Becoming a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor: A Life-Changing Experience D EA N N A H OWA R D GONZALES 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.
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