As both a dietitian and therapist, Amy’s thoughtful counseling resources have resulted in more than $6,000 in sales! Learn about her thought process when creating content that resonates and sells!
Welcome to the WellResourced Dietitian Innovator RD Series! We invite you to meet Amy Helms, fellow RD who is a dual dietitian and therapist. Her WellResourced store consists of counseling tools and resources to improve your nutrition counseling skillset.
Her wisdom as both an RD and therapist lends a very unique lens to Amy’s resources. She hones her counseling expertise through her RD “hat” – and shares that with you for your own learning, and to improve your own client outcomes.
Disclosure: contains affiliate links. As an affiliate, WellResourced earns a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you.
Get to Know Amy: Counseling Skills Dietitian
Hi! I’m Amy, a dietitian and therapist. I practice in South Carolina, where I specialize in eating disorders and trauma. My second passion is teaching counseling and therapy skills to dietitians. As a licensed therapist, I bring a unique perspective to the tools I create.
Because I have worked as an RD for several years in a variety of settings, I know how challenging it can be to enact behavior change among patients. Counseling skills are the foundation for helping clients. But as dietitians, we’re not necessarily trained in counseling approaches and must navigate learning these skills on our own.
"Counseling skills are the foundation for helping clients."
You have such a unique educational and professional background, Amy – tell us how you arrived at the intersection of these two career paths.
Actually, I always thought I wanted to be a pediatrician. I was originally on a pre-med track with a nutrition major, but upon examining what I wanted my life and career to look like, I truly wanted more flexibility, and I wanted to be a soccer mom with two kids!
I dropped the pre-med track and pursued a Master’s in Clinical Nutrition while completing the dietetic internship. I found my passion for counseling while working in my outpatient practice, where I worked with a therapist at the Medical College of Georgia in the eating disorders program. I decided to combine the two and provide education and content to dietitians as I was learning more about therapy, counseling and various modalities. As a dietitian who is also a licensed therapist, I know how to teach the skills within our scope of practice.
Little did I know that I would return to school as a single mom and run my own business. I love being able to counsel and see change in my patients. It is very rewarding, and to know that I am giving back to all those who have helped me over the years – including you, the RDs who find value in my resources!
I specialize in eating disorders and trauma, PTSD and related disorders. I am also trained in somatic experiencing and family-based therapy. I work with adolescents, their families and adults with eating disorders and trauma. My approach is unique since I am able to understand nutrition when wearing my therapist hat – and vice versa, I am able to incorporate counseling skills when wearing my dietitian hat.
And this is where Amy’s materials come in to support you.
Amy’s Counseling Resources on WellResourced.com
“I create content about counseling skills and practice management. As an ED and trauma specialist, I aim to create content that most dietitians could find useful. The content can be applied across many practice areas.
Additionally, I want the resources and information that I create to be affordable and accessible to dietitians. Therefore, I first created the Motivational Interviewing Cheat Sheet as a freebie. This is one of my favorites because it is a skill that most dietitians want to enhance.
Since then, I have aimed to provide high-quality products at a reasonable price.”
Many in the RD2RD community have benefitted from Amy’s free, valuable content. Be sure to download them while you read! They include:
- Motivational Interviewing Cheat Sheet (FREE) – downloaded nearly 4,000 times! This resource contains a list of key “change words” to recognize during a client session and questions you can ask when you hear these phrases. You’ll also get ample questions and phrases you can use during a MI session. And more!
- Daily Habit and Goal Log – more than 1,600 downloads! This resource is one way to give your clients a way to monitor habits, track goals and cultivate a practice of gratitude. The resource includes a page for each day of the week.
Amy’s Tips for Creating Content that Sells
Tell us how your seven products have resulted in nearly 6,000 sales, Amy. What’s your secret sauce?
Sure! First, I recommend participating in the challenges or mini courses offered by WellResourced. The sessions allow you to create a product and receive feedback from others in the group.
I created the free Motivational Interviewing Cheat Sheet through this process; I gained so much insight into content creation, organization and creating an aesthetically appealing product. for use as guides. Megan walks you through how to make your product description robust and attention-grabbing.
I gained so much insight into content creation, organization and creating an aesthetically appealing product. Megan walks you through how to make your product description robust and attention-grabbing.
Thanks, Amy! We’re happy to offer our mini courses.
Take our free training and learn how to get started with digital products.
Another thing that you do incredibly well is that you make your product descriptions shine. You incorporate the tips found in our post, “Create Great Product Pages for Your Store – 5 Simple Tips,” which include providing detail in your description, linking to similar products that the buyer might find valuable, and more.
Take a look at Amy’s descriptions on her products – what stands out to you in terms of what she is doing well?
- Counseling Skills for Dietitians – online course approved for 16 CEUs
Creating Smart – A Look at Amy’s Ideation Process
Tell us about your thought process when you are creating a digital piece – what is your strategy, Amy?
"I admit that my process is thorough. I have ADHD, so I often find myself with many ideas running through my head! In order to produce content, I have to be structured and organized.”
My background is in research, theory and clinical practice. Therefore, I tend to incorporate these concepts into everything I create. I like knowing “the why” when using therapeutic approaches.
I create an outline and follow templates that I have created on Canva, plus I use the templates that are available on RD2RD.
"After learning more about content creation and the importance of aesthetically appealing products, I am always thinking about the way it will look and how it will sell.”
My ideal client is a dietitian wanting to either learn or enhance their established counseling skills. These skills can be used in patient sessions, but also when trying to market our services, establish our own expertise, and when talking to potential clients, patients or business partners. Counseling skills can aid in everyday life as we interact with colleagues, our families, children and others! I keep my ideal audience in mind when creating my nutrition counseling materials.
Final Thoughts
We love that WellResourced is allowing you to share your expertise with other dietitians – and ultimately, patients. You are an WellResourced vendor pro! You are also a motivational interviewing pro – for those of you seeking an MI skills refresher, Amy contributed to our recent, popular post, “The Dietitian’s Guide to Motivational Interviewing.” Give it a read!
Has Amy’s success story inspired you? If so, take the next step – become an wellresourced.com vendor today.
