My philosophy
Most of us are born knowing how to eat. We start out as infants who shout when we’re hungry and spit food out when we’re full 👶🍼
But over time, diet culture rips away our natural relationship with food. We slowly become adolescents and adults who stress around food to no end 😩
Utilizing concepts of intuitive eating alongside nutrition science, my goal is to help you reconnect with your body and your core values to help you find food freedom ✨
Working with me
My style and values that help me provide high-quality eating disorder care:
Therapeutic and motivational counseling approach
Interdisciplinary collaboration as a top priority
Highly compassionate and empathetic personality
I provide space to explore beliefs, thoughts, feelings, and emotions related to food and body image concerns. Understanding why you may use disordered behaviors is not essential for recovery, but exploring the roots of food-related behaviors can be beneficial when clinically appropriate.
At the same time, my background in medical nutrition therapy allows me to provide individualized evidence-based advice to best support your mental health and physical needs. 💪
Services
Services
1:1 & family nutrition counseling in Denville, NJ & virtual
Initial Session
60 or 80 minutes
Our first meeting will be a 60 to 75-minute medical nutrition assessment to help me get a clear picture of who you are and what your background is. I will learn your medical and mental health history, your past and present difficulties with food, and what your main goals in working with a dietitian are. We will set a couple small goals to get us started, but the real work is done in our follow-up sessions.
Follow-up session
25 or 50 minutes
The initial session is great, but the good stuff happens in the follow-up sessions! 🎉 If we seem like a good fit after the initial session, we schedule follow-ups as is clinically appropriate. This is where we work together to set smart goals and monitor your progress. My aim is to help you implement actionable and impactful behavior changes that will be sustainable for life.
Family Support Sessions
25 or 50 minutes
Looking for extra support in caring for your loved one who has an eating disorder? Wondering what conversations are okay at dinner time, or if you should comment on your loved one’s appearance? Reach out to set up a Family Support Session by emailing gracemarie.rd@gmail.com 📧
My Approach to Nutrition
My philosophy and nutrition approach is non-diet, weight-inclusive, and rooted in intuitive eating. I provide solid nutrition education in my sessions that is rooted in Medical Nutrition Therapy, evidence-based research, and reliable food science. My aim is to help you understand the ins-and-outs of nutrition so you can be empowered to make mindful food decisions you feel good about.
When we are stressed or anxious, it is more difficult to make mindful food decisions. Very often, food ends up being used as a means of coping with stress or anxiety. I help my clients identify scenarios that increase the likelihood they’ll engage in a disordered food-related behavior and work to find other healthier ways to address their concerns or cope with the stress that arises.
Typically, I recommend weekly 1:1 counseling sessions in the beginning of figuring out how to reduce disordered behavior use and improve nutrition; then, as the client and I see fit, we will step down to bi-weekly then monthly sessions for on-going support.
Wherever you are in your recovery journey, I am here to support you ✨
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