Integrative Health and Medicine Specialization

If you want to help your patients or clients manage conditions or symptoms such as pain and anxiety, this specialization will provide the knowledge and skills needed. In these five courses, you will explore integrative therapies, including herbal medicine, guided imagery, aromatherapy, and mindfulness. For each therapy studied, you will gain skills to: Assess if a therapy is appropriate, Educate patients or clients about benefit and risk, Administer or advise on use, and Evaluate if the therapy was useful (our AEAE approach).
By the end of this specialization, you will be familiar with application methods, mechanisms of action, and the research evidence for specific therapies, as well as safety and quality considerations. In short, you will be ready to partner with patients on developing a plan of integrative care that fits their needs and preferences. Note that while the primary focus is on working with patients or clients, the information is also immediately applicable to your own health and wellbeing
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
- Assess the current and potential role for integrative therapies in health and healthcare, including your own workplace.
- Discuss the evidence base for use of integrative therapies, including the historical, clinical, and research data.
- Assess if a therapy is appropriate, Educate patients about benefit and risk, Administer or advise on use, and Evaluate if the therapy was useful.
- Partner with patients to incorporate integrative therapies for specific symptom management or enhanced health and wellbeing.

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Introduction to Integrative Therapies and Healing Practices (Coursera)

This introductory course provides a framework for incorporating integrative therapies into your work with clients or patients. By the end of the course, you will be able to assess if integrative therapies are good options in specific situations, as well as educate patients and colleagues about benefits and [...]

Mindfulness in Integrative Healthcare (Coursera)

By the end of this course, you will be able to assess when mindfulness may be helpful for your patients or clients, educate them about its potential benefits, and refer them to mindfulness programs and resources. To begin, you will explore what mindfulness is (and is not) through presentations [...]

Herbal Medicine (Coursera)

There is strong demand for alternatives to pharmaceuticals for a variety of common illnesses due to concerns of safety, efficacy, and a desire for more “natural” products. Despite this growing interest, “conventional” healthcare providers may have little to no knowledge about herbal medicines, which is further compounded by the [...]

Guided Imagery (Coursera)

In this course, you will learn how you can use imagery and imagery interventions to help with symptom management and healing, as well as to enhance overall health and wellbeing. You will experience a variety of imagery interventions and evaluate how they might be helpful in providing relief or [...]

Aromatherapy: Clinical Use of Essential Oils (Coursera)

This course provides an overview of essential oil therapy and current aromatherapy practices in clinical settings and gives you the skills to bring aromatherapy into your own practice. By the end of the course, you will be able to: a) explain what essential oils are to a patient and [...]