Virginia Tech Student Nutrition Counselor
Blacksburg, VA
August 2015 - December 2015
As a student nutrition counselor, I counseled students and faculty clients on nutrition or health concerns they had. Since I took a class on Health Counseling prior to this, I was able to apply my knowledge of motivational interviewing to a real life one-on-one counseling session. Before meeting a client, I used data from the client's survey to research information that would be helpful in achieving his or her nutrition goals. During the one hour session, I went through a 24-hour diet recall with the client and talked about his/her typical diets and what he/she hoped to achieve. I also guided my client step-by-step on how to navigate ChooseMyPlate.gov and determined their recommended calorie needs using the website. After meeting with the client, I wrote ADIME reports and presented them to my peer group. We exchanged ideas and offered each other constructive feedback to improve our counseling skills. I truly believe that the skills I gained from being a nutrition counselor will greatly benefit me when it comes to counseling people on diet and nutrition during my clinical or community rotation.