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Volunteers Needed for Weight Management Counseling Sessions

11/12/2021

Dietetic students are seeking volunteers for three-session weight management and nutrition counseling experiences. Initial appointments will be made from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 17, or at the same time on Friday, Nov. 19.

Two follow-up appointments will occur between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Wednesdays or Fridays. The three-session experience will end on Friday, Dec. 10.

If you want to participate and are not available on those dates or times, please contact us, and we will try to accommodate your schedule.

Volunteers may withdraw at any time and are not required to complete all three sessions of counseling. Volunteers can expect all sessions to occur via telehealth. After scheduling the first appointment, volunteers will receive an email with instructions and a calendar invite.

At the scheduled sessions, student counselors will perform a brief nutrition assessment and determine energy needs. Using motivational interviewing, student counselors will then help volunteers develop behavior-change goals for a healthy lifestyle approach to weight management.

The first session will last about 60 minutes, and the second and third meetings will take between 30-60 minutes, depending on your goals and preference. Student counselors will record the sessions to aid in improving their counseling skills.

Because students conduct the exercise, volunteers should not be following a special physician-recommended diet. Senior dietetic students in the department, who are not registered dietitians, will use this experience to prepare for dietetic internships and future professional practice.

Volunteers will need to complete a three-day food record, a nutrition history, and a weight history form, which student counselors will email to participants. The forms should be returned to the student counselor so that they can prepare for the session.

Anyone interested in helping students develop their counseling skills should email  Maria Romo-Palafox, Ph.D.,  with their preferred appointment date and time, phone number, and email address. Romo-Palafox supervises the students. This event is part of the lab for her course, DIET 4500.