working with "Alexa" her anxiety was so bad that she was unable to attend school and she had been hospitalized previously for depression. She was already on the highest dose possible of an SSRI from her doctor.

Her goal was "to be able to tolerate things." 

We started working together last Fall and by January she wanted to go back to school. She told me it was "going better than I thought." With her doctor's guidance, she lowered her SSRI dosage by 75% during this time period. 

I love how she described how she felt.

In her own words, "The supplements have slowed down the emotional climb" of anxiety. She added that she was no longer going to school on eggshells, worried that if she did one thing wrong everyone would hate her. 

My approach with her including targeted lab tests, nutrients, targeted supplements, and diet improvement. It wasn't months of extreme effort - I have only seen her three times so far. 

Anxiety and depression do NOT have to be a life sentence. 

In these current times, we are seeing anxiety levels sky rocket and take root in people who previously have not experienced anxiety.

If you are a clinician, consider adding Nutrition Therapy to your practice. If you are a potential client, know that you have OPTIONS. I am happy to help any way that I can.

10 Tips To Avoid Depression During Shelter In Place

Even for those who do not regularly experience depression, this strange time can bring on symptoms that may not even be recognized as depressive symptoms. And for those who already experience depression, things can quickly spiral if self-care isn’t a priority.

A perfect storm for environmental depression involves: isolation, lack of purpose, and lack of movement. This is exactly what most of us are experiencing right now with Shelter in Place.

Here is how to make it through these weeks without adding depressive symptoms to all that we already have to handle. 

1) Move Your Body

This does not mean start a new rigorous exercise program. ANY movement counts as movement and impacts your body and brain. It can be as simple as going up and down your stairs for 8 minutes, doing push-ups twice a day, taking a walk down your street, or taking a yoga “class” on youtube. Basically, get off of the couch a few times a day and get your heart rate up. You will immediately  notice a difference in how your body feels.

2)  Don’t go Junk food crazy

When we feel bored or lonely we tend to gravitate towards comfort food. You will likely eat some foods that you don’t regularly eat, just accept that fact; do not make it the new rule. Your body and brain will gravitate more towards depression after a meal of processed food, sugar, or high carbs. In addition, keep up with whatever supplements you usually would be taking as well as adding extra immunity-boosting supplements.

3) Get Outside

Breathe some fresh air. This can look like taking a walk (cross off 2 goals with this one) or just sitting outside in your yard. Fresh air and experiencing the outdoors shifts perspective and rejuvenates the body. 

4) Have Contact with Others

Isolation breeds depression. If you live alone, call friends or family, spend some time on social media interacting with others (positively) or encouraging others. We have more tools for technology-assisted contact than ever before. 

5) Have a Purpose 

While it is tempting to binge watch all those TV shows or movies you missed, allow some time each day to accomplish something real. Remember those projects you have been saying you don’t have enough time to do? This is a great time to clean up a room or garage, dig in to that creative project, or learn how to do something you have been wanting to learn. Youtube has lessons for everything - making jewelry, fixing your car, cooking or baking, or anything related to your profession or lifestyle that you can imagine. We feel better when we accomplish.

6) Read and/or Meditate

We have many studies that show that meditation shifts our brains and bodies into a calmer state. Even if you feel like our current global state is not impacting you, there are always underlying anxieties around the unknown. Download a free app to try meditation either alone or with your kids or spouse. Start with the app Headspace which has group meditations, lessons for beginnings and much more.  And don’t forget all those books you have been wanting to read. If you have a library card you can “check out” books electronically on apps like Libby and Overdrive. This includes audio books, which are a great way to not feel alone and be pleasantly distracted.

7) Cook

Remember all of those recipes you have been wanting to try? Spend some time cooking or baking a new recipe and sit down with your best place settings to enjoy it. If you live alone, play music or an audio book. Or, facetime a friend who is also alone. If you live with others, sit down together and pick a discussion topic for the duration of the meal. Keeping regular mealtimes will keep you from the temptation of eating junk food.

8) Get Dressed

It might seem silly to say, but when there isn’t a reason to get dressed, sometimes we do stay in our pajamas. This might be fun for a day or two, however, after that it could lead to us just wanting to get back in bed. Getting dressed says “I’m ready to do something.” It’s going to be different than what your usual “do” is and that’s ok. 

9) Play Games

If you have kids or teens home, this is a great way to bring the family together so that everyone is not on their own electronic devices all day. It’s also a great way to laugh, lighten the mood, and pass the time while engaging with those we love. If you live alone, join a game online or on an app where you can play with others in real time. 

10) Help Others; Encourage others

There is someone in your corner of the world who you can help or encourage. If you are healthy, go on the Next Door app or website where many neighborhoods are posting local needs like grocery shopping or other errands for those who cannot get out. Call your local nursing home and ask if they have a phone program for residents who have no one to talk with. And, we can all encourage anyone we come in contact with. Getting outside of ourselves, even for a brief time, literally wards off depression.