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Becoming a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor: A Life-Changing Experience�������������
DEANNA HOWARDGONZALES
MBA, RD, LD, CDE GUEST AUTHOR
Intuitive Eating (IE) can be lifechanging for us as dietitians and our clients� It helps people make peace with food and create an overall healthy relationship with not only food but life� It’s a game changer�
Evelyn Tribole, MS, RD, and Elyse Resch, MS, RD, CEDRD, FADA, created Intuitive Eating and wrote the book, Intuitive Eating in the 1990s� Since that initial publication of Intuitive Eating, 150 research studies have been published on the effectiveness of IE� It is now considered evidencedbased care� The authors created a training and certification program for health professionals to assure that Intuitive Eating is shared with individuals in a consistent, accurate and effective way� The certification program involves a self-study program, training seminar, supervision sessions, and passing an exam�
Intuitive Eating has impacted my life with professional opportunities and connections, and has opened my heart to having peace with food and my body �
I became interested in pursuing the certification program after reading the book Intuitive Eating� The book really spoke to me and brought alive thoughts that I have felt for many years� It gives me goosebumps to think about� I can confidently say that becoming a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor was the best professional education decision in my 26 years of being an RD� It has added tremendous value to both my professional and personal life� The Intuitive Eating Certification helped me find my tribe and find support from fellow professionals�
The program is intense and offers a considerably large amount of material with research studies and practice exercises� The IE certification program requires both a financial and time commitment� While these obligations may be drawbacks for some individuals, I felt that the cost is reasonable in comparison to other certification programs� It offers 58 CE once completed and costs approximately $1,300� I spread the certification program over a year period, so it was easier on me financially�
The program challenges many deep-rooted thoughts that I and many dietitians were taught in our education so it was not a certification that I felt I could quickly skim through� The time commitment for completing this certification varies depending on your available time and finances� I attempted to set aside a few hours each week to study� I carried the materials with me and would pick them up if I had a cancellation or free time between clients� Taking a year to work through the certification allowed me to meld the principles into my practice and daily life� If I could do the certification differently,
I would be more interactive within
the supervision groups. I would have asked more questions, made more connections with others, and scheduled some individual supervision with Tribole or Resch�
The certification has many potential avenues to increase business opportunities, connections and exposure� It has a Facebook group for fellow Certified Counselors and the IE website offers a worldwide counselor directory� I would recommend the certification to both new and established dietitians� I would love to see it incorporated into more internship programs as well� As dietitians, I think many of us have a love for food and helping others but we can also struggle with our own relationships with food and our body� Intuitive Eating has impacted my life with professional opportunities and connections but most of all, it has opened my heart to having peace with food and my body� For that I will forever be thankful to Tribole and Resch�
Deanna HowardGonzalez, MBA, RD, LD, CDE, is the owner of Emerald Coast Diabetes & Nutrition Center in Fort Walton Beach, Florida� When she is not working with clients, she is spending time with her family on or near the beautiful white sand beaches on the Emerald Coast�
