Frequently Asked Questions

How long you will work with a dietitian or therapist will depend on your individual needs and goals. Most of our clients will see us for 6-9 months on average. Our goal is to create sustainable change, not sell you a quick fix. As we work from a client-centered and collaborative approach, the care plan will be created with your needs and capacity in mind. Please note that for eating disorder recovery, the average time is 9-12 months.

Whether you need a dietitian or therapist will always depend on where you are and the goals you have. Most of our clients will see both providers at some point to benefit from the Food-Body-Mind Approach. The best way for us to guide you is to book a free consultation with one of our team members so we can assess your needs.

Rule of Thumb: Connect with a Dietitian first if:

• You already have a therapist
• You are engaging in many eating disorder behaviors that are impacting your nutritional intake
• Healing your relationship with food is your priority
• You want to manage a chronic illness with gentle nutrition

Rule of Thumb: Connect with a Therapist first if:

• You already have a dietitian
• Your priority is to focus on mental health
• You are medically stable and continue to have more eating disorder thoughts
• You want to focus on anxiety, depression, burnout, emotional regulation, communications, boundaries, etc.

Eating disorder treatment is what we do. This is our area of expertise. The Balanced Practice is here to support you through full recovery. Our multidisciplinary team combines nutrition and therapy to provide all your care in one place. Please see our Eating Disorder Recovery Program (LINK)

That is ok. A diagnosis IS NOT required to get support. The Balanced Practice understands that there are often many barriers to getting a diagnosis and it is not always accessible. This DOES NOT mean you don’t deserve support. The Balanced Practice is here for you! Whether or not you have a diagnosis, your experience is valid, and we are here to support you. You do not need to wait to get help.

Yes! The Balanced Practice clinicians have been trained to support kids, teens, and adults. When working with kids and teens, we use a modified family-based approach to get parents or caregivers involved. PLEASE NOTE: We do not recommend virtual appointments for kids. If you are unable to see us at our Ottawa location, we may refer you to another healthcare professional..

Yes! The Balanced Practice loves working with couples. Please see our couples therapy page for more information.

Many insurance companies cover dietetic services as well as psychotherapy. Please speak to your insurance company to find out more about this. Or call us at (613) 366-3707 if you have any questions.

At this time, we do not offer direct billing to insurance providers. We will send you detailed receipts for your insurance provider.

This will be determined by your treatment plan. As this program is fully personalized, we will create a plan based on your needs. Typically, folks will start with weekly appointments and move to biweekly as treatment progresses.

We get it. We all grew up in a society that has taught us we need to lose weight at all costs and hyperfocus on body ideals. Here at The Balanced Practice, we will never judge or shame you for desiring weight loss AND we know that weight loss is never prescribed in eating disorder recovery. Therefore, all of our services are weight neutral which means that we do not use weight as a measure of success. Although weight restoration is sometimes the goal, we focus on a person’s state over their weight.

As registered dietitians and psychotherapists, all information shared with us, medical or personal, will be kept confidential unless you consent to sharing information with 3rd party health professionals (such as your doctor). This will be reviewed in your consent forms with your provider.