Are you an RNutr who works independently of other nutritionists and sees clients 1-1? This circle is for you.
Outline of the service
The service is solely for RNutr delivering 1-1 consultations. It is a peer support group which provides informal support to each other to deliver quality for our clients and look out for each other amidst the challenges of delivering 1-1 consultations.
The group meets quarterly over Zoom and communicates via WhatsApp in between. Numbers in the group are limited.
Cost of the service
There is an annual subscription of £60 for this service (2024 price) to cover some of the associated costs. If you do join the group, you will be asked to sign a short contract.
Is joining this group an AfN requirement?
No, it is not an AfN requirement to join this group. It is not an AfN requirement for RNutr to have any mentoring, supervision or support in place. It is also not an AfN requirement you pay for this type of support.
What does AfN say about RNutr working independently?
According to the Association for Nutrition (emphasis added) “Nutritionists practising independently or in a freelance capacity are less likely to have regular contact and support from other nutrition professionals. Therefore, it is important to regularly undertake Continual Professional Development (CPD) activities.”
So AfN state in the Standards for Independent and Freelance Practice that we need to: “Demonstrate regular reflection, evaluation and development of professional practice and competence. To achieve this, you must ensure you: Apply reflective practice to your activities, auditing and amending own practice to manage risk and improve output (and) Establish appropriate support systems, understanding the importance of support for development at all career stages and experience levels, for example, RNutr to ANutr mentorship, or RNutr to RNutr peer support.
In short, how an RNutr achieves this is up to the individual.
Benefits of this group
- Having a structure can help you to be more committed to regular and meaningful contact with fellow RNutr
- A ready made group of experienced nutritionists working with 1-1 clients to bounce ideas off
- A place to go to between meetings to ask for help/ideas
- Sharing CPD learning, resources and ways of working specific to delivering consultations
- A safe, confidential space to share struggles, as well as the good things – we always have a mental health check in at meetings
What is the evidence base behind the circle?
Many professions seeing 1-1 clients have clinical supervision requirements. AfN does not have this structure so this is an optional service. However this group draws on the extensive research around clinical supervision and draws on Proctor’s Model of Clinical Supervision with the group providing opportunities for peer reflection (formative/educative), dealing with the emotional impact of 1-1 consultations (restorative/supportive) and, where necessary peer support to adhere to professional standards and manage risk (normative/managerial). This group does not oversee work that RNutr do, or take responsibility for the work of other RNutr, rather it focusses on providing support so the RNutr can do their own work well.
The scope of the service is clearly defined in the contract prior to joining the group.
Find out more
To find out more about this service, the costs and the benefits, drop me a message.