It's often overlooked, but nutrition is a critical component of the healing process for the clients you treat. If you're ready to take your practice to the next level by learning the latest nutritional strategies, then this course is for you! Your expert faculty will show you the most current evidence-based nutritional tools to support mental health.
If you're not asking your clients what's on their plate, you're missing essential information that could hold the key to their progress.
Their food choices are affecting how they feel day-to-day, impacting their motivation to make changes...
...and are likely also contributing to the mental health issues that brought them to you in the first place.
The low mood, anxiety, and poor concentration — the irritability, insomnia, inattention, and hyperactivity... Your interventions for these symptoms and more fall flat when you don't consider the fuel your clients are feeding their brains.
It's vital that you gain expertise in the use of food as medicine to help the clients in your practice meet their mental health goals.
That's why we've created this engaging, intensive course bringing you the latest information on how to harness the power of nutrition to improve your client outcomes.
Best of all, when you complete this comprehensive course, you'll be eligible to become a Certified Mental Health & Nutrition Clinical Specialist — CMNCS* (a $199.99 value — yours FREE!) *Professional standards apply. Learn more at www.evergreencertifications.com/CMNCS.
REGISTER TODAY to provide the whole-person care you've always wanted!
Food as Medicine:
Certification Course for Mental Health ProfessionalsValued at $799.98
— register today for just $549.99!
Plus, earn up to 18.25 CE Hours!
Click here for Credit details
Click here for Credit details
The term "nutritional psychology" may be relatively new...
...but the idea that what we eat affects how we feel is old wisdom.
When you register for this practice-changing course, you'll get:- Unlimited, on-demand access to course materials — including a comprehensive manual, videos, case examples, and exercises to use during the learning program and beyond!
- Up to 18.25 CE hours
- Eligibility to become a Certified Mental Health & Nutrition Clinical Specialist* — we'll cover your fees! (a $199.99 value)
- The confidence you need to safely and ethically facilitate whole healing for your clients — all within your scope of practice
Part 1: Fundamentals of Food
What Do Anatomy and Physiology Have to Do with Mental Health?
The Body as Power Source
Keys to Understanding the Digestive System
The Body as Power Source
- The 4 main body-based sources of energy
- What you need to know about the messenger system between the body and brain
- How the skeletal and nervous systems interact
- Impact of cortisol dysregulation on mood
- Poor glucose regulation can present as or contribute to neuropsychiatric symptoms
- Why routines of diet, sleep, breathing, and exercise are so important to mental health
- The physiology of breathing and anxiety tolerance
- Polyvagal theory and the trauma response
Keys to Understanding the Digestive System
- Your client's unique microbiome and where it comes from
- The balance of healthy and unhealthy gut bacteria
- Interactions with diet, medication, and the environment
- Probiotics and prebiotics
- Nutritional and lifestyle strategies to reduce inflammation and its effects
- Running on empty or an overfull tank — adrenal fatigue, dysregulation, and the HPA axis
Fundamentals of Food
Help Clients Build Health
Help Clients Build Health
- What is a healthy meal?
- The 10 food groups for stabilizing mental health
- Meal composition and timing determine whether clients respond or react to stress
- Protein, carbohydrates, and fats — the building blocks of nutrition
- Diverse consumption of vegetables to support the gut biome and nervous system
- The true impact of processed food on mental health
- "Fake" foods that might influence behavior
- Sugar, artificial sweeteners, and mental health
- High-quality meals for anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and ADHD
- Food to manage acute and chronic emotional dysregulation
- Snacks, meals, and treats to regulate mood, foster energy, and create mental clarity
- Organic or not organic — is it worth the price?
- Food insecurity, food quality, and how to put an affordable meal together
- When to choose an elimination diet
- Potential risks and benefits of gluten-free, paleo, keto, and more
- Rotation diet and intermittent fasting
- Herbs and vitamins to improve mental health
Part 2: Clinical Applications of the Mind-Body Connection
Assessments for Nutrition and Mental Health
How to Get the Information You Need
Apply the Science of the Mind-Body Connection
How to Get the Information You Need
- Important body-based questions to ask with dysregulated clients
- Pros and cons of the 24-hour food recall
- Best practices for gathering and using a 3-day food diary
- Well-validated tools to measure depression, anxiety, fatigue, and more
- How therapists can use the review of medical symptoms
- Steps to evaluating a food label and why it matters
- Functional testing nuts and bolts
Apply the Science of the Mind-Body Connection
- The link between neurotransmitters and emotions
- How nutrient deficiencies lead to neurotransmitter dysfunction
- The role of inflammation and serotonin in autism, addiction, and more
- Dopamine and dysbiosis — impact on mood
- Norepinephrine, blood sugar dysregulation, anxiety, and PTSD
- Schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and oxidative stress
- Endocrine imbalances and psychiatric manifestations
- How psychosocial interventions may help improve immune biomarkers
- The gut as the second brain — basic understanding of the digestive system
- Mindful eating practices to aid digestion and absorption
- Impact of stress on the gut-brain axis
- Dysbiosis and increased intestinal permeability in severe mental health conditions
- Enhance vagal tone through natural interventions to reduce digestive disorders
Food as Medicine
How to Create a Healthy Lifestyle Plan for Your Client
Ethically, Safely, and Legally Use Nutritional Psychology
How to Create a Healthy Lifestyle Plan for Your Client
- Understand and harness the power of physiological rhythms
- Stress, depression, and more symptoms of rhythm dysregulation
- How the timing of meals matters
- Dietary-related mental health symptoms
- Why exposure therapy for PTSD might be more effective in the morning
- Deficiencies and excesses — anxiety and depression
- Supplements for use in the treatment of bipolar disorders
- Spotlight on Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Nutritional and herbal supplements in the treatment of OCD
- Potential nutritional contributors to ADHD and what to do about them
- Cortisol, thyroid hormones, and PMS/PMDD
- Rituals and lifestyle interventions for restoring circadian rhythms
- Creating a healthy connection with self — promote rest and recovery
- How to overcome negative self-worth that is an obstacle to new behaviors
- Motivational Interviewing to resolve ambivalence about healthy habit change
- Co-regulation and social support networks
- Adding novel stimuli to enhance neurogenesis and cognitive flexibility
Ethically, Safely, and Legally Use Nutritional Psychology
- The importance of your client's regular medical care
- Address clients' desire to stay on or stop medications
- Nutritional therapies, culinary medicine, and more — who can practice, who needs to refer
- How to build an integrative care team
- Best practices for collaborating with other professionals
- What is functional medicine?
- Developing a niche practice as a certified specialist
- Limitations of the research and potential risks
Food as Medicine:
Certification Course for Mental Health Professionals
Certification Course for Mental Health Professionals
Valued at $799.98
— register today for just $549.99!
Plus, earn up to 18.25 CE Hours!
Click here for Credit details
Click here for Credit details
Rave Reviews for Course Faculty
"Excellent course, Dr. Allott! I learned SO MUCH and I have already been applying this to my patients."
— Stephanie S., Social Worker
"This was a great course with Dr. Ruiz! Very interesting and informative."
— Cheryl J., Nurse Practitioner
"I was impressed by Dr. Steine's knowledge, passion for her work, and care for her clients. She is an excellent and inspirational speaker!"
— Nicolas C., Psychologist
"Enjoyed the class and the presenter. Dr. Allott was knowledgeable and practical. Very helpful information!"
— Lori M., Counselor
"Excellent course! I learned so much from Dr. Ruiz! I can't wait to try some of the techniques discussed."
— Gayle C., Dietician
"Vicki Steine is an excellent presenter and teacher! I enjoyed the course and learned a lot that I can apply directly to my practice. EXCELLENT course!"
— Regina D., Social Worker
Your Faculty
Kristen Allott, ND, LAc, is a naturopathic physician, international speaker, and author. For over twenty years, she has been known as a pioneering advocate for the use of whole foods nutrition for improving energy, mental clarity, and decision-making. In her seminars, people learn how to support their brains and body by treating the physiological and hormonal causes of mental health and addictions. Being passionate about achievable results, she provides resources to support clients and providers. She regularly provides full-day seminars to mental health professionals, psychiatric nurse practitioners, and the Washington State Courts. In 2021, New Harbinger Publishing released her new workbook, Fuel Your Brain, Not Your Anxiety: Stop the Cycle of Worry, Fatigue, and Sugar Cravings with Simple Protein-Rich Foods.
Click here for information about Kristen Allott.
Vanessa Ruiz, ND, RN-BSN, is a naturopathic physician and registered nurse. After experiencing health issues stemming from burnout as a nurse, she began studying integrative ways to help herself heal. Her interest in integrative health led her to become a naturopathic physician with a focus on mental health, trauma, and complex PTSD. She earned her Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine at Sonoran University of Health Sciences in Tempe, AZ. She has been featured in the documentary A Created Life: A Journey to Empowerment and Shoutout Arizona for her ground-breaking work in mental health. She is a public speaker on the topic of functional medicine and mental health, teaching behavioral health professionals nationally and internationally. In addition to her clinical practice, she is the founder of Nurses for Natural Health, an organization dedicated to empowering and educating nurses about natural health and burnout recovery.
Click here for information about Vanessa Ruiz.
Vicki Steine, DSc, LCSW, BCHN, IFNCP, has been a social worker for more than 25 years, working in both inpatient and outpatient settings, and works with children and adults with ADHD, anxiety, depression, OCD, Tourettes' syndrome, addiction, and trauma in her private practice in the Atlanta area. Dr. Steine received her Master's in Social Work from the University of Georgia and her Doctorate of Science in Holistic Nutrition from Hawthorn University. She is Board Certified in Holistic Nutrition through the National Association of Nutrition Professionals, a Nutrition Certified Practitioner through the Integrated and Functional Nutrition Academy, and a member of the National Association of Social Workers. Dr. Steine enjoys combining her skills as a social worker and nutrition educator to help her clients who struggle with staying organized, keeping focused at work or school, and overcoming the anxiety and depression that often prevent them from fully living their lives. She integrates nutrition, mind-body exercises, and traditional psychotherapy methods, like Cognitive Behavior Therapy, to help her clients live optimally. She has spoken at many conferences and delivered workshops providing education to professionals and lay people alike on the benefits of nutrition and improving mental health. Dr. Steine has had personal success using a holistic approach, including nutrition and supplements, to recover from a near-death boating accident and an episode of debilitating depression.
Click here for information about Vicki Steine.Food as Medicine:
Certification Course for Mental Health Professionals
Certification Course for Mental Health Professionals
Valued at $799.98
— register today for just $549.99!
Plus, earn up to 18.25 CE Hours!
Click here for Credit details
Click here for Credit details
Certification Made Simple
In just three easy steps, you will become a Certified Mental Health & Nutrition Clinical Specialist (CMNCS)*:
Step 1: View the entire course — at your convenience!Step 2: Complete the CE tests and instantly print your CE certificates.
Step 3: Submit your application to Evergreen Certifications and we'll cover the cost of your certification fee for 2 years ($199.99 value!)
That's it! No hidden fees. No catch. Just certification made EASY.
*Professional standards apply. Learn more at www.evergreencertifications.com/CMNCS.
Frequently Asked Questions
This course was designed by leading experts in the field with YOU in mind and covers strategies that are appropriate for mental health and healthcare professionals who are looking to enhance their outcomes. Get a robust set of skills and techniques that you can safely use within your scope of practice to create treatment success, whether you're a:
Click here for Credit details and credit details specific to your profession.
- Counselor
- Social Worker
- Psychologist
- Marriage and Family Therapist
- Addiction Counselor
- Psychiatrist
- Physician
- Nurse
- Case Manager
- Dietician
Yes! With certification, you can advance your career. Achieving certification demonstrates elevated competency in that you have met clear and established guidelines of training and experience. Being certified allows you to develop your practice specifically tailored to treating the client you want to treat. Beyond this, you'll attract new clients to your practice by standing out in your field with your expert training. But don't just take our word for it, listen to your colleagues:
- "Certification has really boosted my clientele. Now, I have a full practice with an extensive waiting list because of it."
- "Evergreen Certifications has changed my life by allowing me to be recognized for my work, knowledge, and expertise areas."
- "Certification has opened up my practice in ways I could never have imagined!"
- "The certifications I have earned are outstanding! They have provided me with career opportunities I never thought I could achieve."
- "I love the certifications I have from Evergreen Certifications! I feel that it has helped me narrow my focus and be targeted in my training."
Yes! Once you register for this self-directed course, the materials are yours to keep and review with unlimited access.
Food as Medicine:
Certification Course for Mental Health Professionals
Certification Course for Mental Health Professionals
Valued at $799.98
— register today for just $549.99!
Plus, earn up to 18.25 CE Hours!
Click here for Credit details
Click here for Credit details
100% Satisfaction Guarantee
Register for this intensive training course without risk. If you're not completely satisfied, give us a call at 800-844-8260.We’re that confident you'll find this learning experience to be all that's promised and more than you expected.