Nutrition Education and Counselling
Overview
This unit will develop nutrition education and counselling competencies relevant to nutrition and dietetic practice in individual and population health contexts. This includes investigative interviewing skills to inform nutrition assessment and diagnosis, the development of counselling and education skills and methods used in contemporary dietetic practice. This practice will be informed by a knowledge of the application of behaviour change and nutrition education theories and frameworks. Students will also explore professional issues such as ethical treatment of clients, scope of practice and the attitudes, skills and behaviour required of healthcare professionals in relation to patients, the public and fellow professionals as reflected in the National Competency Standards for Dietitians in Australia.
Requisites
Rules
Pre-requisite
50 cp in MA-DIET Master of Dietetics
02-November-2025
Learning outcomes
Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:
- Implement investigative interviewing techniques to inform nutrition assessment, diagnosis and evaluation.
- Justify and integrate behaviour and nutrition education change theories in practice relevant to nutrition education and counselling.
- Implement counselling and motivational interviewing techniques to facilitate dietary modifications amongst individual clients and families.
- Design, implement and evaluate nutrition education interventions, using different media, in different individual, group and cultural contexts.
Teaching methods
Hawthorn
| Activity Type | Activity | Total Hours | Number of Weeks | Hours Per Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| On-campus | Class | 36 | 12 weeks | 3 |
| On-campus | Class | 12 | 12 weeks | 1 |
| Specified Activities | Various | 36 | 12 weeks | 3 |
| Unspecified Activities | Independent Learning | 66 | 12 weeks | 5.5 |
| Total Hours: | 150 | Total Hours (per week): | 12.5 | |
Assessment
| Type | Task | Weighting | ULO's |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assignment 1 | Individual/Group | 30% | 2,4 |
| Assignment 2 | Individual | 30% | 1,2,3,4 |
| Practical Examination | Individual | 40% | 1,2,3,4 |
Content
- Nutrition Care Process including International Dietetic and Nutrition Terminology
- Investigative interviewing to inform nutrition assessment and diagnosis
- Nutrition education in dietetic practice contexts
- Communication and counselling skills for behaviour change at the individual or group levels
- Dietetic scope of practice and professional skills
- National Competency Standards for Dietitians in Australia
- Reflective practice skills
- Self-care
- Graduate Attribute 1 (Communication 1 - Verbal Communication)
- Graduate Attribute 2 (Communication 2 - Communicating using different media)
- Graduate Attribute 3 (Teamwork 1 - Collaboration and negotiation)
- Graduate Attribute 4 (Teamwork 2 - Teamwork roles and processes)
Study resources
Reading materials
A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.