NUTD9161 Communication and Nutrition Counselling

This topic will introduce students to effective communication and nutritional counselling skills required of Dietitians in entry level professional practice for one on one dietetic counselling, group education and developing educational materials. The topic will focus on the development of these skills through knowledge of theory and through practice in the classroom and wards. The topic will encourage students to reflect on their present level of skills and to set goals for continuous improvement as a model for lifelong learning. The approach taken is a self management, client centred one.

This topic aims to extend the student's ability to effectively communicate health messages to individuals and groups both in verbal and written form and to apply the theory of client centred and self management approaches to nutrition counselling.

1. Apply and adapt effective communication and nutritional counselling theory and strategies to individualise client centred practice that support clients to self-manage
2. Construct a dietetic interview that demonstrates a variety of effective communication skills using ethical behaviour
3. Communicate effectively with people from various cultural backgrounds
4. Design and create effective education resource materials for non-professional audiences
5. Work collaboratively to apply education theory and present it effectively to others
6. Demonstrate critical peer reflection and peer communication
7. Practice self-evaluation of own learning and performance using reflective process