What is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist?
Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDN) are the food and nutrition experts who translate the science of nutrition into practical solutions for healthy living. RDNs have a bachelor’s degree or higher, fulfill a one-year intensive internship, pass a national exam and satisfy continuing education metrics. RDNs can provide wellness coaching, medical nutrition therapy, and disease prevention counseling.
Note: We use dietitian, RDN, nutrition therapist interchangeably in the FAQs.
What is medical nutrition therapy? What is a nutrition therapist?
When we say nutrition therapist, we are talking about an RDN who provides medical nutrition therapy (MNT). MNT is a focused, customized, and comprehensive nutrition therapy approach specifically to educate, assess, equip, and support an individual who is diagnosed with, or wishes to prevent, a nutrition-sensitive illness, such as diabetes, celiac disease, or an eating disorder, to name a few. Essential to MNT’s effectiveness is the in-depth individualized holistic nutrition assessment. You and your YLN dietitian will set realistic short term and long term goals, yes. But even more, your RDN will integrate self-care, hands-on practice, and personal development tools and strategies to foster growth and nurture your progress. MNT relies heavily on follow-up to provide repeated reinforcement and a step-by-step approach to support sustainable behavior change so you meet your goals.
I’m ready to schedule or I have a few more questions. What’s my next step?
You may call us, 818-790-8588, or email us, info@yourlifenutrition.co. Our administrator will get back to you and will answer your questions. When you’re ready, they’ll schedule a time for you to meet for a free 20-minute phone call with our Intake Coordinator. Please see below about the Intake Call.
Tell me about the intake call.
This free 20-minute Intake is an important step in pairing you with the Registered Dietitian Nutritionist who best fits your needs! This is your opportunity to share about yourself, what led you to reach out to us and if you want to work with a particular team member. Andi Hawkins, our experienced and welcoming Intake Coordinator will talk with you about your reason(s) for seeking the services of Your Life Nutrition now, and ask some important questions about your current situation, relevant history, goals, challenges, medical history, schedule, etc. Andi then reviews the Intake Call with our Clinical Director, Gloria Williamson, to pair you with the practitioner who’s a great match for you. Andi holds your intake information in confidence, sharing it with Gloria and the practitioner with whom you’ll be working. Any information shared beyond YLN Staff will require your written permission. Andi then schedules you with the dietitian nutritionist that you’ll be working with. If one of our team members isn’t the best match for you, we will do our best to connect you with someone who is.
What is the initial session like? Will the dietitian provide me with a meal plan?
All of our Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs) have extensive training and experience in their areas of specialty. Whether you are interested in wellness coaching or MNT, we work in a counseling style that fosters growth and change in a progressive manner. Your initial session is a conversation in which together you will explore how you think and feel about food, physical activity, your body, medical concerns, family history, stress levels, sleep and overall health. We listen to what you want from our work together, even help you articulate this, and from there create a plan uniquely for you. A meal plan may very well be a part of this plan, along with other options, such as grocery store or farmers market tours, cooking lessons, walk and talk sessions, or even having a supportive person in your life join one of your sessions. The plan is tailored to you and evolves over the time you work together.
How often do clients usually need to meet with their dietitian? For how long?
The frequency of nutrition therapy or wellness sessions is dependent upon what the RDN recommends. You two will discuss this at the end of your first session and throughout the time you work together. You are encouraged to say what you want and need. It’s common to meet weekly for at least a handful of sessions with the goal being to eventually increase time between sessions.
Can I see somebody even though I don’t have a diagnosed medical problem?
Yes, absolutely. There are many different reasons to see an RDN that do not include a medical diagnosis. Perhaps you want to protect the health you have or want more vitality in your life. When you call and speak with our intake coordinator, they will place you with a dietitian based on your primary concerns and motivations.
How does seeing a dietitian work with my other practitioners? Would I keep seeing my therapist/ psychiatrist/ physician while working with a dietitian?
Nutrition therapy is not the same as psychotherapy or pharmacotherapy. Even though we pay attention to emotions and beliefs that impact your health and well-being, we are not trained in processing these with you in a therapeutic manner. In fact, we find that being in communication with your healthcare providers provides the best care for you. This can only be done with your expressed written permission.
What is the office space like?
We believe in nutrition making a difference in our everyday lives and as such we practice in a welcoming office in space in Pasadena and share the building with like-minded practitioners. We have a comfortable waiting room indoors or ample space in the courtyard. You will meet with your dietitian in a private counseling office. In addition, we find sessions through video provides advantages because you are in your real life environment. Both have advantages.
Do you accept insurance?
As a private practice, we are not in network with any insurance companies. If you are seeking nutrition therapy for a diagnosed medical condition, possibly even to prevent a medical condition, we can provide you with a superbill at the end of each month. The superbill will include nutrition therapy procedure codes, your diagnosis codes, and itemized sessions for that month with a total of what you paid out-of-pocket. You then send that to your insurance company and if they do reimburse, they will send you a reimbursement check directly. We can provide you with some resources to help with this process. You may also be able to use your HSA or FSA for payment. Please check with the appropriate resource to confirm this for yourself.
How and when do I pay?
Payment is required at the time of service for all clients. If you are an in-person client paying by check, please bring payment with you to each session. We mobile deposit checks so please make sure your signature doesn’t interfere with the account number at the bottom of your check. We also accept cash payment and can provide a receipt. You may pay with a credit or debit card either securely stored in our electronic health record software or provide a card at each session. Please note that providing a card at each session will take a few minutes of session time to process as compared to having a card on file.