Nutrition is increasingly recognised as a modifiable factor in the prevention and management of mental health conditions, yet it remains largely absent from psychology training curricula. The emerging field of nutritional psychiatry has established robust associations between dietary quality and the prevalence and severity of depression, anxiety, cognitive decline, and psychotic disorders, with mechanistic pathways involving neurotransmitter synthesis, neuroinflammation, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis regulation, gut microbiome composition, and oxidative stress.
Despite this evidence, many psychologists report low confidence in discussing nutritional factors with clients or integrating dietary considerations into clinical formulations and treatment planning. This webinar builds upon Tara Diversi’s November webinar - What psychologists need to know about nutrition - by equipping psychologists with nutritional literacy relevant to clinical practice.
Key topics covered include the bidirectional relationship between the gut microbiome and mental health, the impact of common dietary patterns on psychological wellbeing, and the nutritional side effects of frequently prescribed psychotropic medications including weight gain, metabolic disruption, and appetite changes. Practical guidance is provided on when and how to raise nutritional factors in therapy without overstepping scope of practice, how to screen for nutritional risk factors during psychological assessment, and how to collaborate effectively with dietitians and other allied health professionals within a multidisciplinary framework.
Ethical considerations are discussed, including the boundaries between nutritional psychoeducation and dietary advice, the importance of avoiding prescriptive nutritional recommendations, and the risks of diet culture narratives entering the therapeutic space. It is argued that developing baseline nutritional knowledge is not an expansion of scope but rather an enhancement of existing psychological competencies in biopsychosocial case formulation, behavioural activation, and holistic client care.
Suitable for provisionally and fully registered psychologists across all endorsement areas who wish to strengthen their capacity to recognise, discuss, and appropriately respond to the nutritional dimensions of their clients' mental health.
About our presenter: Tara Diversi
Tara Diversi is passionate about sharing evidence-based nutrition treatments as a powerful treatment and/or supporter of numerous mental health conditions. Tara has over 22 years’ experience as an Accredited Practising Dietitian and is a Provisionally Registered Psychologist, currently completing her Master of Clinical Psychology through Charles Darwin University and her final placement at River Oak Health as an Eating Disorder Psychologist (Provisional).
Tara is the immediate past-president of Dietitians Australia where she was President for 5 and a half years. She works in a varied portfolio-career including as a dietitian, provisional psychologist, speaker, facilitator, adviser and governance professional. She is a clinical advisor to the Australian Digital Health Agency, was a clinical advisor to the Department of Veterans Affairs for 16 years and is a Board Director of NQ PHN.
Tara is the author/co-author of seven books including Tortora’s Anatomy and Physiology (Asia-Pacific Edition), The Good Enough Diet (wiley) and several peer-reviewed publications in the areas of weight-bias, marathon swimming and digital health. She regularly presents at conferences, events and in the media. Tara holds several tertiary qualifications including an MBA, Master of Professional Psychology and Master of Nutrition and Dietetics. She is close to finishing her Master of Clinical Psychology through Charles Darwin University.
Growing up in regional Australia – Kununurra and Cairns, and having worked throughout Cape York, Torres Strait and Papua New Guinea, Tara is particularly passionate about regional and remote health and how technology can be used to provide more efficient and effective healthcare. In her leisure time, Tara enjoys adventure style sports and pushing limits – she has completed many long swims including the English Channel and was the first Australian Woman to swim an ice mile.
Webinar timing: 7:00 – 8:00 pm AEDT
Access to the recording of this webinar: A recording of this webinar will be available through the CPD Webinar Library, but for the best experience and the opportunity to ask your questions, join us live. Everyone who registers will be advised via email as soon as the recording is available. Members have unlimited access to the recording, and non-members will have access for 6 months.