Deborah Barker-Benfield

Deb is phenomenal. I see her as part of my eating disorder recovery treatment plan, and she always encourages me not to be embarassed when I slip up, and not to be afraid to speak up if something isn’t working. She’s so easy to talk to, and it almost feels like an intimate chat more than a health care appointment. I would recommend her to anyone who is ready to make positive changes in eating.

My wife and I wanted to consult a nutritionist about our eating practices, particularly since my wife is a vegetarian and doesn’t drink milk. We scheduled a 1-​hour session with Deborah, which was very informative and helpful for us. The particulars of our case probably wouldn’t be applicable to others, but Deborah’s consultative style most likely would. We provided logs of our eating over several days, which Deborah examined. She then made specific suggestions as to what modifications might be advisable. She welcomed our follow-​up questions and gave direct answers without belaboring anything. She also answered questions we had about specific foods (e.g., cholesterol content, and whether to avoid certain high cholesterol foods) in a reassuring and authoritative way. She also volunteered information on related topics, such as which websites are good for medical and nutritional information, and which non-​fat processed foods should be avoided because chemicals are substituted for the fat. At the end of the session she invited us to e-​mail her if we had any follow-​up questions. Her style is clearly professional, client-​centered, and accepting. We certainly will return if/​when we feel we need further personalized advice. There was absolutely no pressure to become a regular (returning) client.