Nutritional counseling is a relatively new area in the mental health care field, aiming to treat imbalances that lead to psychological problems through a therapeutic diet and supplements.  It is often offered in the context of general psychological counseling. In the past, nutritional counseling was conducted almost exclusively in institutional health care settings, not in the community clinics and private practice environments where it is currently delivered.

Registered dietitians, with a solid background in human physiology and a degree in dietetics or nutrition would advise dietary changes and create meal plans for “patients” to address chronic and other health conditions. However, with mounting research on the impact of food and brain chemistry, nutritional counseling is being used more and more to treat mood imbalances and other mental health conditions, like depression and anxiety.

The belief behind nutritional counseling is that a lack of certain dietary nutrients contributes to certain mental health disorders. Julia Ross, MA, a pioneer in the field of nutritional counseling states, "Problems like overeating, depression, and alcoholism are physical disabilities. Psychological problems are secondary to these caused by imbalances in the brain chemistry that controls our appetite and mood." While certain conditions may ultimately require medication, nutritional therapies aim to first address chemical imbalances in the brain through changes in diet and supplementation.

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