Meal Services
Therapeutic Meal Support®
Van Dusen Nutrition® has created and trademarked the service, Therapeutic Meal Support®. It is designed to help individuals apply nutrition counseling principles and goals to their daily lives. Clients are guided and supported through meals or snacks so as to identify and fulfill nutritional needs, listen and respond to hunger and fullness and progress toward eating with greater ease and confidence. Sessions can be conducted in-office, in-home or at restaurants.
Coached Cooking
More information coming soon!
Guided Grocery Shopping
More information coming soon!
Therapeutic Meal Support®
Van Dusen Nutrition® has created and trademarked the program, Therapeutic Meal Support®. It is designed to help individuals apply nutrition counseling principles and goals to their daily lives. Clients are guided and supported through meals or snacks so as to identify and fulfill nutritional needs, listen and respond to hunger and fullness and progress toward eating with greater ease and confidence. Sessions can be conducted in-office, in-home or at restaurants.
Coached Cooking
More information coming soon!
Guided Grocery Shopping
More information coming soon!
Exercise/Movement Services
Therapeutic Movement Support®
Van Dusen Nutrition® has created and trademarked the unique service, Therapeutic Movement Support®. It is designed to help individuals who have developed a negative relationship with exercise reconnect to movement and their bodies in a more balanced way.
Therapeutic Movement Support® is for an individual who over-exercises, exercises in an obsessive or obligatory manner, exercises compulsively, is apprehensive about returning to exercise or avoids exercise. The program is also appropriate for eating disorder clients who are medically stable but need to limit movement. Therapeutic Movement Support® is an adjunct service where close communication with the client’s healthcare team is maintained.
A client works one-on-one with a clinician discussing their relationship to movement/exercise both in and outside of the eating disorder. Clients engage a variety of movement types while processing related thoughts and physical feelings (neck up, neck down®) that arise in the moment. The client is guided to identify points (pause point®) in which the mind is shifting from engaged to disinterested or the body is shifting from warm to fatigued. The client is encouraged to then transition to another movement or finish moving for the time being. The client practices listening to internal cues rather than relying on external sources such as numbers. Therapeutic Movement Support® builds a positive relationship with movement and provides a framework for integrating movement into overall life.
Metabolic Testing
Metabolic Testing
Van Dusen Nutrition® provides metabolic testing using the MedGem indirect calorimeter. The handheld device accurately measures an individual’s resting metabolic rate (RMR) or the number of calories a person expends daily while at rest. A key to successful nutrition management is determining an accurate baseline so goals and plans can be tailored to each individual client.
Community Support
Community Support
Van Dusen Nutrition® is available to consult in a variety of capacities including speaking engagements, workshops and team talks. We work with healthcare practitioners, hospital staff, educators, coaches, athletic teams, students and parents.
The team at Van Dusen Nutrition® is available to present on topics including (but not limited to):
- ‘Nutrition Counseling Post-Inpatient Treatment for an Eating Disorder’
- ‘Diets, Eating and Exercise Disorders and their Effect on Metabolism’
- ‘Disordered Eating in the Athlete – Health Consequences and Treatment Approaches for Adolescents to Adults’
- ‘Therapeutic Movement Support™ – An Experiential Therapy for Helping Eating Disorder Client Build a Positive Relationship with Exercise’
- ‘Nutrition Strategies for Achieving Optimal Athletic Performance’
- ‘Injury Prevention through Adequate Nutrition’
- ‘Healthy Eating on a College Campus’
Recent Conference Presentations:
- MEDA, 2019
- Female Athlete Conference, 2017
- Academy for Eating Disorders International Conference on Eating Disorders, 2016
Consulting
Van Dusen Nutrition® is available to consult in a variety of capacities including speaking engagements, workshops and team talks. We work with healthcare practitioners, hospital staff, educators, coaches, athletic teams, students and parents.
The team at Van Dusen Nutrition® is available to present on topics including (but not limited to):
- ‘Nutrition Counseling Post-Inpatient Treatment for an Eating Disorder’
- ‘Diets, Eating and Exercise Disorders and their Effect on Metabolism’
- ‘Disordered Eating in the Athlete – Health Consequences and Treatment Approaches for Adolescents to Adults’
- ‘Therapeutic Movement Support™ – An Experiential Therapy for Helping Eating Disorder Client Build a Positive Relationship with Exercise’
- ‘Nutrition Strategies for Achieving Optimal Athletic Performance’
- ‘Injury Prevention through Adequate Nutrition’
- ‘Healthy Eating on a College Campus’
Recent Conference Presentations:
- MEDA, 2019
- Female Athlete Conference, 2017
- Academy for Eating Disorders International Conference on Eating Disorders, 2016
Group Services
Group Services
Van Dusen Nutrition® offers a variety of groups throughout the year related to nutrition, exercise and eating disorders. Groups entail counseling, support and education with the goal of providing an open and safe environment in which to learn from, connect with and create a community of individuals having similar experiences. All groups are led or co-led by a Licensed Dietitian/Nutritionist.
Continue to check back for more information.
Exercise Behavior Group
Dates: TBD | Time: TBD
Location: 1492 Highland Ave., Suite 4, Needham, MA 02492
Fees: Assessment = $100; 6 weeks = $350 in total
Contact: Please call 781-343-1592 or email info@vandusennutrition.com to schedule an assessment or for further information.
Description: This 6 week group is for women ages 16+ who are struggling with a negative relationship with exercise. The group is designed for those who over-exercise, describe exercise as obligatory, obsessive or compulsive, or define themselves as an exercise addict. Participants will evaluate their relationships with exercise and begin the process of redefining exercise to be a more balanced component of life.
This group will be co-led by the Practice Owner, Leigh Van Dusen, and Staff Dietitian/Nutritionist, Nicole Farnsworth.
STEP®
STEP® - Supplemental Treatment Based in Experiential and Exposure Programming
Van Dusen Nutrition® launched its STEP® programming in September of 2020. STEP® is a highly specialized and individualized eating disorder program with the objective of filling a gap in the levels of care.
Our experience has been that the progression from higher levels of care down to outpatient care is often too steep and places clients at risk of relapse. Similarly, we see clients not moving forward in outpatient care due to needing more support than outpatient alone can provide.
Our STEP® programming offers a variety of levels of care beneath the PHP level of care and above the outpatient level of care, intended to offer more gradual and incremental steps throughout the continuum of care.
Our STEP® Programming includes the following levels of care:
*STEP®-IOP+ - this is our highest level of care and entails 9 hours of group programming, 30 minutes of Case Management, plus approximately 10 individual sessions per week.
*STEP®-IOP - this level of care entails 9 hours of group programming, 30 minutes of Case management, plus approximately 5 individual sessions per week.
*STEP® - this level of care entails 6 hours of group, 30 minutes of Case Management, plus approximately 4 individual sessions per week.
STEP® - Supplemental Treatment Based in Experiential and Exposure Programming
Van Dusen Nutrition® launched its STEP® programming in September of 2020. STEP® is a highly specialized and individualized eating disorder program with the objective of filling a gap in the levels of care.
Our experience has been that the progression from higher levels of care down to outpatient care is often too steep and places clients at risk of relapse. Similarly, we see clients not moving forward in outpatient care due to needing more support than outpatient alone can provide.
Our STEP® programming offers a variety of levels of care beneath the PHP level of care and above the outpatient level of care, intended to offer more gradual and incremental steps throughout the continuum of care.
Our STEP® Programming includes the following levels of care:
*Intensive Outpatient Program+ (IOP+) - this is our highest level of care and entails 9 hours of group programming, 30 minutes of Case Management, plus approximately 10 individual sessions per week.
*IOP - this level of care entails 9 hours of group programming, 30 minutes of Case management, plus approximately 5 individual sessions per week.
*STEP® - this level of care entails 6 hours of group, 30 minutes of Case Management, plus approximately 4 individual sessions per week.
STEP® - Group Program:
MONDAYS, WEDNESDAYS & THURSDAYS - 5:15-8:15 pm
STEP® - Choose 2 evenings
STEP®-IOP and STEP®-IOP+ - Entails all 3 evenings
Where: 1000 Highland Ave., Needham, MA 02494
Complete our Contact Form for more information on our Programming and to schedule an Assessment.
Individual Nutrition Counseling
Individual Nutrition Counseling
Van Dusen Nutrition® provides individual nutrition counseling to clients looking to pursue a more nourishing and fulfilling lifestyle. We aim to fully understand each client’s background and current day situation in order to create a plan that is supportive of both needs and goals. The clinicians at Van Dusen Nutrition® rely on evidence-based nutrition science combined with an understanding of psychology and human behavior to educate and effectively guide clients toward change.
Our counseling style is compassionate, direct, respectful and even humorous as we partner with our clients on the path to a more complete self. We utilize various therapeutic methods including: Motivational Interviewing (MI), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Internal Family Systems (IFS), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) and Family-Based Treatment (FBT).
Individual Nutrition Counseling
Van Dusen Nutrition® provides individual nutrition counseling to clients looking to pursue a healthier and more fulfilling lifestyle. We aim to fully understand each client’s background and current day situation in order to create a plan that is supportive of both needs and goals. The clinicians at Van Dusen Nutrition® rely on evidence-based nutrition science combined with an understanding of psychology and human behavior to educate and effectively guide clients toward change.
Our counseling style is compassionate, direct, respectful and even humorous as we partner with our clients on the path to a more complete self. We utilize various therapeutic methods including: Motivational Interviewing (MI), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Internal Family Systems (IFS), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) and Family-Based Treatment (FBT).
Contact
Needham
Cambridge
Needham
Cambridge
New Clients: Getting Started
Complete Contact Form
The Coordinator of Client Care will review this form to identify which of our clinicians is the best fit for your needs based on specialties and availability.
Schedule Initial Appointment
The Coordinator of Client Care will reach out to you within 24 hours to schedule an initial appointment with your specialized clinician.
Virtual or In-Office Assessment
You will meet with your clinician for an assessment process, which includes recommendations and next steps.
Care
You will meet with your clinician on a weekly basis for ongoing guidance, support and care.
Please fill out the below Contact Form and our Office Administrator will be in touch within 24 hours to schedule an Initial Assessment.
Please fill out the below Contact Form and the Coordinator of Client Care will be in touch within 24 hours to schedule an Initial Assessment.
Sports Nutrition
Sports Nutrition
Van Dusen Nutrition® works with athletes at the recreational, collegiate, elite, master and Olympic level. We help clients to identify and meet their fuel needs in an effort to enhance energy and optimize performance. Van Dusen Nutrition® works with athletes to prevent or recover from injuries through adequate nourishment so as to remain active in sport. Additionally, we guide and support athletes in weight-centric sports to meet standards within the sport without compromising health or execution.
