Nutritional therapist : Job description

Nutritional therapists work with individuals to find out which nutritional factors are affecting a person’s general health and wellbeing. They suggest specific changes to each client’s diet in an attempt to prevent or alleviate illness. They will also use their specialist knowledge to promote good health.

Nutritional therapy is a complementary therapy and is often used alongside conventional medicine. Therapists cannot claim to be able to cure a condition or illness. They will often work with patients referred to them by medical practitioners and deal with chronic health problems that conventional medicine may find difficult to treat. Therapists will work with clients to conduct a holistic assessment of their nutritional requirements. They will then make a prescription for diet and supplementation.

Typical work activities

Conditions helped by nutritional therapy range from relatively minor health problems, like fatigue, to more chronic complaints, like depression, arthritic joint pain, skin disease, childhood development disorders, migraines, eating disorders and asthma.

Tasks may typically involve:

• giving one-to-one confidential consultations, initially of about an hour to an hour and a half, during which the nutritional therapist will take a detailed assessment of current health problems, medical and family history, diet and lifestyle;
• conducting shorter follow-up review meetings, depending on the complexity and severity of a client’s condition;
• explaining the physiological impact of complex biochemical imbalances and nutritional deficiencies to help the client understand their condition, assessment and treatment plan;
• recommending laboratory tests (hair, urine or stool), which give indications of mineral toxicity, the functioning of the liver and the digestive system;
• agreeing on a personalised dietary lifestyle and nutritional supplement plan based on an analysis of the condition and laboratory results;
• writing comprehensive notes from questionnaires and/or open discussion, creating confidential reports with recommendations for clients and keeping all records on computer to track progress;
• offering a telephone or web-based helpline service to some clients;
• running a business, with responsibilities for marketing and publicity, maintaining an appointments service, invoicing clients, keeping accounts for tax and insurance purposes, and negotiating the rental of suitable premises.