IHW - Integrative Health & Wellness

Students explore foundational concepts of the Integrative Health and Wellness major, including the role of health educators, health promotion professionals and health and wellness coaches. Students will also be introduced to integrative health as an approach to well-being, prevention, and treatment across the wellness continuum to achieve personal vitality.

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. Fee: $70

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? Fee: $70

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 using a population health framework. Students build on their knowledge of health promotion from IHW 116, deepening their understanding of lifespan wellness with a special focus on mental health, death and dying, culture, diversity, and sexuality.

This course establishes a foundation of public health from an integrative health perspective. Students will explore the principles of public health and identify what drives illness and wellness in communities. They will learn to identify relationships between behavioral, social, environmental, policy and other factors that influence health.

This course explores the use of energy field practices for supporting health and well-being. Students will be introduced to and experience evidence-based mind body approaches to mitigate stress and trauma and enhance resilience via practices such as meditation, breath awareness, yoga, and reiki. Fee: $10

During this course, students will examine a variety of wellness approaches, including but not limited to Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Naturopathy, Aromatherapy, Homeopathy, and Indigenous Medicine. Students will evaluate the state of the science for one wellness approach, along with determining the role of evidence supporting their use for achieving wellness.

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. Fee: $125

Examines theoretical foundations of health education and health promotion in integrative health through the study of health behavior theory, learning theory, and principles of adult learning. Students explore ways to understand health behavior from a holistic, individualized perspective. Advocacy and health policy are examined from a systems level, discussing the power of health promotion efforts as a means to support increasing health equity.

This course explores the process of evidence informed public health practice. It is designed to provide students with the fundamental research and analytic methods needed by public health leaders to assess the effectiveness, efficiency, and equity of community health in order to improve population health. The focus is on research skills needed by practitioners with the objective of improving health outcomes. 

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. Fee: $10

This course focuses on the history and theories of integrative community health practice, roles and responsibilities of the community health practitioner, basic capacities central to community health education and promotion, and community assessment, analysis, and application.

This course focuses on effectively using community assessment and analysis data to design appropriate interventions and evaluations in partnership with the community. Specific attention will be given to care coordination, health teaching, and policy development as intervention. Roles and responsibilities of the community health practitioner, basic capacities central to community health promotion, and sustainability will be emphasized.

Building upon IHW 307, 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 coaching plan that integrates lifestyle modifications and integrative health modalities to promote wellness and improve health outcomes. Fee: $125

Students explore current technologies relevant to careers in health and wellness, the history of health and wellness technology, and the role and process of innovation in improving the lives of individuals and communities. Topics include wearable health technology, virtual health, telemedicine, and technology used for global surveillance of health and disease. Individual and population levels of patient and practitioner technology are discussed.

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.

This class introduces students to the central skills of effective leadership and offers practical application of lessons learned. Students will examine leadership from cultural, biological, psychological, and organizational perspectives. Students will also explore their own leadership style and build a leadership practice that centers wellness and vitality through coaching, health education, and organizational leadership

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. Includes 135 practicum hours.

This course is for students seeking National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching (NBHWC) certification. Through intensive practice of coaching skills, students receive feedback and gain experience with different clients and scenarios while expanding on the application of the theoretical model of coaching. Students work toward accruing 50 coaching practice sessions under faculty mentorship to become eligible to sit for the NBHWC exam. Fee: $35

Faculty-directed research project with students. Before enrolling, a student must consult with a faculty member to define the project. Course is graded P/NP. May be repeated for credit.