Beth McKinney is a lecturer in the College of Human Ecology and former Director of the Cornell University Wellness Program. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Nutritional Sciences and her Master’s degree in Health Education. Ms. McKinney’s expertise in coaching and counseling spans over 20 years and includes life coaching, nutrition counseling, wellness counseling, and behavior change. She also teaches counseling skills and behavior change techniques to Cornell undergraduates. A Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) and Certified Intrinsic Coach® with previous experience in both clinical and community nutrition, Ms. McKinney specializes in both nutrition education and behavior change.
Counseling Skills: Understanding the ProblemCornell Course
the Problem
Cornell CourseCounseling Skills: Understanding the Problem ()
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Course Overview
Although your clients present problems that appear amenable to nutrition education strategies, education alone doesn't lead to long-lasting behavior changes. This gap in practice is often due to the inability of counselors to uncover the real nature of their clients' needs. In this course, you'll expand your ability to elicit information and use new techniques to better identify the root of the (nutrition) problem from the client's perspective. Within this approach, you'll also learn to combine your expertise and intuition to create valuable, effective solutions for clients.
The course Counseling Skills: Understanding the Person is required to be completed prior to starting this course.
Key Course Takeaways
- Build counselor-client trust
- Expand your approach in identifying the client's problem
- Develop your intuition in understanding the problem
- Recognize essential components of effective solutions

How It Works
Course Length
2 weeks
Effort
3-5 hours per week
Format
100% online, instructor-led
Course Author
Lecturer, Cornell College of Human Ecology
Who Should Enroll
- Students from the United States must be Registered Dietitians (RD or RDN)
- International students need to have a credential approved by the International Confederation of Dietetic Association — full list available here
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