We are Dietitians, so what sets us apart?
Written by Erin Nelson, RD
It is March! That means the sun is shining for longer, the birds are chirping more, and I am starting to feel the familiar stirring and excitement of new possibilities Spring inevitably brings with the buds and new leaves. March for me is a time for looking ahead and integrating the learning and reflecting I have done during the slower winter months. March is the beginning of action in the year. March is also exciting because it is Nutrition Month! As always, a team of dietitians work to come up with a theme that helps to showcase the diverse roles in this field. This year the theme is We Are Dietitians and within this, there is so much room to advocate for our role in our client’s journeys.
I thought this year would give me an opportunity to write about how us Dietitians at The Nourish Collective are doing things a little differently than others in our field. So, what does make us different?
While all dietitians have completed a degree program and a one year practical internship, once a person becomes a dietitian there are endless avenues to explore and we are afforded quite a bit of autonomy over how we shape our practices. The common thread that runs like an undercurrent through our practices in our TNC team is our shared values. Our values are what drive us to seek out the additional education opportunities that we do, which help us to inform our practice, which in turn, help us to support our clients in a way that is in line with our values.
We are Dietitians and our shared values are what set us apart. So I thought what better opportunity to showcase our values than Nutrition Month!
Compassion is the first of our shared values and this is so, so important for us to be able to connect with our clients in a meaningful way. We all have done so much unlearning and intentional relearning to gain an understanding of the dominant narrative of food and body beliefs within our society from multiple perspectives. We are able to meet our clients with so much compassion because we have such a deep understanding of how these views are connected to a broader spectrum of oppression and discrimination.
Whether our clients have come to see us to help them navigate ending the cycle of chronic dieting, to support their journey to improve their body relationship, or to help them heal and improve their quality of life from disordered eating or an eating disorder, many of our clients have been made to feel like what they are experiencing is their fault. We are here to offer an alternative perspective to this belief with so much compassion, empathy and understanding. We know what health looks like is subjective, rather than objective, and is much more individualised and personal than we have been led to believe with this dominant narrative.
Connection is another of our shared values. As weight-inclusive, anti-oppressive dietitians we are often the space holders for the food and body stories of our clients, many of whom have not had the opportunity to talk about these topics in this way before landing in our office. We are so often a container to have tough conversations that can support our clients to move toward what is important to them in a way that feels supported and sustainable.
Respect is ever-present in our sessions with our clients. We honour where you are at in your journey, and just as importantly, where you would like to go. Within our practices, we truly take into consideration what this means for our clients. Being able to show up in this way has meant a continual process of unlearning and relearning how we view the world and how our profession has both helped and caused harm within the greater societal landscape (learn about more about that in last year's Nutrition Month Blog). In this way, this work can not be separated from advocacy, which is the last of our shared values that I want to write about.
Advocacy. Because we find ourselves in the space of engaging in conversations with our clients that address oppression, it is impossible to separate advocacy from our work. We are constantly learning more about the intersectionalities that show up with our clients, with the ability to acknowledge our own privilege within this system. We are often one of the only, if not the only healthcare provider that has had the opportunity to spend the time building relationships with our clients to truly get to know the ways we can best provide support in their journeys. Our advocacy work can show up on an individual level such as in the conversations we have with our clients and it can also show up in other ways as well. This can look like providing support and resources to feel heard in medical appointments, helping clients navigate conversations with family, friends and coworkers or providing resources to deepen learning and reflection. Our advocacy work also shows up on a macro level in the writing we do, in the intentional way we choose education opportunities and the individuals we choose to support in their work.
We are Dietitians and within this theme, I am so grateful that I have found this particular group of people that have these shared values, that show up unapologetically in ways that feel safe for our clients because our values allow for a holistic vantage point that sees a whole person.
Our values inform our practice and they truly are what make us different, you’ll see.
