CPN stands for Certified Practicing Nutritionist. It's a credential awarded by the Australasian Association and Register of Practicing Nutritionists (AARPN), the peak body representing degree-qualified, clinically trained nutritionists in Australia.

To hold CPN status, a practitioner must have completed a recognised tertiary qualification along with a minimum of 300 hours of supervised clinical practicum training, alongside clinical coursework covering areas such as pathophysiology, pharmacology, and independent case assessment. This sets CPNs apart from non-clinically trained "nutritionists," a title that isn't legally protected in Australia.

As a CPN, I'm recognised as a Health Professional under the Australian Therapeutic Goods Act, hold private health insurance rebate recognition, and I'm bound by AARPN's Code of Conduct and ongoing continuing professional development (CPD) requirements. You can read more about the CPN credential at aarpn.com.

A clinical nutritionist works with clients to support their health using evidence-based nutrition, lifestyle strategies, and personalised dietary guidance. Rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach, a clinical nutritionist looks at the whole person, including diet, lifestyle, stress, sleep, and health history.

Clinical nutritionists commonly support people experiencing fatigue, digestive issues, hormonal imbalances, stress, inflammation, and chronic health conditions. They also work with individuals seeking guidance for weight management and healthy, sustainable weight loss, helping to improve nutrition habits, balance blood sugar, and address underlying factors that can influence metabolism, appetite, and energy levels.

The goal is to identify possible root causes of health concerns and develop a personalised nutrition and lifestyle plan that supports long-term health, improved wellbeing, and sustainable results.

Both clinical nutritionists and dietitians work with food and health, but their training, focus, and practice settings can differ.

Dietitians are university-trained health professionals who are accredited to provide medical nutrition therapy and often work in hospitals, clinics, or community health settings. They manage conditions such as diabetes, kidney disease, heart disease, or hospital nutrition programs, and their work is highly regulated.

Clinical nutritionists, particularly CPN-accredited practitioners like myself, focus on a more holistic and preventative approach to health. We work in private practice to provide personalised nutrition strategies, supporting issues such as digestive health, fatigue, hormonal balance, stress, weight management, and overall wellbeing. The emphasis is on addressing underlying causes and improving long-term health through tailored nutrition and lifestyle guidance.

Many people choose to see a clinical nutritionist when they want a holistic, root-cause approach to health, personalised support, and guidance for sustainable weight management and wellbeing.

You may benefit from seeing a clinical nutritionist if you are experiencing:

• Persistent fatigue or low energy

• Digestive issues such as bloating or gut discomfort

• Hormonal imbalances

• Stress or burnout

• Difficulty managing your weight or metabolism

• Ongoing inflammation or chronic symptoms

• A desire to improve your overall health and wellbeing

A clinical nutritionist can help you understand how diet, lifestyle, and nutrition impact your health and develop a plan tailored to your individual needs.

Yes! If your private health insurance policy covers nutrition, then you can claim against your policy. The health funds I’m registered with include: HBF Health, Health Partners, Latrobe Health Services, Mildura Health Fund, Phoenix Health Fund, see-u by HBF (formerly CUA Health), St Lukes Health, Westfund Health Insurance, AHM, Australian Unity (clients who joined AU prior to 2000), Medibank, NIB (AAMI, APIA, ING & Suncorp) and Qantas Health Insurance.

Yes. As a Certified Practising Nutritionist (CPN), my services are recognised by the NDIS and can be claimed by eligible participants.

Nutrition support falls under the NDIS support item 15_056_0128_1_3 – Assessment Recommendation Therapy or Training – Other Professional, part of the Capacity Building – Improved Daily Living support category. This category is designed to provide therapeutic services to participants aged 9 and over, helping to build functional skills, support adjustment and adaptation, and increase capacity for community participation.

If nutrition support is included in your NDIS plan (or you'd like to discuss adding it), sessions can be claimed under support item 15_056_0128_1_3. This applies to plan-managed and self-managed participants. If you're NDIA-managed, please check with your plan manager or Local Area Coordinator, as this may affect how sessions can be claimed.

Feel free to reach out at hello@wholehealthbykate.com.au to discuss your specific plan and how nutrition support can be incorporated.

Pathology plays an important role in my approach as a Certified Practicing Nutritionist (CPN). Rather than interpreting results using only standard medical reference ranges, I look at whether your results fall within optimal ranges for health and wellbeing, the ranges where your body truly thrives. This is combined with your diet, lifestyle, stress levels, and health history to build personalised nutrition strategies that support energy, digestion, hormonal balance, and sustainable weight management.

If you have recent blood tests or pathology reports, I'd encourage you to bring them to your consultation or even better, email them aheadh of time to hello@wholehealthbykate.com.au so I can review them before we meet. This helps identify nutrient gaps, hormonal imbalances, or metabolic concerns that may be impacting how you're feeling.

If you don't have recent results, that's not a problem, as a CPN, I can refer clients for certain pathology tests, including blood and stool tests, to help identify nutrient deficiencies, digestive issues, gut dysbiosis, inflammation, or other underlying concerns. This ensures your plan is built on your unique health profile, not guesswork.

No referral is usually required to see a clinical nutritionist. You can book a consultation directly.

Many practitioners also offer a free discovery call so you can ask questions, discuss your health goals, and decide whether the approach feels right for you before booking a full consultation.

Yes. Digestive health is one of the most common reasons people seek support from a clinical nutritionist.

Nutritionists often help clients experiencing symptoms such as:

• Bloating

• Gas or digestive discomfort

• Food sensitivities

• Irregular bowel movements

• Gut inflammation

• Reflux and heart burn

By reviewing diet, lifestyle factors, and possible triggers, a clinical nutritionist can help create a gut-supportive nutrition plan to improve digestive function and overall wellbeing.

Yes. Many clients seek clinical nutrition support for persistent fatigue or low energy levels.

Fatigue can be influenced by many factors including nutrient deficiencies, blood sugar balance, stress, sleep quality, digestive health, and hormonal balance. A clinical nutritionist can assess these factors and create a personalised plan to help restore energy and support overall health.

Yes. Clinical nutrition is grounded in scientific research and evidence-based nutritional science.

Qualified clinical nutritionists combine current nutrition research, clinical training, and personalised assessment to support their clients. The goal is to use safe, effective, and research-informed strategies to improve health outcomes.

During your initial consultation, I will review:

• Your current health concerns

• Medical and health history

• Diet and eating patterns

• Gastrointestinal symptoms

• Lifestyle factors such as sleep, stress, energy and activity

• Recent pathology

• Family medical history

• Your health goals

From there, I will develop a personalised nutrition and lifestyle plan designed to support your specific health needs.

Every person is different, but many people begin to notice improvements within a few weeks to a few months, depending on their health concerns and how consistently they implement the recommendations.

Clinical nutrition focuses on sustainable lifestyle and nutrition changes, which means improvements are often gradual but designed to support long-term health and wellbeing.

There is street parking on both Victoria road and Mitchell Street for those with driving.

Bus stops 250 and 251 are right out the front of the clinic.

Dennis Station is the closest train station (950m walk) followed by Northcote station (1.8km).

I have a limited supply! If supplements form part of your treatment plan then I provide an online prescription as part of your treatment plan for you to order directly and get delivered to your preferred address. If compounding is required, I’ll make these up for your and let you know when they’ll be ready for you to collect.