About Vanessa
Vanessa is an empathetic and devoted dietitian specializing in the treatment of eating disorders, disordered eating and sports nutrition for people of all ages.
Background
Vanessa is a Registered Dietitian with a Bachelor’s degree from McGill University, and a member of the Ordre des diététistes nutritionnistes du Québec (ODNQ). Growing up in an Italian family where food was at the heart of every gathering, Vanessa developed a deep love for cooking, baking, and exploring how food affects health, leading her to pursue a career as a dietitian.
Approach and Training
Vanessa feels deeply moved to work in the field of Eating Disorders as her awareness from personal experiences allows her to connect with clients on a profound level, enabling her to support them as they navigate through this challenging time in their lives. With compassion and knowledge in several therapeutic modalities,
Vanessa helps clients better understand their eating habits and the factors that influence their relationship with food through a harm-reduction, trauma-informed and client-centered lens.
Through her work at Fueling for Recovery, Vanessa has received specialized training to support her clients using Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Family Based Treatment (FBT) for young people with eating disorders. With her varied expertise, she provides an open-ended approach tailored to each client’s unique place in their journey.
Who She Works With
Vanessa supports people from adolescents and their families, to adults at any stage of life, in learning to understand their relationship with food and their bodies.
Due to her love of recreational running, Vanessa also has a strong interest in sports nutrition – particularly in addressing Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S) and its impact on athletes’ potential and overall well-being. She works with athletes of all ages, both recreational and professional, in order to guide them to improving their performance and decreasing risk of injury.
Shaped from her own journey and professional knowledge, Vanessa also brings a unique perspective with clients struggling with ADHD and eating disorders. She understands firsthand the complexities of managing impulsive eating behaviors, struggling with the feeling of control and the challenges of daily functioning with ADHD and how this impacts eating patterns.
Vanessa is bilingual in English and French, works with clients in Canada and the United States and provides insurance receipts.
Other Services Offered
Presentations
In addition to her clinical work, Vanessa enjoys offering presentations to sports teams. She has worked with various sports teams in order to help raise awareness on underfueling and the link between eating disorders and sports, and to provide specialized nutrition education to help with improving performance.
Vanessa has also provided presentations to teachers and coaches in high schools to call attention to how eating disorders can show up in these environments, how to address it and where students can turn to for support.
Group Therapy
Vanessa has a strong passion for group therapy, as she recognizes how beneficial having support from people struggling with similar challenges and sharing their own experiences can have on one’s recovery journey.
Groups that Vanessa is currently offering or has offered in the past include ADHD and Binge Eating-themed support groups and eating disorder meal support groups.
Therapeutic Approches used in Nutrition Counseling
Specialties
- Eating Disorder Recovery
- Nutrition Strategies for ADHD
- Sports Nutrition for Performance and Underfueling (RED-S)
- Anti-Diet Nutrition Interventions
- Meal Management and Planning
- Presentations and Collaborations
