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Ten Diet and Lifestyle Strategies to Support Mental Health

CE Hours 2.5 2.5 Clinical

About this course

Ten Diet and Lifestyle Strategies to Support Mental Health is a practical, evidence-informed training designed for mental health professionals seeking integrative, accessible tools to support emotional regulation and overall well-being. This workshop examines the impact of nutrition, sleep, movement, stress physiology, and daily habits on mood, anxiety, and nervous system functioning.

We will also discuss treatment plans, scope of practice, and implementation strategies.

Participants will learn realistic, client-centered strategies that can be ethically integrated into clinical practice, with a focus on sustainability rather than perfection. 


Slide deck and numerous training resources are included. 

Please note: participants will be watching a recorded video.


Learning Objectives

  • Describe at least three ways diet and lifestyle factors influence mental health symptoms.
  • Identify common lifestyle patterns that may contribute to anxiety, depression, and emotional dysregulation.
  • Discuss ethical considerations when incorporating lifestyle psychoeducation into psychotherapy.
  • Apply at least three practical behavior-change strategies to support sustainable client change.
  • Develop one treatment planning intervention related to diet and lifestyle factors.

Learning Levels

  • Beginner and Intermediate, all levels are welcomed

Target Audience

All mental health professionals welcome.

Course Instructor(s)

  • Erena DiGonis, LCSW-R

    Erena DiGonis, LCSW-R, is a New York State Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Certified Health Coach, and Certified Clinical Anxiety and Trauma Treatment Professional. She is also certified in Brainspotting and trained in EMDR and Pain Reprocessing Therapy. Erena has twenty-three years of practical and professional experience as an active clinician, teacher, and supervisor. She has worked in a variety of community, psychiatric, in-home, and private practice settings with hundreds of complex cases.

    Erena is a sought-after writer, speaker, and consultant and has been featured in Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Psychology Today, Reader’s Digest, Women's Health, and MEL magazine. She has reviewed book proposals for the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and is an Advisory Board Member for the CPTSD Foundation. Erena serves as the Founder and Continuing Education Director of EngagedMinds, a national Continuing Education business providing training for Counselors, Social Workers, and Therapists.

Disclosure

EngagedMinds Continuing Education, Erena DiGonis, and planners have no financial disclosures or commercial bias or promote commercial interests during CE activities.

References

  • Bekdash R. A. (2024). Epigenetics, Nutrition, and the Brain: Improving Mental Health through Diet. International journal of molecular sciences, 25(7), 4036. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25074036
  • Bektaş, A., Erdal, H., Ulusoy, M., & Uzbay, I. T. (2020). Does Serotonin in the intestines make you happy?. The Turkish journal of gastroenterology : the official journal of Turkish Society of Gastroenterology, 31(10), 721–723. https://doi.org/10.5152/tjg.2020.19554
  • Button, A. M., Slavet, J., Staiano, A. E., & Bowling, A. B. (2025). Clinician Perspectives on Incorporating Physical Activity and Sleep Prescriptions Using eHealth for Youth With Comorbid Psychiatric Disorders: Qualitative Focus Group Study. JMIR formative research, 9, e71569. https://doi.org/10.2196/71569
  • Castro-Alija, M. J., Albertos, I., Pérez Íñigo, C., López, M., Jiménez, J. M., Cao, M. J., Trayling, M., & Ruiz-Tovar, J. (2023). Association between Anxiety Status and Hydration Status in Spanish University Students. Nutrients, 16(1), 118. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16010118
  • Derelioğlu, M., Vural, M., Çimen, E., Saki, Ü., Yağız Saraçoğlu, Y., Karataş, B., Saç, A., Yamaner, E., Halmatov, M., Yılmaz, C., Öztaş, M., Arıkan, G., & Ceylan, L. (2025). Exploring how cognitive-behavioral physical activity links ruminative thinking and mental wellbeing in sports high school adolescents. Frontiers in psychology, 16, 1665882. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1665882
  • Dimopoulou, M., Dimopoulou, A., & Gortzi, O. (2025). Dietary Patterns and Mental Health Across the Lifespan: A Systematic Review of Randomized Clinical Trials. Psychology International, 7(4), 87. https://doi.org/10.3390/psycholint7040087
  • Grajek, M., Krupa-Kotara, K., Białek-Dratwa, A., Sobczyk, K., Grot, M., Kowalski, O., & Staśkiewicz, W. (2022). Nutrition and mental health: A review of current knowledge about the impact of diet on mental health. Frontiers in nutrition, 9, 943998. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2022.943998
  • Horovitz O. (2025). Nutritional Psychology: Review the Interplay Between Nutrition and Mental Health. Nutrition reviews, 83(3), 562–576. https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuae158
  • Irum, N., Afzal, T., Faraz, M. H., Aslam, Z., & Rasheed, F. (2023). The role of gut microbiota in depression: an analysis of the gut-brain axis. Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience, 17, 1185522. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1185522
  • Lai, J., Yang, B., Ju, P., Sun, Y., Sun, X., Cheng, W., & Chen, J. (2025). Gut microbiota from adolescents with social anxiety disorder is associated with behavioral alterations and metabolic changes in the medial prefrontal cortex. Journal of affective disorders, 120597. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2025.120597
  • Liang, S., Wu, X., Hu, X., Wang, T., & Jin, F. (2018). Recognizing Depression from the Microbiota–Gut–Brain Axis. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 19(6), 1592. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms19061592
  • Mottis, G., Kandasamey, P., & Peleg-Raibstein, D. (2025). The consequences of ultra-processed foods on brain development during prenatal, adolescent and adult stages. Frontiers in public health, 13, 1590083. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1590083
  • Novak, J. R., Robinson, L. P., & Korn, L. E. (2022). What MFTs should know about nutrition, psychosocial health, and collaborative care with nutrition professionals. Journal of marital and family therapy, 48(2), 502–522. https://doi.org/10.1111/jmft.12540
  • Oyovwi, M. O., Ogenma, U. T., & Onyenweny, A. (2025). Exploring the impact of exercise-induced BDNF on neuroplasticity in neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric conditions. Molecular biology reports, 52(1), 140. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-025-10248-1
  • Tutakhail, A., Diarra, F., Coudoré, F., Mendez-David, I., & David, D. J. (2025). Harnessing exercise for brain health: BDNF, neuroplasticity & well-being. L'Encephale, S0013-7006(25)00171-X. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.encep.2025.08.006
  • Xiong, J., Wang, L., Huang, H., Xiong, S., Zhang, S., Fu, Q., Tang, R., & Zhang, Q. (2024). Association of sugar consumption with risk of depression and anxiety: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in nutrition, 11, 1472612. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2024.1472612

CE Process Info

Content

  • Materials
    8 parts
    • Slide Deck
    • Serotonin Hypothesis Debunked Article 2023
    • Food Mood Log
    • Food Mood Log Detailed
    • Self-Care Assessment
    • Intuitive Eating Assessment Scale
    • Values Handout
    • Audio Only
  • Recordings
    1 parts
    • Video
  • New York State Education Department's State Board for SW (NYSED SW)

    EngagedMinds Continuing Education is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0676.

  • Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB)

    EngagedMinds Continuing Education, #1858, formerly Erena DiGonis, LCSW, PLLC, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 8/25/2024-8/25/2027. Social workers completing this course receive 2.5 continuing education credits.

  • National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC)

    EngagedMinds Continuing Education has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7455. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. EngagedMinds Continuing Education is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

  • New York State Education Department's State Board for LMHC (NYSED LMHC)

    EngagedMinds Continuing Education is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MHC-0284.

  • New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners (NYSED LMFT)

    EngagedMinds Continuing Education is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed marriage and family therapists #MFT-0117.

  • New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology (NYSED PSY)

    Erena DiGonis, LCSW, PLLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0270.

  • California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT)

    EngagedMinds Continuing Education is hereby recognized as a CAMFT-approved Continuing Education Provider. Provider number: 1032895

Ten Diet and Lifestyle Strategies to Support Mental Health
You Have Completed This course
$50
You are enrolled
  • CE Hours
    2.5
  • Type
    Self-Paced
  • Publication Date
    Jun 15th, 2026

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