Rachael McBride, MCN, RD/LD, CEDRD-S (she/her/hers) is a Registered & Licensed Dietitian

What is your current position?

I am a Registered Dietitian working in private practice and I work primarily with individuals with eating disorders. I also teach a nutrition class at UT Dallas.

How did you get started in your career?

Before going back to school to be a dietitian, I worked as a counselor in the substance use disorder field. Having the background in behavioral health was super helpful, but I still needed to learn about the new role I was taking on. It helped so much to seek out people who have been at this and have wisdom to share, like (obviously) Jessica Setnick. A lovely thing is that our field is that it is very supportive, so most people are willing to support and guide rather than try to compete with each other. From there, I was able to start finding my own voice as a clinician while drawing on the wisdom and experience of others.

What advice would you give to someone new to the field?

Go where the smart people are! In my dietetics program we barely grazed the topic of eating disorders. Knowing that is true of most training for dietitians and therapists, most of us enter the field with essentially no training. It is important that we seek this out ourselves, and thankfully there are SO many great places to learn: IFEDD, local iaedp chapters, webinars from many different treatment centers, and more. These resources were invaluable in helping me learn how to do this job and still teach me something new every time I show up.

Also, if you go into private practice, office with people you genuinely adore and trust. This work can get stressful and lonely sometimes, so your support system needs to be close. Plus it’s just more fun that way.

Learn more about Rachael:

Certified Eating Disorders Registered Dietitian
9535 Forest Lane, Suite 258, Dallas, TX 75243
214.226.8286 call/text
[email protected]
www.herenownutrition.com