PEDIATRIC NUTRITION
A Competent Eating & Feeding Approach for the Whole Family
Ready to help your kids AND yourself at the same time?
We approach feeding kids by helping the whole family follow the Satter Division of Responsibility in Feeding (sDOR) model throughout a child’s growing years. Depending on the child’s age and development stage, sDOR adapts to meet their needs, ensuring a healthy relationship with food.
Together, we prioritize each child’s unique growth pattern.
This begins right from birth through appropriate feeding practices. With the right support and guidance from parents and caregivers, children can harness their inherent ability to regulate their energy intake, develop a wholesome relationship with food and grow as they are naturally meant to.
Conditions We Treat
Seeking to transform your child’s eating habits while breaking away from the diet environment you’ve known? Pediatric nutrition is about the whole family, where we will work together to address feeding and growth concerns.
Infants & older babies
For infants, we advocate feeding on demand and help guide parents to feed based on the child’s cues for timing, tempo, amount, and skill level. Older babies benefit from parents observing their oral-motor development and providing appropriate modifications to facilitate their transition from semi-solid foods to family meals.
Pediatric nutrition guidance
Toddlers, preschoolers, older children, and adolescents thrive when they have both leadership and autonomy. Parents and caregivers are responsible for determining the what, when, and where of feeding, while children are in charge of deciding how much and whether to eat. This division of responsibility remains essential throughout the child’s growing-up years.
We will focus on how to manage selective eating with a responsive feeding approach, feeding therapy for sensory processing differences, what to do with children who have experienced a weight acceleration, and other concerns such as managing sports nutrition, meal prep with kids, independent lunchbox preparation, and handling challenges like food hiding.
Weight concerns
No matter if your child is below or above average on the growth charts, we will tailor their nutrition needs to help them grow as they are meant to. Working together, we will navigate concerns and craft a plan that nurtures their growth while emphasizing a positive relationship with food. This involves understanding their nutritional needs without pressure, using gentle methods to support their development, and fostering a healthy attitude toward eating.
Disordered eating prevention & treatment
With the parent or caregiver’s support, I provide counseling to children aged 12 and above showing early signs of disordered eating. As a nutrition counselor informed by Family-Based Therapy (FBT), I aim to involve the entire family in the intervention. If disordered eating symptoms appear before the age of 12, we collaborate directly with parents to implement the intervention.
Eating disorder recovery or maintenance
We treat children who are in recovery or maintenance for anorexia, bulimia, binge-eating disorder (BED), and avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID). Children must be under the care of their pediatrician and therapist when seeking Revv Health counsel and we will require a physician/practitioner referral before engaging in counseling together.
Young adult nutrition counseling
We empower kids to develop the confidence to cook independently, preparing them for college life, making informed food choices while away from home, and embracing a nutritious lifestyle with friends and roommates.
Meal planning for the whole family
While we work on your child(ren’s) pediatric nutrition needs, we will simultaneously discuss strategies for grocery shopping, meal prepping, planning, cooking, organizing and tips for enjoying family meal times.
Family & Pediatric Nutrition Counseling is for you if:
You would like nutrition support in a certain stage of your child’s life
You may be struggling with feeding your family both in the how and what
Your child(ren) may be collaborating with other healthcare providers and require the expertise of a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) for coordinated care.
You want to help your child(ren) accept more foods
You want a more sustainable approach toward feeding your family for the long-term
You want to use an authoritative approach in feeding your kids (love with limits)
What to expect with coaching:
- Trust your child(ren)’s innate ability to listen to their bodies
- Build a solid foundation for your family, where nutrients in food are only part of the equation to healthful feeding.
- Create a positive feeding environment.
- Create organized systems that work for meal planning, preparing and executing meals.
What will we focus on in our sessions together?
Medical/Growth:
We conduct comprehensive assessments, collaborating with other healthcare professionals if necessary, to optimize a child’s physical health and address growth concerns.
Developmental:
We focus on developmental milestones and oral-motor skills, providing age-appropriate guidance to facilitate smooth transitions in feeding practices.
Nutrition and Food Selection:
Our guidance emphasizes age-appropriate foods and balanced meal planning, ensuring children receive essential nutrients for growth and development.
Psychosocial:
We address emotional and psychological aspects, addressing anxiety or resistance to food and creating positive mealtime environments for children.
Feeding Dynamics:
Our emphasis on the Satter Division of Responsibility in Feeding (sDOR) empowers parents and caregivers to provide structured, supportive feeding environments while allowing children autonomy in their food choices.
“Marissa helped my son eat vegetables. He never, and I mean never, wanted to look at a vegetable let alone eat one.” – Evan D.
“Working with Marissa was really helpful for me but also for my family. I felt like she really listened to all of our concerns and helped us figure out how to make it easier to eat better. I also appreciated how creative she was when it came to helping my daughter with her soccer schedule and sports nutrition needs.” – Yuki F.
How It Works
Get expert, evidence-based support to tackle feeding issues within your family.
1. Initial Session (60 minutes): We will delve into your child’s/family’s health history and eating habits while discussing your main nutrition concerns. From this, I’ll outline a roadmap to achieve your health goals.
2. Follow-Ups (45 minutes): Together, we’ll create a feasible plan that builds upon previous sessions. We will address your goals in phased approaches during subsequent sessions.
3. Session Frequency: Our meeting frequency depends on your nutrition status. Typically, we will work weekly, bimonthly, monthly or quarterly (maintenance).
4. Telehealth: I exclusively offer telehealth visits, providing effective and convenient sessions from any location – be it home, work, or elsewhere.
Select Cases
Names changed for privacy
The Ando Family
Sam is an executive, Elise is a freelance writer, and they have two kids, ages four and two. Sam works endless hours. Elise is the primary cook and meal planner but doesn’t have time or the desire to cook extravagant meals for the family. Sam and Elise both want to improve their meals and also want to help their four-year-old with his picking eating.
What I did: my goal is to help everyone succeed, not just the child with picky eating, so I helped Elise nail down a solid meal planning system, which included how to expose her four year old to new foods. I also helped the family integrate many ways in which they could enjoy quality meal times, despite Sam’s long hours.
The Wang Family
Donna works as a business owner and partner, Chris, is a stay-at-home parent. They have three teenage kids. One of the problems they faced was the kids all having different nutrition preferences and dietary needs, with one needing a special diet for sensory processing differences. Chris also needed help managing high cholesterol.
What I did: I helped the family fine tune their overlapping food interests and medical needs, and created a robust and personalized approach with deconstructed dinners. I also helped prioritize family meals outside of the busy work-week.
Book Family Nutrition Counseling
BOOK AN APPOINTMENT
You can book a virtual appointment for nutrition counseling at your convenience. Meetings are conducted via video visits from your computer or mobile device, so that you can enjoy the comfort and time savings of being in your home. For first time clients, you will need to provide some information prior to the visit. View packages and pricing below.
SCHEDULE A DISCOVERY CALL
For those desiring further information, you are welcome to schedule a 15-minute discovery call. Upon booking you will be prompted to complete an inquiry form. During this call, I answer any questions and provide more detail regarding my counseling sessions. There is no obligation and scheduling is simple.
After booking a nutrition counseling session, you will receive my step-by-step onboarding guide, which will prompt you to complete any pending items prior to meeting.
Payment and Insurance Info for Family Nutrition Counseling
INSURANCE
REVV Health is in-network with all Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) Payers.
For those with other insurance, we provide a superbill for out-of-network (OON) reimbursement. We can verify your benefits for FREE!
For ALL patients, it is your responsibility to call your insurance regarding coverage.
We have a handy cheat sheet for questions to ask your insurance company.
While calling your insurance is NOT required to start nutrition counseling sessions, it is your responsibility to know what is and is not covered.
PAYMENT
For BCBS insurance holders, I retain a card for visit bookings but will not charge unless services are not covered. Before any charge, I always reach out to discuss with you.
For non-BCBS insurances, full payment or a custom payment plan is required before scheduling. I’ll submit a superbill to your insurance after both the session and payments are completed.
When booking, Practice Better requests secure online payment via Square, accepting credit cards and FSA/HSA cards. I can also accept a bank transfer or checks payable to REVV Health, LLC. Remember, you are responsible for any uncovered charges.
FAQ
Do you take referrals for Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) from various practitioners like physicians, dentists, SLPs, OTs, NPs, and therapists?
Yes! I welcome referrals for patients. Please have your physician, dentist or practitioner complete this MNT Referral Form.
Can my child reach out to you without me?
For individuals aged 18 or older who are independently funding their sessions and managing their own meals, they are welcome to request personalized nutrition sessions. However, for those under 18, I do require a consultation involving parents or guardians before proceeding.
Do you accept insurance?
Currently, REVV Health is in-network with all Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) Payers. For all other insurances, we submit superbills on behalf of our clientele for possible reimbursement. Get a FREE benefits check here!
Do we need to have a discovery call?
A discovery call, which is a complimentary phone or Zoom consultation to address your needs before committing to sessions, is not obligatory. However, completing my inquiry form is necessary to initiate the onboarding process. Visit the contact page to begin.
At what age do you counsel kids?
While I offer counseling for children aged 12 and above independently, I require an initial consultation with parents or guardians before considering individual sessions for the child. Often, parents benefit from counseling without involving their children, and sometimes group counseling with both parent and child is beneficial. If we mutually agree, we can proceed with one-on-one counseling between your child and me.
What if my child does not want me present in the sessions?
Open communication between parents and their child about their preferences is encouraged. If a child prefers a solo session while the parent/guardian prefers to be present, I facilitate a sensitive conversation where the child can comfortably address concerns, and I offer recommendations for parental support. Separate appointments or phone chats are welcomed for parents to understand their supportive role in their child’s counseling journey.
What if my child is over 18 and still needs my help?
Regardless of your child’s age, if we determine that their support requires the presence of a parent or guardian, we’ll make necessary accommodations.
Can the whole family receive counseling together?
Yes! Family counseling is available and can be a beneficial option for addressing issues collectively.
Note: if everyone comes to the session together, I am especially mindful when working with young children to avoid discussing topics that I consider too mature for their age.