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The non-diet approach to health for dietitians and health professionals

Dietetics

Fiona Willer dietitianQueensland based dietitian Fiona Willer is an advocate of a non-diet approach to health. As well as running a free online course for dietetics students, foundational and advanced courses on the non-diet approach, she also offers the foundational course in an online format for dietitians.

“Health Professionals should consider learning about weight-neutral perspectives because even the NHMRC concedes that the vast majority of weight loss attempts fail within 3-5 years, and not only that, but that intentional weight loss confers no benefit when compared with healthy lifestyle behaviours regardless of weight” says Ms Willer.

The online courses have attracted over 300 participants, many from Australia and at least a few from each of the dietetics teaching universities in Australia. Participants from overseas have come from the US, Canada, Israel, UK, New Zealand, Italy, Mexico, Malaysia, France, Sudan and the Dominican Republic.

The learning outcomes are:

  • non-diet course for dietitiansIdentify the philosophical principles of Health at Every Size
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the key concepts of the Non-Diet Approach
  • Reflect on your own weight bias and the impact that weight bias may have on dietetic clients
  • Appreciate the current evidence for Non-Diet Approach practice

Both the online courses are self-paced and participants have 12 months to complete the course from their date of enrolment. Both courses include assessment so they can be used for ‘Professional Education – Assessed’ for CPD. The full course takes about 40 hours to complete, variable depending on how long is spent on the assessment items. If all of the assessment items are completed satisfactorily participants receive a certificate of completion. If participants do not wish to do the assessment they can claim the time spent as ‘Professional Education – Non-Assessed’.

Feedback for the online courses so far has been positive:

Hi Fiona, I really enjoyed the course. Seemed to make a few things click for me and made me reflect on my approach to practice a lot. The webinar in particular was extremely useful and detailed enough to really contextualise the whole concept. Thanks! (M.K.)

Thank you Fiona for organizing such an in-depth and poignant learning course! (M.J.)

Thank you, Fiona, for directing our attention to all the aspects associated with living a healthy life. I enjoyed having my thought processes challenged. Great interactive content. (A.K-P)

Health, Not Diets has been offering face-to-face training to dietitians and health professionals in the non-diet approach throughout Australia since 2013. In 2016 training has already taken place in Brisbane and will also move on to Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney. Some of the workshops have been run in conjunction with the Australian Psychological Society. In 2017 Health, Not Diets will be going back to Perth and, then over to New Zealand for the first time.

The advanced 2 day workshop for dietitians includes new, in-depth case studies each series and a research update so that professionals who use this approach can continue to hone their skills and network.

Ms Willer’s PhD study has found that there is wide acceptance of the non-diet approach among dietetic professionals and a positive attitude towards it’s use with clients with weight concern, even by strongly weight-centric dietitians. Her research has found that the main barrier to practice is training because weight-neutral approaches are not yet covered in depth in dietetics credentialing courses or in many other health professional degrees.

“My vision for Health, Not Diets is to fill that gap, until the approach is integrated into the day-to-day practice of health professionals everywhere” says Fiona.

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