Trauma-Informed Care:
A Nervous System-Informed Course for Nutrition & Health Professionals
Your hosts - Fiona Sutherland and Tracy Brown
A self-paced online course which you can start immediately PLUS bi-monthly live group support, reflection and skills sessions
NEW modules and updated content to be added on December 10th 2023; all purchases until December 10th will have the additional materials included before a price rise on December 11th 2023
Group and Equity Pricing available (scroll down for all details…..)
Stress and Trauma impacts our Nervous System, which in turn impacts our capacity to nourish and take care of ourselves
And as Nutrition Professionals, when we understand the language of the nervous system we can offer meaningful support to our clients and ourselves in moments that matter.
We can be more present. We can be more attuned.
We can take care of ourselves alongside taking care of others.
If you are a Nutrition professional who works with human beings, you will inevitably be working alongside people who have experienced or are currently experiencing high levels of stress. Some of your clients will also have experienced trauma, both named and unnamed. Importantly, we too may have experienced trauma and as humans, are inevitably exposed to stress on a daily basis. When we are working with other humans, having an understanding into our own nervous system is crucial to meeting the experiences of others with insight and compassion. We are able to take care of ourselves more effectively, set boundaries and make wise, safe decisions which say “you matter, and I matter too…”
“Trauma-informed care IS nervous system-informed care, so if you are a human being who has a nervous system, this course is for you.”
Nervous system, trauma and the role of the nutrition professional
It has traditionally been viewed that the role of the Dietitian is very separate to that of the therapist in mental health, but what we are now understanding is the significant intersection of nutrition-related concerns, eating behaviours and mental health. We will be seeing people whose nervous systems are sending messages through their food-related behaviours and with insight, we can support our clients to decode and understand their experiences. But first, we need to become more familiar with our own nervous systems (so yes, this will be an invitation to self reflection, not just a “this is what to do with your clients” course!) and learn at a pace that supports us to safely integrate practices. This course aims to expand your scope of practice, but we will not be introducing you to anything that is not safely within a Dietitians wheelhouse.
For some people, this material will comfortably sit alongside your existing skillset, and for others this might feel more new. Both is fine. Trauma-informed Dietetic Care is everyone’s business and primarily aims to build our awareness and confidence in supporting our clients who have experienced trauma and/or are experiencing high levels of stress. Importantly, we will also guide you to tune in to your own system so you can more wisely assess where your own limits lie rather than being afraid of “over-stepping” or “not doing enough.” This course aims to leave you feeling clear and confident that you are right where you need to be, taking good care of yourself and good care of your clients.
Who is this course suitable for?
This course is suitable for you if you are a human and you work with other humans. We will all seek safety in many different ways in the face of feeling threatened or unsafe and there is no more poignant or collectively resonant time than the last few years, where the human nervous system has been on high alert and overloaded. You might be an ED Dietitian - your clients are seeking safety in their food, eating and body-related behaviours. You might be a Sports Dietitian - stress and trauma are at very high levels in athletes. You might work in private practice or the community with a variety of people seeking your support who are stressed, looking for answers, or nutrition is not their priority because there’s so much going on.
Importantly, if you relate to feeling “crispy at the edges” (or burnt out) then this nervous system-informed course will support you to understand your own experience too, and help direct you how to support yourself in a way which helps you show up for your clients, in your life and for yourself beyond “self care.”
this course includes self-paced modules, in which YOU’LL LEARN: ·
What is trauma and trauma-informed care?
Polyvagal theory and nervous system states
What am I listening and watching out for? Learn the language of the nervous system
How to be aware of, and notice our own nervous system in order to be able to self regulate, and provide co-regulation with others
How to recognise what’s happening in other people’s systems beyond their presenting food, eating and body-related symptoms
The power of slowing down and why it is critical for the work we do
Simple self reflective practices we can turn to in moments are are tempted to go into Dietitian-fixing mode
Setting yourself up to prioritise safety - within ourselves, between us and our clients, and in our environment
The importance of transitions, consistency and expectancy
Some foundational safety anchoring practices we can use to enhance self and co-regulation
How our body stores memories, and what this means for our relationships with food and eating
Case studies to bring it to life
Looking at the experiences of shame and burnout through a nervous system lens
What Trauma-informed Care looks like in organisations
All this PLUS bonus modules, a ton of resources and LIVE support sessions with Tracy and Fiona to be held every second month in 2023 and beyond (see upcoming dates below). These live sessions will be recorded and uploaded to the platform.
NEW content to be added on december 10th 2023 for everyone who has purchased the course (price rise on december 11th, 2023)
Attachment patterns and what this has to do with food, eating and body image (and bonus! Identify your own attachment patterns!)
PTSD and cPTSD
Moving past 1:1 - Integrating trauma-informed care principles into your workplace or organisations
Conversations on learning trauma and that old nutshell - “stuckness”
Research and resource update
current Pricing (until dec 11th 2023)
** please note that purchasing this course is for single person use only. We ask that you please do not share your log in details with others and instead consider a group purchase, or contacting us for equity pricing **
US $345 ($395 from Dec 11th)
AUD $379.50 including GST (AUD $345 + GST for Australian residents only for tax purposes*) - $395 + GST from Dec 11th
AUD $379.50 for all other countries ($395 + GST from Dec 11th)
includes all course materials with no time limit and live online sessions
*please see FAQ’s below for details relevant to previous course participants, and for those from marginalised groups. low OECD countries or people under financial strain - equity pricing is available.
Upcoming live consultation / support /Q&A sessions 2024 (check your time zone here)
**please note these are the same times in different time zones, and registration is required (see the links in the course, or your emails for sign up)
Monday 5th February 2024: 2pm ET, 5pm PT / Tuesday 6th February 9-10am AEDT
Monday 8th April 2024 3pm ET, 6pm PT / Tuesday 9th April 8-9am AEST
>> 8.5 CE Hours available for this course plus ethics credit*
with thanks to the generosity of EDRDPRO sponsorship - check out their wide range of offerings for Nutrition professionals!
*The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (Academy) and Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) are not responsible for he provider’s interpretation of the Academy/CDR Code of Ethics for the Nutrition and Dietetics Profession or its enforcement as it relates to the scenarios and content presented in this activity
>> 12 CPD Hours available for APD (self study, assessed with completion of the quiz)
FAQ's.....
I already understand trauma and the foundations of the nervous system – is this course for me or are there other options?
This course might be a repeat for you – but if that’s what you’re looking for, then great! If you’re looking to take your practice further, then Tracy’s Somatic Nutrition Counseling Skills course might be just right for you. If you are looking for a consistent, come and go as you please monthly supervision group that discusses the intersection of trauma/attachment and food interventions, then the group coaching offering can provide the connection you need to not feel alone in this work on an on-going basis. We also highly recommend the training of Paula Scataloni and Rachel Lewis-Marlow at The Embodied Recovery Institute for more advanced and in-depth training.
i do work with people who have experienced trauma - how Will this course help me support them?
We feel very confident that this course will significantly increase your awareness of how stress and trauma show up in food, eating and body-related symptoms. Our primary goal is that your awareness and practices will help you provide a space where you and your clients can proceed in a more safe, more thoughtful way which honours their experience and capacity, and the limits of the Nutrition Professional’s scope of practice.
We understand the enthusiasm and curiosity for trauma work, AND feel very strongly that to do more direct trauma work with our clients requires more advanced training, as well as years of practice and supervision. Trauma-informed care is for everyone, and this course will definitely help you understand what’s going on for your clients, get you started with them in terms of practices which can support regulation, AND also support you to understand what’s going on for you as you are working with them (such as frustration, urges to “fix” and feeling burnt out)
We encourage everyone to take their time and digest the material at a pace that feels like it’s putting your learning first rather than feeling tempted to rush in an “apply it in practice” before you’ve really let it land.
I have already done the 4-part live course previously - is this different?
We have done a major reviews of the content in late 2021, then again in late 2023 and have expanded and added a number of modules and lessons. We have also slowed it right down, breaking up the sections into bite-sized pieces so you feel invited it take it in and integrate learnings in a way that feels good to you. You will also get 8.5 CE Hours (USA) or 12 CPD Hours (Australia) for this course.
Are there CEU’s and CPD Points available?
Yes, there are 12 CPD points available for Australian APD’s (self study, assessed) and 8.5 CE Hours available plus ethics credit*
Are there group discounts?
Yes. For workplaces or groups of 5 or more, we offer a 20% discount. Please contact Fiona at themindfuldietitian@gmail.com for a code you can use.
Is there equity pricing available?
Yes. It’s important to us that courses and training is accessible to all Dietitians and Nutrition Counselors. We have an equity pricing model that we are happy to share with you, and apply to your booking for people under financial hardship, from marginalised communities and from low income or non-OECD countries. Please contact Fiona at themindfuldietitian@gmail.com for a copy.
Is this course suitable for professionals who are not primarily working in the Nutrition space? Eg. GP’s, psychologists, counsellors, exercise and movement specialists etc?
Yes, absolutely, noting that many of the examples and cases we use in the course are about food, eating and body relationships. We do believe that a vast majority of the course would feel helpful for most health professionals.
Your hosts:
Tracy Brown is a Somatically Trained, Trauma Integrated Dietitian and Nervous System Health Teacher combining bottom up and top down interventions to walk beside clients to eat and digest both food and life in a free, choiceful manner. Tracy teaches other RD’s and health professionals to guide their clients to be able to receive the same level of care. More about Tracy.
Fiona Sutherland is a Trauma-Informed Yoga Teacher and Eating Disorder specialist Dietitian who has a long-term interest in how we can work alongside our clients and communities in the de-stigmatisation and honouring of every person’s efforts to seek safety, often using behaviours we commonly see in Dietetic practice. Fiona is an experienced workshop facilitator and supervisor based in Melbourne, Australia. More about Fiona
Read more about Trauma-informed Care: