FAQs

All students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate programs that have paid the student activity fee are eligible for nutrition services through the Wellness Center.

Students seek nutrition services for a variety of reasons. Some common reasons include:

• healthy, budget-friendly meal planning
• food allergies or intolerances
• gastrointestinal problems
• diabetes/hypoglycemia
• sports nutrition for athletes
• weight management
• disordered eating support and guidance
• emotional/mindful eating
• vitamin/mineral deficiencies
• guidance for vegetarian/vegan diets

You can expect a conversation about your current eating habits and how food fits into your life. Nutrition information seems to inundate us, but is not always accurate, and speaking with a registered dietitian is a reliable way to learn about nutrition and have your concerns addressed. The dietitian will need some background to help you with a plan to make healthy eating feel natural. Based on your specific needs and goals, follow-up consultations may be recommended.

Give some thought to these questions, “What would you like to accomplish from meeting with the dietitian?  Have you made dietary changes in the past? What has worked and what has not?” This is important if you have something in mind in addition to the reason your clinician is referring you. The more specific you can be, the more you will get out of the consultation.

• Food journal: a 3-5 day food journal can be a great tool in helping get us started
• Medications you are currently taking
• Packages, labels or websites for any vitamins, minerals, protein powder, other nutrition supplements or herbs you are taking

Initial consultations are scheduled for 1 hour, follow up appointments are scheduled for 45 minutes. You may also be asked to completed healthy questionnaires upon check-in, so plan to arrive 15 minutes prior to your appointment time. Arriving more than 15 minutes late will result in your appointment being cancelled.

The Wellness Center provides short-term care, which means that students have a limited number of nutrition counseling sessions. Students who are seeking longer-term nutrition counseling, or who would benefit from longer-term care, will be provided with referrals to providers in the community. We will do our best to find a good fit for you, factoring in cost and insurance.

To request a nutrition presentation for your organization, please fill out the Wellness Center Program Request Form.

What kind of services are provided for disordered eating/eating disorders?
We recognize the need for support surrounding issues of weight, body image, and disordered eating for all students on campus. The Wellness Center offers short-term support for eating disorders/disordered eating.

For students seeking services at the Wellness Center for suspected disordered eating concerns, an initial assessment will be conducted by an Eating Disorder and Treatment (EDAT) team. The EDAT team is a multidisciplinary and comprised of a mental health provider, a medical provider, and a registered dietitian. Together the EDAT team will complete individualized assessments, provide treatment recommendations and referrals for longer term care, as appropriate.

How Does the EDAT team work?

Multidisciplinary assessment is provided utilizing the expertise of mental health providers, medical providers, and a registered dietitian at the Wellness Center. A consultation with each provider will be required. Components of care provided by your EDAT team (when indicated) may include: mental health and medical evaluation (including laboratory tests), brief-individual psychotherapy, brief-individual nutrition counseling, and case management.

After consultations with all components of the EDAT team, providers will collaborate to discuss treatment recommendations based on national standards of care. Providers will then work with the student’s individual needs to determine appropriate clinical recommendations based on the needed level of care.

For additional questions, please call Dial-A-Nurse (773-508-8883) for more information regarding your specific situation and set up an appointment with the Wellness Center registered dietitian.

For students with a history of an eating disorder, the Wellness Center does not manage chronic conditions and recommends establishing treatment through a community treatment team. The Wellness Center is able to assist in providing eating disorder treatment referrals for providers in the Chicagoland area. 

Can the Wellness Center complete weight checks?

The Wellness Center is able to complete weight checks for students who are working with an outpatient therapist, registered dietitian, and primary care physician on a regular basis for eating disorder treatment. In order to have weight checks completed, the Wellness Center will need appropriate documentation from an outside provider (e.g., doctor, mental health provider, or registered dietitian) in order to collaborate with outside provider(s). Please schedule a “Weight Check Evaluation” appointment with the Wellness Center registered dietitian by calling Dial-A-Nurse (773-508-8883).

Limitations:

There are some situations where a student’s needs may be more intensive than the Wellness Center can provide. In those situations, your EDAT team will talk with you about your current symptoms, treatment recommendations, and assist you in securing the most appropriate level of care to meet your needs.