In Canada, professional standards mandate that dietitians should use a client-centred approach to provide nutrition counselling services. Although most dietitians would probably agree that this is an important standard, how this mandate is translated into our daily practice is not always clear. The purpose of this paper is to explore the origins of the "client-centred approach" used in dietetic counselling. A historical review of selected dietetic literature is used to demonstrate the evolution of this term, the multiple meanings associated with it, the remaining ambiguity in dietetic practice today, and the need for further research.