Yes. Consultations are online across Australia. Resources are sent before and after each session, and telehealth is the standard format for most clients because it fits around work and family.

Clinical Nutrition for Women Who Can't Afford to Burn Out

Q: What's the difference between a nutritionist and a dietitian in Australia?

Both are university-trained. Dietitians are accredited through Dietitians Australia and can work in clinical hospital settings. Clinical nutritionists registered with AARPN hold health science degrees and work in private practice with individualised nutrition care, functional testing, and supplement recommendations. Both can claim private health insurance rebates depending on your cover.

Q: Do you work with women who have Hashimoto's or thyroid issues?

Yes. Thyroid function is one of the most common areas supported clinically, including reviewing full thyroid pathology (not just TSH), looking at nutrient status affecting thyroid conversion, and considering gut and stress patterns that influence autoimmune thyroid conditions. All work is coordinated with your GP or endocrinologist where relevant.

Q: Do you prescribe supplements?

Supplements are recommended only when there's a clear clinical rationale — based on history, symptoms, and where relevant, testing. Not a generic stack. Supplements support a foundation of food, sleep and stress management rather than replace it.

Bachelor of Health Science
12+ years in private practice
AARPN Certified Practicing Nutritionist
Private health insurance rebates available

Pregnancy, postpartum and postnatal depletion

For the years of trying, carrying and recovering. Iron and nutrient stores, thyroid function changes, and energy that has not come back yet.

See how I can help

Periods, perimenopause and hormones

PMS, disrupted sleep, mood changes and low energy, through the natural hormonal shifts of your thirties and forties.

See how I can help

Pathology and functional testing

Review what has already been tested, read in clinical context rather than by reference range alone, then decide what genuinely deserves further investigation.

Understand the process

Evidence based clinical nutrition for women who are running on empty

The exhaustion that sleep does not touch. The brain fog. The three o'clock crash. The blood test that comes back normal while your body is telling you something completely different.

There is usually more going on than stress, and it is often clinical. Nutritional depletion from cumulative load. Subclinical thyroid changes. Iron sitting inside the reference range but nowhere near optimal. Cortisol patterns that only show up when you test for them.

I'm Serena, a Certified Practicing Nutritionist (BHSc, AARPN) with 12+ years in private practice. I work online with women across Australia who have already tried the iron, the magnesium and the sleep hygiene, and still feel like something is being missed.

Book a 15-minute discovery call

Why the things that should have worked didn't

You took the supplement a friend recommended. You followed the plan you downloaded. Neither of them was personalised to what is happening in your body, because nobody measured it first.

You can't fix a leak if you don't know where it's coming from. Most health advice treats the symptom and leaves the system underneath it untouched, which is how something can run on for years without ever being properly named.

I don't assume and I don't guess. I collect all the data like a detective, and I make sure I understand what is going on before I tell you what to do.

What we look at

Fatigue, bloating and weight that will not shift are rarely one thing. They usually sit across several systems at once, so that is where we look.

Sleep quality, including depth and waking patterns
Energy across the whole day, not just the first half of it
Iron studies, full thyroid panel and cortisol patterns
Digestion, bloating and gut function
Nutrient status after pregnancy and breastfeeding
Stress load and what your weeks genuinely demand of you

How I work

Clinical clarity first, then implementation that survives a real week. I look at your symptoms, your history and what your days demand of you, then use real data to take the guesswork out.

Assess

We go through symptoms, diet patterns, sleep, stress load, training, medications and supplements, and what your life is genuinely asking of you right now.

Interpret

Where you have recent pathology, we start there. Where targeted testing would add clarity, full thyroid panels, iron studies and functional testing including gut DNA, we coordinate that through third party labs.

Implement

You get a plan built around your real schedule, with defaults in place so you are not making forty food decisions a day, and a way back in when a week goes sideways. Some weeks will.

Credentials

Bachelor of Health Science in Clinical Nutrition from Torrens University, and a Certified Practicing Nutritionist with the Australian Association of Registered Practising Nutritionists (AARPN), recognised as an Allied Health Professional. 12+ years in private practice, and currently completing a Master of Science at the University of New England focused on postnatal nutrition in Australian women.

I'm trained to clinically assess nutrition related factors in your health, recommend evidence based food strategies and supplements, and work alongside your GP or specialists as part of an aligned care team. Clinical nutrition complements your medical care, it does not replace it.

Private health insurance rebates may be available depending on your cover.

I hold a Bachelor of Health Science and am a certified practicing nutritionist through the Australian Association of Registered Practising Nutritionists (AARPN). This means I’m trained to clinically assess your health, prescribe supplements and therapeutic diets, and collaborate with GPs and specialists to ensure you have a fully aligned care team.

My approach combines functional testing, clinical insight, and evidence-based care grounded in sound principles. No guesswork. No overwhelm. Just a clear, personalised strategy that works in the real world.

Private health insurance rebates are available for eligible clients.

From the journal

April 13, 2026

Frequently asked questions

What is postnatal depletion?

Postnatal depletion refers to the cumulative physical and nutritional load of pregnancy, birth and early motherhood, often including iron loss, depleted omega-3 stores, micronutrient gaps, disrupted sleep, and altered thyroid and adrenal function. Research suggests symptoms can persist for years if unaddressed, not just the first six weeks. Common signs include ongoing exhaustion, brain fog, hair loss, low mood, and feeling "not quite yourself."

Can clinical nutrition support perimenopause symptoms?

Perimenopause involves fluctuating hormones that affect sleep, mood, energy, weight, and cognition. Nutrition can play a supportive role, for example, protein intake for muscle mass, micronutrients for hormone production, fibre for oestrogen clearance, and blood sugar stability for hot flushes and energy. A clinical approach also looks at thyroid, iron, and cortisol levels, as these overlap with perimenopause symptoms and are often missed.

Do I need a GP referral to see you?

No referral is needed. You can book directly. If you're already working with a GP, endocrinologist, or another specialist, I'm happy to coordinate your care with them.

How is working with a clinical nutritionist different from seeing my GP?

GPs are essential for diagnosis, prescribing, and medical management. Clinical nutrition sits alongside that with more time to go through symptoms, diet, lifestyle and testing in detail, and a focus on nutritional and functional contributors to how you're feeling. The two are complementary, not competing.

Do you prescribe supplements?

Natural medicines are recommended only when there's a clear clinical rationale, based on your history, symptoms, and where relevant, testing. Not a generic stack. My approach is that supplements support a foundation of food, sleep and stress management, not replace it.

What's the difference between a certified practicing nutritionist and a dietitian in Australia?

Both are university-trained. Dietitians are accredited by Dietitians Australia and can work in hospital settings. Clinical nutritionists registered with AARPN hold health science degrees and work in private practice with individualised nutrition care, functional testing, and supplement recommendations. Both can claim private health insurance rebates depending on your cover. The right practitioner depends on your goals and whether you want individualised, root-cause-focused care.

Do you work with women who have Hashimoto's or thyroid issues?

Yes. Thyroid function is one of the most common areas I support clinically. That includes reviewing full thyroid pathology (not just TSH), assessing nutrient status that affects thyroid conversion, and considering gut and stress patterns that influence autoimmune thyroid conditions. All work is done alongside your GP or, where relevant, your endocrinologist.

Do I need to get blood tests done?

Not always. If you have recent pathology, we can start with that. If targeted testing would add clarity, full thyroid panel, iron studies, vitamin D, B12, or functional testing like DUTCH or GI-MAP, we can discuss what's appropriate and coordinate through third-party labs.

Do you work online?

Yes. Consultations are online across Australia. You'll receive everything you need before the session and your plan, notes and resources after. Telehealth has become the standard format for most of my clients because it fits around work and family.

Can I claim through private health insurance?

Private health rebates for clinical nutrition consultations are available on some extras policies. Coverage varies by fund and level of cover. The best step is to call your health fund and ask whether they cover AARPN-registered nutritionists.

What does a first consultation involve?

The first consultation is 60–75 minutes. We go through your full health history, current symptoms, pathology you've had, diet patterns, sleep, stress, and lifestyle. You leave with initial clinical impressions and clear next steps. Deeper plan and testing recommendations follow in a structured second session..

How soon can I expect to feel different?

Everybody is different, and I don't promise timelines; that's not how clinical work operates. What I can say is that most clients notice changes in specific markers (energy, sleep, digestion) within the first 2-4 weeks of implementation, with deeper physiological changes taking longer. Testing and tracking tell us what is moving.