Sonya Douglas

Sonya Douglas

Position
Founder & Director
Principal Accredited Practising Dietitian
Credentialed Eating Disorder Clinician
Pronouns
She/Her
Availability
Mon, Wed, Fri & Sat
In-person & Telehealth

My Story

Ciao, I’m Sonya.

At the young age of 25, I opened Dietwise, now my 32-year-old labour of love. I am as passionate about my craft today as I was when I graduated in 1989. Leading our team of friendly, fun, and dedicated humans fills my cup every day and I can never imagine myself doing anything else. My career has been a rainbow of colours. From flying around in helicopters for corporate nutrition work for BHP, being an expert witness in a legal case, supervising Masters’ students, university lecturing, speaking gigs, board Director of Dietitians Australia, Head of Department at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital to establishing a nutrition service in the North Metro new Mental Health Unit. My career has been rich and rewarding every step of the way,

Thirty four years of clinical experience, lived experience of trauma and ADHD, and being a mother to 4 exceptional young men have gifted me with a tapestry woven full of diverse experiences laying a rich foundation for my work alongside clients at Dietwise. This is particularly helpful in my often complex work with weight and body image concerns, disordered eating, eating disorders, neurodivergence and menopause to name a few.

With an Italian heritage and love of the Mediterranean diet, I believe the dinner table should be the heart of every home (acknowledging the dinner table can be challenging for some people). It can represent a place of gratitude and connection with others, and a space to rediscover the joy of food, eating and body peace by using your body’s inner wisdom. I am a carb-loving non-diet Dietitian, using a weight-neutral approach and practising Health At Every Size® (HAES®). I believe eating is an act of self-care to feed, fuel, repair, renourish, connect, and bring joy underpinning every aspect of my work. I am so glad you found me and my team, including our friendly Dietwise dogs, and I warmly welcome you to Dietwise.

Training & Credentials

  • Bachelor of Science (Nutrition and Food Science)- Curtin University
  • Postgraduate Diploma in Dietetics- Curtin University
  • Credentialed Eating Disorder Clinician (CEDC)- ANZAED
  • Skills Based CBT-E Clinical Workshop- University of Oxford
  • Enhanced Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT-E) for Eating Disorders- WAEDOCS
  • Eating Disorder Training Essentials and Masterclass for Dietitians- WAEDOCS
  • Understanding the Principles & Complexities of ARFID Management for Dietitians- WAEDOCS
  • Temperament-Based Treatment with Supports (TBT-S)
  • Neurodiversity Affirming Dietetic Care- The Mindful Dietitian
  • Youth Mental Health First Aider- MHFA
  • The Low FODMAP Diet for IBS- Monash University
  • Dietetic Essentials For ARFID: Across the Spectrum of Care - WAEDOCS
  • Your Feeding Toolkit & ARFID: The Anxious Eater - Melanie Potock
  • Paediatric Eating and Feeding Course for Dietitians - Maddie Todd

Memberships

  • Dietitians Australia (DA)
  • Australia & New Zealand Academy for Eating Disorders (ANZAED)
  • National Eating Disorder Collaboration (NEDC)
  • Academy for Eating Disorders (AED)
  • International Federation of Eating Disorder Dietitians (IFEDD)
  • Eating Disorder Registered Dietitians & Professionals (EDRDPro)
  • Association for Size Diversity and Health (ASDAH)
  • ADHD WA
  • North American Menopause Society (NAMS)
  • Australian & New Zealand Mental Health Association (ANZMHA)

A quote I taught my sons

"The standard you walk past is the standard you accept”- David Morrison

Something not many people know about me

My heritage is Italian, Austrian, and German. My dad decided to change our surname from Di Nardo to Douglas in 1980 as the spelling was challenging and being Italian was not fantastico like it is now.
We're so glad you found us

Get In Touch

Reach out and tell us how we can help. We would love to hear from you.

Level 2, 448 Fitzgerald St, North Perth WA 6006