Interested In Becoming A Nutritional Therapy Practitioner?
Whew, this post has been a long time coming. In fact, I remember thinking that one day I would write my own blog post about why I chose the Nutritional Therapy Association (NTA) and what the program entails. Looks like today is finally the day!
I’m a straight shooter and a “tell it like it is” kinda girl. So with that being said, it can be really freaking overwhelming to start the deep dive search into finding the right program, course, certification, or school, right? It actually took me a year and a half until I was ready to commit to the NTA. I read multiple blog posts, reached out to random graduates on Instagram, and emailed back and forth with different school administrators to make sure I was going to make the right decision for me. Uhhh, let me not forget to mention that going back to school isn’t cheap, so I wanted to make sure my time and money was spent wisely. You feel me?
Now if you’re reading this post then chances are you’re either:
A. curious about my credentials and if the NTA is a legit association.
B. thinking about going back to school for nutrition yourself.
I’ll cover both topics in the most straightforward and honest way possible. There will be no sugar coating here, I promise.
Brief History of the NTA & Accreditation:
To start, the Nutritional Therapy Association began as a vocational nutrition school that was founded in 1997 with the primary goal of training healthcare practitioners from a holistic perspective with the concept of food as medicine. In 2001, the NTA made a partnership with South Puget Sound Community College, located in Washington state, where Nutritional Therapist Training courses were implemented and certifying Nutritional Therapy Practitioners (NTPs) began. In 2012, the National Association of Nutritional Professionals (NANP) included the NTA’s Nutritional Therapist Training Program in their Approved and Recommended Holistic Nutrition Education Programs. The NTA is also a Cornerstone Member of the American Nutrition Association. Having read that the NTA was a replicable school, and approved by the NANP, I felt confident I was going to be set up for success.
Now for those of you more interested in topic B: thinking about going back to school for nutrition, I’m going to provide you with both my experience and my opinion on the program. *Note: I attended the NTP program from 2019-2020, so the experiences I share are based on the curriculum I was taught during that time period.* Shall we get started?
What to Expect From the Nutritional Therapy Practitioner Course:
The philosophy of the NTA program spoke to me immediately:
“real health can be achieved through a holistic and individualized approach to nutrition and lifestyle. Our mission is to deliver a science-based education that fosters a community of confident holistic nutrition professionals who harness the power of real food and empower people to reconnect with the innate wisdom and unique needs of their bodies, thereby supporting lasting wellness.”Now if you’ve followed me for a while, or have had a chance to read My Health Crisis, I’m living proof that the NTA philosophy holds true. The “food is medicine” approach is something that I have experienced firsthand along my healing journey and one that I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing with my very own clients. There’s no band-aid approach to healing, but rather an emphasis on the root cause in which symptoms are stemming from.
As I continued diving deeper into the learning opportunities that the NTA offered, I was blown away by the depth of knowledge, science-based education, and expectations upheld for every student. With that, I became confident in my findings that I wanted to become a graduating practitioner and made it official when I signed up for the September, 2019 class. Now let me get into the nitty gritty.
Over the course of 9 months there were roughly 17 modules that our online cohort was expected to finish by graduation. There were weekly readings, papers, projects, and quizzes that needed to be completed. While class assignments could have been completed at my own pace, it’s highly recommended that assignments be submitted by the expected due date to prevent falling behind on the work. From my experience you should follow the soft deadlines, or else the workload will pile up fast. On average I spent 20 hours a week on assignments and readings. Not to mention bi-weekly Zoom calls were held with instructors to openly discuss the previous module and how those topics impact the human body. This amount of time seems to ring true for most of my fellow classmates, with some saying they spent up to 25 hours a week on assignments. When I initially heard the timeframe from those I reached out to, it overwhelmed me. With my full time job, how was I going to make this work?! Well, let me tell you this...yes I spent most of my weekends reading and studying, but I was learning SO much about topics that I’ve been SO passionate about that I didn’t mind it, whatsoever.
As I reflect on my 9 month journey towards becoming a certified Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (FNTP), the top reason why I would recommend this program is because for 9 months you are diving so incredibly deep into all systems and functions of the body. I’m talking textbooks full of science-based research ranging from anatomy and physiology to cardiovascular health, from hydration to mineral balance, and everything in between. At times I felt like I was back in high school learning all about the different functions of the body, but on a much deeper level. I found myself reading pages of content multiple times until it really sunk in. Flashcards also became my best friend for remembering the definition of words and to practice the step by step processes of different systems i.e. digestion. Did I mention there was a midterm and final exam as well? So YES it was A LOT of information, but information that I continue to use every single day with my clients. I frequently reopen course books and reflect on my class notes to refresh my memory when I need to. There were so many “aha” moments along the 9 month journey too. And I want to also say this...while I looked into other certification programs (hello it took me a year and a half to commit), I felt the curriculums were very surface level compared to what the NTA offers. So again, the Nutritional Therapy Practitioner program covers every system of the body in extreme detail to the point where it did feel a bit overwhelming at times. So, take advantage of instructor’s office hours and live Zoom calls whenever possible. My instructors were always so patient and willing to help every step of the way.
The last thing I have to make sure I mention about the program is the like-minded people you get to learn with for 9 months. These are the people that don’t think reading every ingredient label is a waste of time, that befriending your local butcher isn’t bizarre, or that spending X amount of money on nontoxic cookware is pointless. These are the people that fundamentally know that our food system is broken, that food is medicine, and that healing the body can be done without the band-aid approach. Not only did I graduate as a certified Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, but I graduated with a new family of FNTP’s looking to serve the community and bring healing to those around them. You know who you are, and if you’re reading this I am forever grateful for your continued love, support, and parasite talks.
To wrap up this not so short post, I hope this information helps guide your decision as to whether or not the Nutritional Therapy Association is right for you. If you still are looking for more info, feel free to attend a free intro session ,or email me at candice@bewellwithcandice.com. I would love to chat!
XO,
Candice