Find an Accredited Practising Dietitian, Townsville & Mackay
Alliance Rehabilitation’s Accredited Practising Dietitians provide a variety of services for our participants. Our aim is to maximise your health and wellbeing, as well as encourage your active participation in the community.
Dietitians & Nutritionists at Alliance Rehabilitation
Accredited Practising Dietitians (APDs) are experts in food and nutrition. They deliver individualised, client-centred, and goal-oriented nutrition advice in line with the latest scientific evidence.
Dietitians are tertiary qualified health care professionals, holding a minimum 4-year bachelor’s degree in nutrition and health science, and are trained to undertake comprehensive assessments of biochemical, physiological, and psychological factors that influence eating habits and nutritional status.
Qualified dietitians are trained to provide services within medical nutrition therapy, public health nutrition, group nutrition education, individual dietary counselling, and food service management. Dietitians can provide individual or group based dietary advice to help prevent or manage a broad range of health conditions.
A nutritionist may be a tertiary qualified nutrition professional with the expertise to provide a range of evidence-based nutrition services related to nutrition, public health nutrition, policy and research, and community health. It is important to note that the term ‘nutritionist’ is not regulated. Therefore, this title may be used by dietitians, nutrition scientists, nutrition graduates, as well as those with very limited qualifications in nutrition.
In Australia, all dietitians are nutritionists however nutritionists without a dietetics qualification cannot take on the expert role of a dietitian.
Dietitians are governed by the regulatory body Dietitians Australia. Dietitians in Australia who meet strict criteria are eligible to join the Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD) program. APD is the only credential for dietitians recognised by Medicare, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA), and many private health insurers.
Services we provide include:
- Comprehensive and in-depth nutrition assessments.
- Individualised treatments – Each service is tailored for each specific person; one size does not fit all.
- Behaviour change/ lifestyle modification – positive health improvements and to challenge and change negative behaviours and mindsets.
- Education for individuals, families, and carers/support teams.
- Provision of medical nutrition therapy for a variety of health and disability conditions.
- Advocacy for best-practice care.
- Collaboration with involved external and internal allied health services to ensure a comprehensive, quality service delivery.
- Development and timely distribution of resources.
- Monitoring and/or optimising your fluid intake.
- Monitoring and/or managing weight and muscle mass.
- Provision of practical meal preparation recommendations to assist with achieving your goals.
- Training for health care professionals and support workers/carers.
Our dietetics team are proficient in all areas of food and nutrition, but each clinician has an area they are passionate in delivering. Below is a list of conditions commonly seen at Alliance Rehabilitation. There is no A-Z of conditions limiting you from seeing a dietitian -anyone of any age may book to see a dietitian.
Conditions we treat include (but are not limited to):
- Modified foods and liquids
- Texture Modified diets
- Hydration
- Chronic dehydration
- Healthy Eating
- Fatigue/ Energy Management
- Food groups
- Micronutrient deficiencies e.g. anaemia
- Portion management
- Group education e.g. cooking group
- Recipe planning and modification
- Shopping Help & Cooking Support
- Rehab
- Nutritional adequacy for Stroke, Parkinson’s Disorder, acquired and traumatic brain injuries, orthopaedic surgeries etc.
- Weight Loss management
- Overweight and obesity
- Bariatric Surgery – weight loss
- Very Low Energy Diet
- Reflux
- Mental health
- Eating Disorder Management
- Healthy food relationships
- Disordered eating
- Depression/ anxiety
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Paediatric nutrition
- SOS diets for Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Fussy Eaters
- Faltering growth in infants/children
- Malnutrition
- Unintentional weight loss
- Poor oral intake
- Underweight
- Sports Dietetics
- Performance nutrition
- Healthy Eating Support
- Enteral Nutrition
- Peg Training Programs – with nurse support
- PEG (Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastronomy) or NG (Nasogastric tube) feeding
- Gastrointestinal concerns
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Bloating
- Diverticulitis
- Coeliac Disease
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- Crohn’s Disease
- Gut Health Support
- Ulcerative colitis
- Allergies and intolerances
- Elimination Diet
- Food intolerances – FODMAP, food chemical etc
- Food allergies with pathology
- Specialised Diet Conditions
- Gluten free
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
- Lactose intolerant
- Healthy Aging
- Bone Health
- Cholesterol management – Hypercholesterolaemia
- Blood Pressure – Hypertension
- Heart Disease
- Cardiac complication
- Women’s Health
- Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)
- Endometriosis
- Fertility
- Pregnancy pre and post
- Hypothyroidism
- DVA
- Vet support
- Chronic conditions
- Cancer
- Gout
- Kidney/ Renal Disease
- Liver Disease
- Diabetes management
Chronic back hip knee pain
Recently, nutrition has become a buzzword and the industry has grown considerably. Unfortunately, fad diets and sources of misinformation from individuals who are not accredited or certified to provide nutrition advice has grown to match, contributing to what dietitian’s call “nutritional noise”. Our dietitians overcome nutritional noise by using evidenced based practice, in addition to considering the needs of the individual.
We do not use a one-size-fits-all approach. Instead, we ensure all individual experiences such as medical history, ability to digest or tolerate food, allergies, intolerances, cultural and religious factors are accounted for and considered prior to suggesting a certain dietary plan.
What to expect from an initial session?
An initial dietetics session is important to help your clinician get to know you and for you to get to know them. The initial will primarily involve taking a detailed history, setting your long- and short-term goals, and discussing what you would like to get out of your sessions. Dietitians look at a myriad of factors that make up the individual not limited to diet – including medical history, day to day stressors, occupation, physical activity, hobbies, medications, motivations, and goals to align with treatment.
From this, they will collaboratively develop a plan for your sessions. The information you provide in your initial session will be used as a comparative measure to track your dietary and lifestyle changes in future sessions. These changes include the types of food you eat and how it has affected your weight, mood, satiety, knowledge, and blood results. If we received a letter from your GP or referral source, we inform them of the changes you have made or the successes since starting.
Engagement with the Multidisciplinary Team
Dietitians form an integral part of the allied health team. They work alongside our multidisciplinary team to deliver quality nutrition therapy for a variety of health and disability conditions. Case conferences between clinicians allows for strategy sharing and gives everyone a full picture of your needs to best support your personal goals.
Referral Options
There are multiple ways for you to be referred to our facility. Our dietitians also travel to different locations in North Queensland, so location is never a barrier to your health and recovery. Our main office is in Townsville with outreach locations available in Ayr, Charters Towers, Richmond, Hughenden, Ingham, Palm Island, and Magnetic Island. Our Dietitians also work out of different doctors’ surgeries around Townsville and can provide community visits, telehealth appointments, and home visits – assessed on a case-by-case basis.
How is Alliance Rehabilitation Different?
Alliance Rehabilitation is a community rehabilitation facility designed to provide a comprehensive and collaborative allied health service. Our multidisciplinary team focus on wellness over illness and take the time to really understand the needs of each person’s rehabilitation journey to provide an individualised service.
Food is a necessity and gives you energy to grow and fuel your body and brain. Nutrition intervention aims to improve your wellbeing and promote active recovery. Dietitians work on the premise that food is therapy, and they hope to empower you to reach your goals. Our dietitians give you strategies to improve your health by utilising the food you eat, but most importantly, they want to help you enjoy the food you eat.
Dietitians Townsville & Mackay – Find one your nearest
Alliance Rehabilitation provides services from its own clinic and many GP and Allied Health centres across Townsville and North Queensland. By coming to your local centre we can work directly with your GP to achieve best outcomes while also meeting you in a convenient and familiar place. We are also able to offer home visits when required. Feel free to view the map below find the best location for you or contact us for more information.
