About Functional Medicine Associates
Lucy Townsend is the founder of Functional Medicine Associates.
Lucy is a Certified Functional Medicine Health Coach, and Certified Patient Advocate.
She is passionate about empowering individuals to feel their best by investigating and addressing root causes of the brain and body’s imbalances. A life long learner she has also been fascinated by the body ability to heal. But it wasn’t until accident that resulted in a traumatic brain injury, nine broken ribs, pneumothorax and several days in ICU (in a third world country) that gave her a new perspective on the power of functional medicine and the mind/body connection in healing. Her own journey back to good health, and working with so many others who have gone through health challenges enables her to bring a high level of empathy, respect, understanding and wisdom.
She has a bachelors in Physical Therapy, completed her Masters in Counseling Psychology, and has consulted in the health care industry for over twenty-five years.
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In addition to being a certified, Functional Medicine Health Coach and Patient Advocate, Lucy draws on her many years in both physical therapy and counseling to provide insight, strategies and support clients to make lasting lifestyle changes.
Lucy matriculated at the University of California Santa Barbara, where she studied biology. She received her bachelors degree in Physical Therapy from San Francisco State University, and her Master in Counseling from the University of San Francisco.
Lucy acquired her Certification as a Patient Advocate from the Patient Advocate Certification Board an organization of professionals including, but not limited to, healthcare and patient advocates, case managers, and others who work on behalf of patients, communities, who share the goal of safe, effective, and compassionate healthcare.
Board Certified Patient Advocates work with individual clients who need assistance navigating complex medical situations by partnering with them, seeking to empower them, and supporting their ability to make autonomous decisions.
She received her in training from the Functional Medicine Coaching Academy (FMCA) the only coaching certification program that has completely incorporated Functional Medicine and Functional Nutrition into the curriculum. This program is approved by the International Consortium for Credentialing Health and Wellness Coaches.The Institute Functional Medicine in collaboration with the Cleveland Clinic partnered with FMCA to develop the course content, which gives health coaches a time-tested standard that can be consistently applied in various settings and effectively discussed with other Functional Medicine practitioners around the world.
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FMCA-trained health coaches guide patients to optimum wellness using Functional Medicine, Functional Nutrition, Mind-Body Medicine, and Positive Psychology Coaching. A central theme of the training, positive psychology embraces and enhances people’s higher selves to achieve optimal functioning.
She also keeps updated with the latest trends in Functional Medicine Coaching and Patient Advocacy by blogging attending conferences, podcasts, webinars, regularly.
She is a published researcher and has written about Alzheimer’s Disease patients and their caregivers. Publications include Journal of Aging and Mental Health 1991:1:1346-355. She also presented sessions at the Gerontological Society of America as well as the Stanford Physicians Forum in addition to several additional conferences and educational symposiums.
