Nourish Therapy Presents
Empower & Support Feeding Program
A 12-week personalised feeding program tailored for restricted eaters and children with limited diets. Run by a multidisciplinary team of Paediatric Feeding Specialists
Change Starts Here
What if you had the tools to support your restricted eater while they gain confidence, try new foods, and reduce anxiety—without endless appointments?
Here’s a secret…you can!Feel like you have tried everything to support your restricted eater?
- Tired of feeling alone and frustrated with feeding challenges?
- Told there’s “no problem” with your child’s feeding struggles?
- Feeling overwhelmed and anxious about meals?
- Tried everything, even bribing (no judgment!)?
If you answered YES to any of the above… you’re in the right spot!
It is time for a rejuvenated approach to address your child's feeding difficulties... so that you can
Find mealtime relief with trust in your child's feeding skills and ability to meet their nutritional needs
Feel confident in developing tools to support your child to expand their range of accepted foods
Improving health, sleep, energy, and concentration
Create stress free family mealtimes
Discover practical ways to increase your child's nutritional outcomes
We’re here to let you know, you have not been failing, you just have not found the right approach, and the right support
Ready to Join Our Empower & Support Program Today
Introducing the Empower & Support Feeding Program
Our four essential pillars for a holistic, personalised approach to feeding challenges.
Our Signature Formula: How we help our clients to get long term results
Our Empower Support Program Formula
Root Cause Analysis
- Comprehensive assessment (Let’s get to the bottom of the feeding challenge)
- Personalisation (testing and tracking so that we have your specific statatics to see how far you have come)
- Mutlidisciplinary team involvement (our specialists team of OT, DT & SLT – working alongside your allied and medical teams)
Confident Feeding
- Holistic Nutrition (a full nutrition breakdown and plan unique to you)
- Core motor skills for self feeding (Let’s make sure we have the skills to eat e.g. fine & gross motor, coordination, posture, body postion, self feeding skills etc)
- Safe chewing and swallowing (developing the skills to safely chew and swallow a range of textures, appropriate to developmental skill)
Nuturing Regulation
- Restrictions and aversions (developing the tools & skills to overcome aversions and learn how to expand the range of accepted foods)
- Anxiety and behaviour (proven tools and strategies to reduce anxiety surrounding food while reducing mealtime behaviours)
- Sensory regulation (developing tools to support sensory needs around mealtimes and with sensory food challenges)
- Interoception (getting the internal body talking with the rest of the body)
Thriving Environments
- Whānau/parent/caregiver (you are at the majority of mealtimes, we are less than 1%, educating you with tools is most effective)
- Mealtimes (supporting the mealtime its self from set up, to langauge to how to actually serve food)
- Beyond Mealtimes (kindy, preschool, school) (alot of eating happens away from home, we need to support those external environments creating consistency across all settings)
Join Our Empower Support Program
Discover What's Included in Our Program
Personalized & comprehensive assessment and an individualised 'road map' (Valued at $550)
A thorough assessment designed to uncover the reasons behind a child’s difficulties with food.
This evaluation includes sensory profiling, along with video analyses of mealtimes and eating abilities.
1:1 Customized sessions tailored to your child's specific needs (Valued at $1600)
Individualised 1:1 sessions are designed to address your child’s specific feeding goals.
Session focus on ensuring that your child develops the tools for reducing anxiety, developing self feeding skills and expanding their range of accepted foods.
Access to our online resource content hub to continue your learning outside of sessions (Valued at $1500)
Our resource hub is packed full of bite-sized materials designed to fit easily into your learning routine, including engaging videos and informative handouts that are tailored to your situation.
Expert guidance from our in house Dietitians (Full Nutrition Profile + report) (Valued at $750)
Connect with our Dietitian’s to support underlying nutritional deficiencies, food allergies, and gut health.
Specialised in coeliac disease, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), ARFID, restricted eaters and growth concerns.
Paediatric Feeding Disorder (PFD) Diagnostic Report (as appropriate) (Valued at $750).
As required, we can provide a PFD assessment and report. Where this is not appropriate, we can provide a general report summarising the challenges and progress to date.
'Therapist in your pocket' with a direct link to your therapist for ongoing assistance (Value: priceless)
For those moments in between sessions to connect and to ask questions. This helps to navigate day to day challenges that pop up. This is where the gold is!
The Empower & Support program has helped children to….
Reduce anxiety and challenging mealtime behaviours
Support their regulation and sensory challenges around food and mealtimes
Create long term sustainable change in their acceptance towards food
Develop safe chewing and swallowing skills
Become independent with self feeding skills
Develop the skills to reduce their aversion to food
Expand their range of accepted foods
Improve their health & developmental outcome
Who is the Empower & Support program for?
Children with Restricted Diets – Children who eat a very limited variety of foods, struggle with new textures or flavors, or experience distress around mealtimes
Children with Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)
Children with Pediatric Feeding Disorder (PFD)
Neurodivergent Children with Feeding Challenges – Support for children with autism, ADHD, sensory processing differences, and other neurodivergences that impact eating
Children with Gastrointestinal or Medical Conditions – Support for those with reflux, EoE (eosinophilic esophagitis), food allergies, or other conditions that make eating difficult or painful
Children with Anxiety or Trauma-Related Feeding Issues – e.g. choking incidents, medical interventions, or past negative experiences with food
Families Seeking Mealtime Support – Whether dealing with restricted eating, power struggles, mealtime stress, or concerns about growth and nutrition concerns
We work with children of all ages (10 months - 16 years) who experience difficulties with eating due to a variety of reasons, including sensory, medical, developmental, and behavioral factors.
Meet the therapists supporting you in the Empower & Support Program
Rebecca Barnard
Occupational Therapist, Feeding Therapist, Director
My name is Rebecca Barnard, and I am an Occupational Therapist and the Director of Nourish Therapy, created to address the increasing demand for pediatric feeding therapy services in Aotearoa New Zealand. Raised in Tauranga on a small farm and kiwifruit orchard in Te Puke, I developed an early appreciation for the origins of our food and how it is cultivated. Sustainability is a core value of mine, reflected in my approach to therapy. As the eldest of three in a family of five, our whānau mealtimes were often a delightful chaos, but they also provided us with valuable moments to connect at the end of each day.
After earning my Bachelor of Occupational Therapy from Otago Polytechnic, I ventured to Australia, where my passion for feeding therapy truly blossomed. Eventually, I felt a strong pull to return home and settled in Christchurch to establish Nourish Therapy, recognizing a vital need within our beautiful country.
I’m dedicated to helping children and their whānau who find mealtimes and feeding experiences particularly difficult. The inspiration behind Nourish arose from the necessity to support our community’s children and families facing feeding challenges.
We remain committed to ongoing professional development and strive to stay informed about the latest evidence-based practices and research.
Sophie Hall
Dietitan, Feeding Specialist, Director
Sophie is a New Zealand Registered Dietitian with over 15 years of experience supporting childrens and families navigate feeding challenges. She’s working on her PhD, exploring how to better support children with coeliac disease.
Sophie has a special interest in allergies, intolerances, functional gut challenges, and helping restricted eaters, children with ARFID and PFD. She understands how stressful feeding challenges can be—and she’s all about making nutrition feel more manageable and less overwhelming.
Backed by solid science and delivered with a friendly, practical approach, Sophie’s goal is to help parents feel confident and supported while making food a more positive experience for their child.
Dr Stephanie Brown
Dietitian, Feeding Specialist, Director
Stephanie is a New Zealand Registered Dietitian with a PhD in nutrition, with her research focusing on supporting children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Stephanie works with families dealing with a wide range of challenges—from gut disorders and food allergies to restricted eating and growth concerns.
Stephanie’s practice is rooted in solid science, but she always brings a down-to-earth, practical approach. Her approach is science-backed but never stuffy—Stephanie brings a warm, practical touch to everything she does, making nutrition advice clear, realistic, and family-friendly.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is the program different from others?
We are so thrilled and proud that this program is the first of it’s kind in Aotearoa, with huge success of similar varieties internationally.
This program is different due to its individualised nature and full access to a team of feeding professionals … it is not an online course.
Can I enroll at any time?
Yes, you can join our program at any time. We tailor the start of your journey to suit your family’s schedule and needs, ensuring flexibility and convenience.
What is the weekly time commitment?
While the time commitment varies, families typically engage in regular therapy sessions (ever 3-4 weeks) and utilize our online resources, with ongoing support from our team throughout the program. It is up to you how much time you invest, to get the most out of your experience.
How does the program operate?
The program has a few beautiful compoments that intertwine.
The typical flow includes:
– A comprehensive assessment which includes a sensory profile, a food diary, a review of mealtimes, and a comprehensive caregiver only session.
– Our dietitian’s complete a full nutritional assessment and provide a report of recommendations and a plan for the duration of the program. Your dietitian may request ongoing support throughout the program
– Engagement in regular therapy sessions throughout the program with the therapist that aligns most to your child’s needs
– Online guidance inbetween sessions via our online resource hub and the online community
– Therapist in your pocket will be set up so you have access to your therapist throughout the program
– Summary reports or Diagnosistic Reports to be provided at the end of the program
Is it possible to extend beyond 12 weeks?
Absolutely! At the end of the program, we evaluate progress and discuss whether to continue with another round or you may no longer need support at this time.
Who is the program designed for?
Our program is ideal for families with children who have restricted diets or eating challenges, and who are committed to making sustainable changes to improve their child’s relationship with food. Every family is screened for whether the program is appropriate for them, and every family must be accepted into the program. The program is appropriate for restricted eaters, children with very limited diets and families ready to make long term sustainable change to support their child diet, food variety and relationship with food.