IHW - Integrative Health & Wellness

Students explore foundational concepts of the Integrative Health and Wellness Studies major, including the professional health educator role. Concepts of health and well-being are investigated through academic inquiry, self-reflection, and self-care practice. Students are introduced to the threads associated with the major: Integrative, Spiritual, Mental, Physical, Social and Population Health Promotion.

Students explore foundations of integrative health and wellness in this introductory course. A population health framework is used to explore theories and principles of health and wellness, nutrition, genetics, and the determinants of health.

This course focuses on structure and function of the human body from the viewpoint of wellness through homeostatic balance. Cells, tissues, systems and the organism are studied, emphasizing interrelationships among systems and physiological function regulation involved in balancing the holistic body.  At course completion students will answer: What is structure? What is its function? What causes physiological imbalance?

In this evidence-based biology focused course, students explore lifestyle impact on physiology, deepening their understanding of how implementing daily wellness habits can support normal physiology. Students will contrast normal and abnormal physiology, illustrating how health is balanced through lifestyle choices. The positive effects of integrative health approaches will be evaluated and applied to maintain and/or restore health.

Students in this advanced course apply the foundations of integrative health and wellness to a variety of populations across the lifespan. Students build upon knowledge from IHW 116 course, applying population health frameworks to further explore theories and principles of health, wellness, nutrition, genetics, and determinants of health.

This course establishes a foundation of population health concepts from an integrative health perspective. Students will explore the healthcare system and identify what drives illness and wellness in communities. They will learn to identify relationships among behavioral, environmental, and other factors that influence health.

Students will learn about the interconnectedness of mind/body/energy and how that positively and negatively influences health. They will explore various modalities and practices that support resilience and diminish allostatic load. They will adopt a personal mindfulness practice.

Students will explore a variety of whole systems approaches—including but not limited to Oriental Medicine, Ayurveda, naturopathic, functional, homeopathic, chiropractic, and indigenous medicine—becoming informed regarding practitioner education, standards and approaches to care. Emphasis in this course is on foundational knowledge upon which to build collegial relationships with integrative health providers.  

This course provides the theoretical foundation for working with individual clients/learners in coaching practice. Integrating change and wellness theories, students will explore coaching methods for supporting the individual. Students will gain a full understanding of the psychodynamics of the therapeutic relationship as they practice simulated coaching sessions.

This course examines principles of adult learning and learner-centered teaching. Students explore learning theories, learning styles and teaching methods to address diverse learning needs. Students integrate information technology supporting the teaching-learning process and modify teaching strategies to effectively communicate to diverse populations.

This course explores the research process, including: study design, collection and analysis of data, and interpretation of results. This course prepares students to implement evidence-based interventions in health and wellness practice. 

Established in biological science, students explore evidence for plant based foods, herbs, and supplements to understand how they support health. Following the idea of food as medicine, students will begin with plant foods, including herbs and spices, discovering how they impact cell health. Students will explore herbal remedies, including essential oils, that support balance well-being in body, mind, and spirit. Fee $25

Intermediary nutrition course detailing nutrients and how the body utilizes them in physiology; dietary planning principles that support good health with emphasis on cultural and lifestyle diversity; the special nutrient needs of people throughout the life cycle and with specific disease states; and practical applications to use nutrition as part of a wellness plan in health coaching, practitioner education, and patient care.

This course focuses broadly on the history of social movements, social change efforts and community organizing, both in U.S. and other countries. Exploring theory and practice, coursework focuses on the ways that race, class, gender, sexuality, indigeneity and other forms of difference shape privilege and power. Students will interact directly with communities and their representatives. 

This course builds on IHW 325 to elucidate the professional role of community organizer. Students will evaluate models of social change through a mix of skills-based workshops, guest speakers from local social justice groups, and theoretical readings. In practicum-based work, students will apply community organizing concepts within the context of population health promotion and integrative health and wellness. 

Building upon Integrative Health Coaching I students refine coaching skills through case study analysis and simulation role play. Students apply coaching skills to working with people with chronic illness. Students develop an individualized teaching plan that integrates lifestyle modifications and integrative health modalities with their treatment plan to promote wellness and improve health outcomes.

This course examines resilience in response to trauma and to acute/chronic health issues. Guided by emotional intelligence, palliative care, and trauma-informed care frameworks, students will appraise evidence supporting best practice interventions enhancing resilience and empowerment for persons in crisis. Facilitating long-term recovery toward wellness, students explore how people experience resilience in response to health promotion.

This course provides the infrastructure for managing an integrative health promotion/education project for a population. Students will learn the process of assessing, planning, implementing, managing, and evaluating projects as applied to a specific community.

Utilizing case studies, this course builds upon the processes implemented in the Seminar I and prepares the student for a professional role as an integrative health promotion educator.

This course supplies the student with a foundation for working within the nonprofit sector. Students explore interactions between nonprofit organizations and the community. They acquire skills in the business aspects of fundraising, marketing, and the financial management necessary to support effective nonprofit functioning. 

This practicum provides students with an opportunity to apply integrative health education/promotion concepts in the field practice setting. Students will work with their targeted population/organization in collaborative relationship to identify needs and create and implement proposal for integrative health promotion/education. Fee: $50