What to expect from your Nutritional Therapy consultation.

Nutritional Therapy is a holistic approach to wellness, meaning that I will look at you as a whole person, not just the symptoms you are currently presenting with. Not only will I assess your diet, I will also look at your current symptoms, medical and life history, and potential emotional and lifestyle factors, including stress and trauma, in an attempt to get a full picture of your current health status and possible risk factors for illness.

Functional Medicine practices form the basis of my integrative approach, using food, lifestyle recommendations, and an individually tailored supplement programme to help your body efficiently function to its optimum ability.

When you book an appointment I will send you a comprehensive questionnaire and a three-day food diary to complete. Returning this to me in advance of your consultation allows me to reflect on how each of your body systems is working (e.g. digestive, immune, endocrine, detoxification) and where the root causes of your issues may lie. As this takes a few days to complete and analyse appointments will always be made at least a week in advance of when you first make contact. 

At your first consultation I will take a detailed personal and medical history, which alongside the information gathered from the pre-appointment questionnaire, allows me to create a fully individualised food and lifestyle protocol based on your current needs. This may include dietary adjustments, suggestions for dietary support, lifestyle changes, supplemental recommendations and possibly functional testing if I think more information is required. This first consultation usually takes approximately an hour and a half.

Before leaving your first consultation we will set a date for your follow-up consultation, usually 4-6 weeks later. This time is ideal as it allows you time to adjust to the changes and begin to notice improvements. However, more frequent follow-up meetings are possible if you would prefer more support. A minimum of two follow-up consultations is ideal, and more can be arranged if we both feel it necessary. Follow-up consultations last about one hour.

I should also point out at this stage that it is not necessary for you to already have severe symptoms or diagnoses for you to benefit from Nutritional Therapy. Many clients attend simply to ensure they are making the right choices and receive extra advice or suggestions for healthy eating and a balanced lifestyle. It is my intention to help you achieve the maximum possible level of health, regardless of your current age or health status, to help you live life to the full.

All information provided in these consultations is strictly confidential.

Please contact me by phone or e-mail if you wish to make an appointment or if you require more information about services and prices. 

A little bit about me.

I think, like many in this particular field, my interest in nutrition began in earnest only when I encountered health difficulties of my own. For me, weight gain was a persistent challenge, but the numerous health problems that accompanied my increasing weight began to compromise my well being, both physically and mentally. Despite always having an interest in nutrition, unhealthy habits, born during my college years, began to take hold and spiraled in the following years. I joined Weight Watchers in September 2008 and within 2 years I had lost almost 4 stone and reached my goal weight, where I have stayed, for the most part, for over 3 years now. The programme had given me a platform to take control of my eating again, and refueled my interest in nutrition. I had seen the effect from both sides: the damaging side effects of a poor diet, and the therapeutic benefits of positive food choices.

With a renewed concern for my own health, and the health of others in similar situations, I began studying Nutrition and Health Coaching part-time in the Irish Institute of Nutrition and Health, Bray in 2010. This one year course gave us an insight into what is in our food, how it used by the body, and how best to advise people about general dietary and lifestyle requirements. Having completed this first year I quickly decided that I wanted to study further and began the two-year Diploma in Nutritional Therapy. The course now involved detailed study of Anatomy, Physiology and Pathophysiology. We worked our way through each of the body’s systems, the diseases and dysfunctions associated with them, and the benefits of nutritional intervention in their optimum performance. In the final year we completed almost 40 hours of Clinical Practice in the setting of the college clinic under the observation of our lecturers. This gave us the opportunity to practice assessing clients based on their current health status and diet, and create individualised nutrition and lifestyle recommendations, as well as developing our confidence as therapists, coaches and counsellors.

In my final year I completed an academic dissertation based on the impact of diet and lifestyle on the symptoms associated with ADHD in children. This interesting topic linked my new passion with my ‘day job’, that of a Primary School Teacher. I have been teaching for almost 7 years and get great satisfaction from my job, however I cannot help but notice that the number of children with behavioural, academic and psychological difficulties is growing steadily, and comes at a great cost, both emotionally and financially, to the families and schools involved. It was incredibly interesting to explore these issues for my dissertation and analyse the current research in the area with regard to causative factors and the possible role of nutrition in the management of these conditions.

As I set out on the road to establishing myself as a practitioner it is almost unavoidable that the areas I will eventually specialise in will be that of weight management and children’s nutrition, as these are the areas in which I have most personal experience. However, Nutritional Therapy is a holistic approach to wellness, which has been repeatedly shown to support the health of all major body systems, (skeletal, muscular, nervous, respiratory, cardiovascular, digestive, excretory, endocrine, immune, reproductive, skin, hair and nails) and I look forward to utilising my knowledge and experience to assist others in obtaining optimum health and helping my clients to manage the wide range of symptoms that can benefit from nutritional intervention.