You are unlikely to find another nutritional/metabolic psychotherapist in the state of Utah. But this does not mean that I work with eating disorders. Instead, I use nutrition to support brain function for common conditions like depression, anxiety, and ADHD/ADD.

You might ask, how does food affect mental health? It's actually one of the most important things that's overlooked in mental health treatment. Your gut produces 95% of the neurotransmitters in your body. Almost all of the signals between the gut and the brain are actually coming from the gut. How do we have a healthy gut? It’s about the quality of the food we eat. And while that’s a big part of it, it's not even just about the gut.

Most people suffering from depression actually have an inflamed brain. By eating the right foods, we can reduce chronic inflammation. Reducing inflammation in the brain means we are doing it in the rest of the body as well, so if you have joint pain or some other inflammatory condition, you may get multiple benefits from this.

In his recent book, Brain Energy, Dr. Christopher Palmer argued that mental illness all comes down to being a metabolic disorder of the brain. Metabolism is all about energy (ATP) in the mitochondria and our diet and lifestyle significantly affect it.

Anxiety, ADHD, and depression could be related to dysregulated blood sugar, poor sleep, or a food sensitivity. Toxins (especially neurotoxins) could also play a role.

To give them credit, there are some therapists who have done small continuing education courses on nutrition for mental health and they will allude to diet once in a while. But as far as I'm aware, I'm the only therapist in Utah who has extensive training enough to offer nutrition as a comprehensive, clinical service.  Many come to me for help with following a ketogenic diet for mental health (metabolic or keto therapy), but a ketogenic diet is not required.

Nutritional psychotherapy is a great option for you if:

• You live in Utah
• You suffer from depression, anxiety, chronic stress, sleep disturbance, ADHD, autism, or bipolar disorder.
• You aren't already seeing a therapist, or you are open to switching
• You are motivated to learn and make small changes to your diet and lifestyle.
• You recognize that food affects how you feel.
• You've tried to eat well, but you are confused with why you are still not feeling well.
• You want a truly holistic approach to therapy that you can't get anywhere else in the state.
• You want to address root causes of disease rather than just managing symptoms.

Insurance

Yes, I take insurance! If you use it, you will only get sessions and no package bonuses will be included.

If you are not in Utah or want a lower-cost option, check out my clinical nutrition package or Group Nutrition Program instead.