The food allergy and allergic disease counseling niche is a newer, but growing clinical focus for mental health professionals. Food allergy therapy focuses on supporting those managing a variety of allergic diagnoses, most notably, food allergies.
Food allergy counseling helps with addressing the social and emotional aspects of allergy life and learning practical skills for taking a balanced approach to food allergy management. It can be proactive in nature, meaning it helps people develop a workable approach to allergy life before any identified concerns, or it can help people through specific stressors and life experiences.
Not everyone managing allergies needs therapy, but it can be useful especially at key times including after diagnosis, during age/stage transitions, and after allergic reactions. The decision to consider food allergy therapy is based on a number of factors, which includes how well someone is dealing with uncomfortable thoughts/feelings, how they cope with stress, and how their daily functioning is impacted. People may also find that while they initially manage things well, specific experiences or phases of life may lead to the consideration of therapy.
 | What is the Role of a Food Allergy Counselor?Food allergy counselors offer psychosocial, emotional wellness, and mental health support to those managing a number of allergic conditions, most notably food allergy. The main goal of food allergy counseling is to help individuals and families find their "just right" balance between allergy stress and quality of life. For instance, food allergy counselors help allergic individuals understand anxiety’s usefulness in allergy safety, and teach skills that help people manage that anxiety so it doesn’t keep them from doing what they want to in life. They also help individuals and families process trauma associated with anaphylaxis and find solutions to social situations impacted by food allergies. Who are food allergy counselors? Food allergy counselors are allergy-informed licensed mental health care professionals, including counselors, therapists, psychologists, social workers, marriage and family therapists, and psychiatrists. [Coaches are not licensed mental healthcare providers unless the coach holds a specific mental health licensure as well]. |
A food allergy diagnosis doesn't just impact the individual - it impacts the whole family unit. Parenting kids with food allergies can add a stressful layer to the parenting journey. Did you know that according to a 2019 Kids with Food Allergies survey, 92% of parents reported that they’re always or occasionally fearful of their food allergic child’s safety, and 75% reported that food allergies cause fear and anxiety for their whole family? Research has also found that food allergies can trigger parental anxiety and overwhelm that impacts daily functioning, and that it can even cause marital strain.
Therefore, individuals, parents and families can benefit from exploring their feelings and learning strategies to manage these feelings through food allergy counseling. Parents can also learn age-appropriate ways to teach their kids about food allergy management, and strategies to help them navigate the anticipatory anxiety that pops up during each age and stage of their allergic child’s development.
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Just as there are counselors well-versed in other chronic health conditions such as diabetes, the allergy community benefits from counselors who are well-versed in food allergy and allergic conditions. And since there’s a growing number of individuals and families looking for allergy-informed counselors, offering these services benefits counselors, too. It’s a win-win for all!
Food allergy counseling helps people address:
The Future of Food Allergy Counseling and ResearchManaging chronic, life-impacting health conditions is a mind-and-body experience. They not only impact physical health, but also impact mental and social health. While other chronic health communities, such as diabetes, have already established the importance of providing mental health support for those diagnosed, food allergy counseling is a newer focus within the mental health and allergic disease communities. But even though this is a newer niche, it's growing quickly! Not only would those receiving food allergy therapy enthusiastically tell you how helpful it is, data from a number of studies focused on the importance of psychological support services for those managing food allergies, specifically the Global Access to Psychological Services for Food Allergy Study (GAPS), illustrates that food allergy counseling services are needed. As such, it’s anticipated that the food allergy counseling niche will continue to expand, and The Food Allergy Counselor is excited to help facilitate that growth! We’re committed to continuing to make it easier for those managing allergies to find food allergy counselors and evidence-based mental health content, and helping therapists learn how to become food allergy counselors so they can join this in-demand niche. If you’re a mental health care professional, learn more about how the food allergy counseling niche benefits your practice. |  |
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