“When I first started seeing Leigh, I had very little hope that I would ever overcome my eating disorder. I was a recently graduated college lacrosse player who had been struggling with anorexia and bulimia for almost four years, and I had pretty much given up all hope of recovery. I had seen countless therapists and nutritionists, but I never found any of their services beneficial. However, when I walked into Leigh’s office I knew things would be different. Over the past four years, Leigh has worked with me to quiet the eating disorder voice in my head, identify triggers for bad behavior, come up with healthy meal plans, revamp my metabolic rate, and monitor my progress, but to say she is just a “nutritionist” would be a lie. Leigh has been the person I turn to for everything over the past few years, and she has never given up on me, even when I’ve given up on myself. When I moved away to Vermont, she kept in contact. When I didn’t want to call her, she called me.  When I told her I wanted to stop our sessions, she convinced me to continue our work. Now, I am 26 years-old, symptom free, and honestly so happy. I still have a lot of work to do but I know that with Leigh’s help, the only way I can go is up.  Leigh has not only helped me to turn my life around, but she’s saved it.”

– A.A., in recovery from an eating disorder

“I first met Leigh more than ten years ago when I was at one of the lowest points of my life. I was in a major depression and full-blown eating disorder. My relationship with food was horrible; I was going through periods of binging and purging, restricting and overeating. I used food to cope with my feelings and anxieties. Leigh taught me how to use food to fuel my body and to learn to move my body for healthy exercise.  Her nutrition and exercise knowledge is vast, but what helped most was her patient and caring way. I never felt judged. I only ever felt supported. Leigh taught me how to make slow changes so that I didn’t feel deprived.  She taught me how to have a healthy relationship with food and I still practice what Leigh taught me. I credit my current healthy weight and positive relationship with food to what I learned from Leigh.”

– G.S., recovered from bulimia and binge eating disorder

“I received nutritional counseling from Leigh Van Dusen during a dark period in my life in which I was struggling terribly with an eating disorder. My experience working with Leigh was, hands down, the most positive experience I have ever had with any healthcare professional. Leigh was the ideal mix of professional, knowledgeable, and responsible, as well as caring, non-judgmental, and funny! There were several times when Leigh went above and beyond to provide care that well exceeded my expectations by coordinating with others in my treatment team, providing between-session feedback when needed, and continuing to be involved in my care for a brief period after I had moved out of state. I would enthusiastically refer any friend or family member to Leigh for nutritional counseling. In the ten years since I first worked with Leigh, I have successfully obtained recovery from my eating disorder, developed a successful career, gotten married to a wonderful man, and now am expecting my first child. I have no doubt that, without Leigh’s help during a vulnerable period of my life, none of this would have been possible.”

– A.H., recovered from anorexia

“Over the past 7 years, Leigh has been tremendously helpful to me both from a nutrition perspective and an all-around psychological one. Not only is Leigh adept at identifying a problem and supporting a goal, she is skilled at laying out realistic steps to help achieve that goal. Leigh is endlessly patient, incredibly knowledgeable, and I always leave a session feeling so much less stressed than I did upon arrival.”

– E.J.

“Leigh treats her clients and their families with kindness, knowledge and professionalism. My child would not be as healthy as she is today without Leigh’s guidance.”

– L.W., mother of adolescent client

“My daughter saw Leigh for years and with her support progressed from an unhappy teen with an eating disorder to a young woman with an incredibly positive body image and healthy eating habits. Leigh listens, remembers, deeply empathizes and believes firmly in the power to change. She wonderfully supported me, the parent, without compromising her relationship with my daughter. I can’t recommend her highly enough.”

-S.F., mother of client recovered from anorexia

“Leigh is a rare find. I have been consistently wowed by her sophisticated grasp of patients’ issues, her diligence in communicating to team members, and her competence and creativity in her work with patients. I am a psychologist in private practice and have worked with Leigh on several eating disorders cases. Working with Leigh is like having a highly skilled co-therapist. She brings not only her overall nutritional expertise but also a deep and broad understanding of the dynamics of eating disorders. She makes strong connections with patients and shows great sensitivity and skill in effectively moving people forward toward a healthy relationship with food and their bodies.”

– Joan Goldberg, Ph.D.

“Leigh is one of the most caring, conscientious and clinically astute nutritionists I have ever worked with. Her insight and collaboration are invaluable for excellent patient care.” 

- Marilou Shaughnessy, Psy.D.

“Leigh Van Dusen has been one of our go-to nutritionists for the past several years. She is highly skilled, provides top notch nutritional assessments for even the most complicated of cases, and her follow-up with referral sources and outpatient treatment team members is both extensive and timely. Due to her background as a top collegiate athlete and her strong clinical experience working with this unique population, Leigh was chosen as the sole sports nutritionist for our Eating Disorder Intervention Team. She is one of the most frequently recommended practitioners in our area, and is highly regarded by clients and families alike for her warm and compassionate approach to client care.”

– Dawn Hynes, MSW, Founder of Hynes Recovery Services

“I have collaborated with Leigh on a particularly complex, high intervention case for the last few years. Leigh is thoughtful, clinically wise, and able to look at and remind the team of “big picture” pieces amidst the myriad minutiae. She observes limits in a way that is highly useful to the client and models respect of self and other; she is authentic and honest and crystal clear in her communication. It is a great pleasure to work with Leigh and I always refer prospective nutrition therapy clients to her!”

– Lauren Manasse, LICSW