BIG INTERVIEW
How to develop stronger minds and build a healthy brain Interview by Amy Lanza
K
imberley Wilson is a very talented and inspiring Chartered Counselling Psychologist with an additional degree in nutrition. Kimberley is unique in her approach to the "Whole Body Mental Health". She believes that “the way that we typically think about mental health – as being separate from the body – is fundamentally flawed. For example, the brain is made up of certain nutrients that you can only get through the diet, so in that sense your brain function is completely dependent on your diet” In addition, factors such as sleep, light exposure and exercise can literally reshape the brain: “I believe that treatments for our common psychological concerns would be more effective if we took the physical health and structure of the brain into consideration. That’s what I try to do.” She was our 2020 Creative Impact Award Winner for the Best Nutrition creative - take a look at @foodandpsych and alongside the typical work of a practitioner psychologist (providing treatment for mental health concerns) she also considers the role of
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nutrition and lifestyle on brain and mental health. We could not be grateful and in awe of Kimberley’s dedication to the brain and our bodies and her first book, "How to Build a Healthy Brain" was released in March 2020 to help us “reduce stress, anxiety and depression and future-proof your brain.” “The book started as a CPD (continuing professional development) training seminar that I put together for other psychologists. But I soon became frustrated that this information wasn’t getting to the people who needed it most – the public. So I opened the session up to everyone and got some great feedback. At the same time I started working with an agent who saw the potential of the seminar to be turned into a book and she got the ball rolling with that.” “The feedback from the book has been really heartwarming so far: “I receive messages from people who say it has helped them with their own mental health or older children who want to support their parents who are transitioning into old age. Clinicians have been recommending it to their own patients,
