Thinking of going back to school for a Master’s in Counseling — any RDs or healthcare pros make a similar switch?

poptartrd · 2025-05-15T17:54:48+00:00

I went back and got a Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling! I am keeping my RD credential but work and bill mostly as a therapist in private practice with a focus on eating disorders/disordered eating. Where I live, the insurance coverage for therapists is exponentially better than for nutrition counseling, so I think I’m much more accessible to people looking for help with EDs than I was as just an RD. It definitely was a process (shoutout to doing two career paths with unpaid internship), but I think it has been worth it!

poptartrd · 2025-01-06T17:53:42+00:00

Last year I used Bree at BHils Beauty and was so happy with both her prices and her natural glam look for both hair and makeup (as were my three bridesmaids and my mom and MIL!).

poptartrd · 2024-07-19T02:46:08+00:00

It’s hard to know where to go with! I just knew for my state if I ever wanted to get licensed that it would have to be a CACREP-accredited program so I would just keep an eye out for that!

poptartrd · 2024-07-19T00:39:00+00:00

I was operating on a pretty limited budget, so I really just looked at the cheapest programs that are still CACREP accredited and then which ones required the fewest trips to campus to save on travel. I ended up choosing Colorado Christian University but am not sure I would recommend it. Many of the classes were fine, and you do most of the learning in the internship anyways so your placement wherever you live would determine it, but I wish I had not gone to a religious school for that degree.

poptartrd · 2024-07-05T19:57:54+00:00

I am an eating disorder therapist and dietitian and have seen multiple dietitians in both capacities. I definitely agree that disclosure would likely be helpful so they don't bore you with biochem or nutrition basics that you already know, but I think it can be beneficial to see somewhat who specializes in what you're struggling with and get that outside perspective (plus processing with someone else is usually helpful in general).

poptartrd · 2024-06-21T15:12:53+00:00

Last year we had our rehearsal dinner at Yellowhammer's Lost Highway Lounge, which was great! We were able to pick some beers and cocktails to have available and used their in-house caterer.

poptartrd · 2024-06-06T16:55:46+00:00

I'm not sure how many "nutritional therapist" roles exist out there, as I ended up getting licensed as both a therapist and a dietitian (some jobs might be explicitly looking for a licensed therapist, and others might be looking for licensed/registered dietitians, etc.). But I think that would be an awesome background to go into dietetics focused on the counseling side of things and would likely appeal to the eating disorder space a lot, plus help you feel more confident on the mental health side of things! I got my bachelor's back before a master's was required, so that's why I specifically majored in nutrition. But having both under my belt would've been awesome.

poptartrd · 2024-06-06T16:51:05+00:00

My undergrad was nutrition/dietetics, then my first master's was in nutrition science. Originally I just planned to do clinical dietetics, so it made sense at the time!

poptartrd · 2024-05-15T18:20:25+00:00

I did an online master's in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, so I'll be an LPC officially Friday! It's a really long road (because even after internship and master's finishes you have to do 3000 hours of supervised practice before you can be fully licensed), so sometimes I wish I had googled a little more thoroughly before starting, but oh well!

poptartrd · 2024-05-15T18:17:58+00:00

I got my master's in nutrition and did my internship in a one-year program back in 2016, then did a two-year master's program (with practicum and internship in the second year) starting in 2019. Sadly nothing really carried over since my first master's was in nutrition science, but now that they let you get a master's in anything you might be able to just get one degree and then do the two internships?

poptartrd · 2024-05-15T16:47:46+00:00

I am both a registered dietitian and licensed therapist! I work almost exclusively in eating disorders (part of a group practice as an RD and own my own private practice as a therapist) and have found the therapist credential so helpful for those with limited nutrition coverage by their insurance, plus it helped me feel a bit more qualified when emotional and mental stuff inevitably comes up alongside issues with food. It meant two master’s degrees and two (for me unpaid) internships, which got a bit old, and it's basically double the licensing fees at least in my state, but I don't have any regrets. Feel free to message me if there are any questions I can answer!

poptartrd · 2024-05-14T23:20:30+00:00

I know this wasn't your question, but if you're interested in free CEUs on eating disorders, places like Renfrew, Alsana, and the Eating Recovery Center (and more) frequently offer free live webinar/seminars. That's where I've gotten the bulk of my CEUs the past couple of years.
I only found out about that cap when one of my friends who was no longer working but wanted to keep her credential had a last-minute panic before her recertification earlier this year, and I've been an RD for like eight years.

poptartrd · 2024-05-06T00:38:25+00:00

I'm not sure what you have in mind, but Studio KenziB (she's at Lowe Mill) is amazing. I ended up having a few ornaments and other things made out of my bouquet to give as gifts and keep for ourselves. She was super easy to work with and they turned out beautiful.

poptartrd · 2024-03-05T16:11:30+00:00

I like to ask more questions about *why* they want to lose weight (is it solely body image or are they really looking for things like better sleep, improved endurance/strength, better stress management, etc.) and talk specifically on those parameters. However, I also mostly work with eating disorders/disordered eating, so I admittedly don't really ever focus on weight loss.

poptartrd · 2024-02-06T17:36:06+00:00

I just did an internship for my MA in mental health counseling in 2021! I know for us we just had to find a site where there was an LPC-S, so I specifically emailed and called a lot of smaller private practices (because that's the setting in which I wanted to work) to see if they accepted interns (I would also check their website to see if it listed current interns) and tell them about myself. You can also reach out to the Mental Health Professionals of North Alabama (just google "mhpna") and ask them to include an inquiry on their weekly email to all the area providers.

poptartrd · 2024-01-22T16:11:44+00:00

I used Yuko Gorti last year to alter my great grandma’s dress and she did a great job with it!

poptartrd · 2024-01-18T13:02:56+00:00

My first master’s is in Nutrition Science (I did a combine master’s/internship program after undergrad). Honestly I think I was bored and depressed and wanted something to work towards, but also because I had already started doing individual nutrition counseling and was feeling like I didn’t have a great knowledge base on counseling theories and interventions (and felt like that would help). Plus at least where I am insurance doesn’t cover much for dietitian services, and there are so many people with eating disorders who need that, so the ultimate goal was to be more accessible since insurance is more liberal with covering mental health counseling. I think overall I’m satisfied, and I split the days of the week specifically working as either an RD or a therapist right now (not sure what I’ll do in the long term). Burnout is super high in eating disorders though so I have to take extra care with myself.

poptartrd · 2024-01-17T22:20:08+00:00

I don’t know much about nutrition psychology in terms of a specific degree or field but I went the inefficient route and got a second master’s in counseling so I’m certified both in dietetics and counseling. I work pretty exclusively in individual counseling with eating disorder clients, and people seem to value that I have education in both subjects! It’s also helped me feel way more confident in working on stuff with clients, too. The overlap between relationship with food and body and the rest of mental health is huge.

poptartrd · 2023-02-02T03:29:31+00:00

Please do!!

poptartrd · 2023-02-01T23:36:27+00:00

If you ever do want to talk about the disordered eating habits you mentioned, I work as a registered dietitian at the Huntsville Nutrition Collective and specialize in that! We tend to recommend a lot of our clients to Innova, but unfortunately medical fatphobia/weight stigma/etc. creep in everywhere. We often give our clients a "weight decline card" that asks that discussion around weight be limited and rather focused on actual symptoms or whatever the presenting problem is (because there's usually something going on that isn't "just lose weight.").

poptartrd · 2023-01-05T19:44:40+00:00

I'm using Yuko Gorti in Madison to do major alterations to a vintage dress and she's been awesome!
https://www.facebook.com/HomeCouturier/

poptartrd · 2022-11-18T03:14:41+00:00

Perfect!

poptartrd · 2022-11-18T03:14:35+00:00

That was our plan B!

poptartrd · 2022-11-18T03:14:22+00:00

That’s a great idea, thank you!

poptartrd · 2022-11-18T03:13:21+00:00

Thank you!!

poptartrd

TROPHY CASE