Sara Rehberg, RD, CD
I am a Registered and Certified Dietitian. I received my Bachelor of Science degree in Dietetics at College of the Ozarks. I then completed a CADE (Commission on Accreditation for Dietetic Education) accredited Dietetic Internship at Sea Mar Community Health Center. After completing these requirements, I was eligible for and successfully completed the CDR (Commission on Dietetic Registration) Registration Examination for Dietitians.
My work experience includes four years as the Registered Dietitian at Seattle Pacific University’s (SPU) Student Counseling Center (SCC), one year as consultant to the SCC Dietitian at SPU, and three years as a dietitian in private practice. In these roles, I have worked with the following variety of issues among clients: eating disorders, disordered eating, food allergies/intolerances, celiac, sports nutrition (elite and amateur), prenatal nutrition, child feeding and nutrition, weight management, diabetes (insulin and non-insulin dependent), high cholesterol, high blood pressure, anemia, and many more.
In addition to being a one-on-one nutrition counselor, I also enjoy speaking to groups about nutrition topics. Topics that I enjoy presenting are the following:
Sports Nutrition for the Individual and Team
Nutrition for Families
Feeding Children
Stress and Nutrition
Nutrition as We Age
Body Image and Its Impact on Health
Eating Disorders - Awareness and Prevention
In addition to being a dietitian, I am a wife, mother, and friend. I enjoy cooking, baking, meal planning, gardening, bike riding, running, lifting weights, dating my husband, spending time with friends, traveling, hiking, reading, organizing, cleaning, and playing with my daughter. As the saying goes, “I practice what I preach” in my own personal life and know the challenges that can come in seeking to have a healthy relationship with food and body in the midst of a weight obsessed world.
What is Nutrition Counseling?
My services are entitled Nutrition Counseling, which is based on my education in Dietetics. If needed, I refer clients to Mental Health Counselors for psychological counseling and to more thoroughly explore the issues behind one¹s relationship with food and their body. With the client, I am a supporter and an educator. In session, I listen to how one views food and their body and why they have come for nutrition counseling. Then, I aim to assist clients in discovering truth regarding food, their body, and nutrition and work with them to reach reasonable goals so that they live a life full of hope, truth, and freedom regarding food and nutrition.
A Nutrition Counseling relationship, between a client and a dietitian, can be complete in one session or it can continue for years. Individuals desiring further education and some practical tools to make healthier choices in regards to their relationship with food and body could see a Registered Dietitian for 3-5 sessions and receive sufficient skills to make desired changes. Individuals struggling with diagnosed eating disorders or undiagnosed disordered eating will benefit from weekly sessions with a Registered Dietitian for a longer duration period of time. These individuals will most likely receive the most effective treatment if being treated by a team of professionals, including a Mental Health Counselor, Registered Dietitian, and Medical Doctor. The course of treatment I practice with these individuals ensures the client has a treatment team in place in order to provide appropriate care.