New emerging therapies course being offered in May
A new course on complementary health approaches and integrative health therapies will be offered this May by Radford University. Open to students from all majors and at all levels, Emerging Therapies for Health and Health Care Providers (Nursing 473/573/773) will allow students to learn from experts in the field and enrich their knowledge of complementary health approaches for themselves and their patients or clients. Topics of discussion will include traditional Chinese medicine, biorhythmic technology, animal therapy/counseling, tai chi, Native American healing practices, music therapy, ayurveda and yoga, functional nutrition, mindfulness meditation, somatic awareness and coaching, naturopathy, lifestyle and more.
Complementary health approaches and integrative therapies offer a different approach to conventional or mainstream medicine. They include therapies that are not usually part of conventional medical care, such as yoga, meditation, acupuncture and homeopathy. They are typically used in addition to conventional therapies.
“The perfect student for this course is one who is interested in therapies that serve as an alternative or complement to traditional western medicine,” said Gini Weisz, Ph.D., W.H.N.P., a Radford University associate professor of nursing. “This may be someone in the healthcare or related field or even a student wanting to expand their knowledge and learn more.”
Weisz added that as a hybrid course, students can delve deeply into therapies of their choice for a presentation, discussion and paper.
The course will include five full days in person at the Selu Conservancy on May 17, 19, 21, 24 and 26, but Weisz said that students can substitute other external experiences for some of the class time.
Originally developed as a nursing course, the nursing program has expanded the course to all students within a year of its inception because of the value it offers to all healthcare specialties.
Up to 24 students can enroll in the course through the Radford University School of Nursing. For more information, contact Gini Weisz, Ph.D., associate professor of nursing, at 540-767-6185 or vweisz@radford.edu.