If you only have time to do one thing to support your clients during a nutrition education session, do this thing.
Whether it’s their first session, their 10th session, or the only time you’ll ever see them, using this motivational interviewing skill will help you support them. Every time.
Nutrition education for clients
What’s the most important nutrition counseling skill you can have? It’s listening and understanding what your client wants to do.
On the surface, this can seem so simple.
OF COURSE you listen to your clients. And OBVIOUSLY you can tell if they want to make a change.
However, becoming really good at nutrition education takes more than letting your client speak before giving them some nutrition handouts and telling them what to work on for next time. It’s about actually hearing what they say and then responding directly to that.
When we spend time really listening to what our clients say, we’ll be able to give them what they really want instead of projecting what we think they should learn.
It’s not what we want. It’s what they want.
Here are 3 important reasons to pay close attention to what our clients say during a nutrition counseling session.
Reason #1: What we want for our clients isn’t always what they want for themselves.
It’s easy to walk into a patient’s room after they had a stroke with an armload of low sodium handouts. They need better blood pressure control, and you’re there to give it to them!
You may want to educate them before they’re discharged, but all your client wants is to go home. If your client is resistant to making a change or even talking about a change, there is little chance they’ll respond well to your wonderful efforts.
Once you know this is their state of mind, there’s probably a better place to start than a 5 point checklist of ways to reduce hypertension, and a list of foods that are high salt and now off limits.
Reason #2: We will never know what our client really wants to do unless we ask and then listen to their answer.
The only way to know what your client needs (or wants) is to ask them. Start the conversation with great questions. This sets you and your client up for better understanding about what they want to get from the counseling session.
It’s also important to remember that after we find out what they want, we give it to them. The only thing worse than someone not asking you what you need, is asking you what you need and then ignoring your answer.
Having said that, the second part of asking what your client needs is actually listening to what they say. Take notes. Walk away and then come back with new supplies and handouts if you have to. But whatever you do, adjust to what they’re asking for.
Reason #3: We're probably better at setting goals than our clients are.
Our clients know what they want to do, but they often underestimate the work that goes into achieving those goals. That’s where our ability to think big and plan small comes into play.
Big lofty goals are hard to reach. Misinformation on social media has given people the impression that most things should and can be attained overnight.
- Want to lose 45 lbs? It should (and can!) happen in a few weeks.
- Have to get your blood pressure under control? Don’t change your diet, just do a cleanse!
We know these are unrealistic goals and seldom have the power to last long term. However, smaller goals are much more manageable and will often lead to more permanent changes. Also… quick wins are also extremely motivating. So whenever you can double down on those, it’ll help in a big way.
Encourage them to reduce the overwhelm, the frustration at slow progress (which can easily be perceived as failure), and the temptation to quit by helping to break a big objective down into small wins.
And That’s It!
As long as we remember our client’s and patient’s goals come first, we’re already dong really well.
When we do nutrition education for our clients, focus on this one key item: giving your client what they ask for. If you do this every time, you’ll always get closer to helping your clients meet their nutrition goals.
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