Registered Dietitians

I am a dietitian practicing from a Health at Every Size working with people of all ages to help them find ways to honor and respect their bodies through food, movement, and self-care. I use intuitive eating as a guidepost in my practice and strongly believe that with practice, we adults and children can trust their bodies to guide them towards choices that feel good physically and mentally. I have experience supporting parents as their kids struggle with feeding disorders or other concerns related to weight/body and offering tips to manage this at home.

Melissa is an anti-diet, Health At Every Size® aligned, and all-foods-fit Registered Dietitian and Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor. She works with children, adolescents, and adults who are struggling with eating disorders. She also provides nutrition counseling to parents. Melissa worked at a behavioral health facility on the eating disorder unit for over 3 years. She worked with clients at the inpatient, partial hospitalization program (PHP), and intensive outpatient program (IOP) levels of care. She now works with clients at the outpatient level.

Melissa believes food is so much more than fuel. Food can bring joy and pleasure, comfort and memories, and helps us build connections with others. Melissa aims to fight diet culture myths and eating disorder beliefs that are often so destructive. Melissa’s hope for all her clients is that they work to remove guilt associated with food and are able to incorporate it in their lives in a pleasurable way. While each client is treated individually, her clients can expect to work on fueling their body, including variety and balance throughout each day, relearning how to listen to and honor body cues, and fight diet culture.

I work with children, adults, and families in eating disorder recovery and helping everyone find food freedom. I use a Family Based Therapy approach when appropriate to bring families into the recovery process. I am also a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor and use an intuitive eating approach. I work within the framework of the Division of Responsibility when working with children and families to help empower both parents and children.

MINDFUL. BALANCED. HEALING. Using a weight-neutral and all-inclusive approach, we work with our clients individually and in group settings to co-create a holistic approach that nourishes you on a deeper level.

I am a highly motivated and passionate dietitian, with experience working in the eating disorder field at all levels of care. My expertise is in providing evidenced-based and trauma-informed care through methods such as CBT, DBT, mindfulness, and crisis de-escalation. My personal philosophy embodies a non-diet approach to nutrition. I practice through a weight neutral and health at every size® lens while promoting mind and body balance. I utilize intuitive eating, motivational interviewing, and compassion-based techniques to support behavior change. When working with kids with eating/body issues, I work closely with parents either individually or in family sessions with the client. I've seen the positive impact parents have by participating in their child's care on a frequent basis. Eating disorders are incredibly challenging and I never want a parent to feel alone when supporting their child.

We start by unpacking the feelings and emotions attached to their child's relationship with food and body. We then start to explore health, explaining that restricting calories, overexercising, limiting certain foods, labeling foods as good vs. bad can do more harm and actually lead to poor health (mental and physical) longterm. We support our clients in finding joy in movement, practicing gentle nutrition without restrictions and shifting the focus away from the scale and perceived ideas of what their bodies are "supposed" to look like based on toxic diet culture messaging and maybe even mixed messages from their child's physician.

Based in Elm Grove, WI, Samantha (Bauer) Kuspa is an outpatient registered dietitian with a passion for supporting individuals through eating disorders and disordered eating patterns. As an anti-diet dietitian, she embraces a Health at Every Size® (HAES®) approach, focusing on helping clients achieve food freedom through mindful nutrition and exercise.With extensive experience in the eating disorder treatment field, Samantha has served as both the Director of Operations and Nutrition Director in residential eating disorder facilities. She also has a background in behavioral health, working across a spectrum of care from inpatient to intensive outpatient levels. Additionally, Samantha has worked in health clubs, offering a holistic approach to wellness.

Samantha Bauer Nutrition Therapy offers both virtual and in-person sessions to clients in Wisconsin, as well as virtual sessions for residents of Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa. To ensure privacy and security, Samantha uses Blind Weight and MyClearStep for HIPAA-compliant virtual weight tracking.