Instead of simply taking a pill from the doctor for an illness, students who complete an integrative health program in the School of Social Work will learn to take charge of both their own conditions and those they help.
Maria Napoli, director of the graduate certificate in assessment of integrative health modalities, said the program teaches students about all of the areas that are needed to take care of the body, mind and spirit.
These areas include nutrition, environmental wellness, exercise, relationships and how to find ways to develop passion in one’s life, she said.
“Once you develop the student and health professional, they can bring it into their workplace,” Napoli said.
Most of the students in the program are social workers and nurse practitioners, and they use the information they’ve learned to increase the quality of their patient care, she said.
“When social workers work with their clients, they learn how to focus more and pay more attention to what people are saying,” Napoli said. “They’re able to look at different aspects of what might be causing the problems that their clients are having.”
The program also focuses on how to balance both Eastern and Western medicine and the practices, including traditional Chinese medicine, Native American healing and naturopathic medicine.
“[The students] learn about ancient healing traditions and how they’re used in today’s medicine,” Napoli said.
Although the certificate is only for graduate students, the school is opening up the program’s quality of life class for undergraduates, she said.
“Undergraduates have a lot of stress, and they have a hard time managing time,” she said. “The class will help them deal with any anxiety and social isolation they might have.”
Napoli said the program is unique because it’s doesn’t only embrace one discipline; anyone who’s interested in integrative health and who has a bachelor’s degree can come into the program.
Those who complete the program will also become better advocates for themselves by knowing what questions to ask their doctor, she said.
“They wouldn’t just take a pill and walk away,” Napoli said.
Mary Gillmore, director of the School of Social Work, said several of ASU’s schools formed the Human Health Network in 2002 in order to spread knowledge and complete more research about integrative health.
“The Network identified a growing number of requests from ASU students and community health professionals for more courses on integrative health,” Gillmore said.
She said this certificate program was developed in response to those requests.
Gillmore said there’s growing recognition that alternatives to traditional Western medical practices have a valid contribution to make in helping to improve health and wellness.
“Training more health professionals in integrative health will undoubtedly improve health care,” Gillmore said. “This is likely to be especially significant as the population of the U.S. ages and consequently places greater demands on the health-care system.”
Reach the reporter at charlsy.panzino@asu.edu.
