OUR MISSION

The Integrative Health Institute at Salem University was established in January 2022 to transform the education of health professionals, educators, and other inquisitive adult students through an innovative curriculum in the science, tools and skills of health care and education. In addition, our aim is to create a new generation of health and wellness practitioners and educators who are skilled at dealing with the pressures and extreme challenges in healthcare today, embody health and well-being themselves, and can provide integrative evidence-based approaches to their diverse patients, clients, and students.

The curriculum will include master’s programs in integrative health and holistic practices, as well as integrative health coaching and continuing education programs for individuals and organizations in the following areas:

Graduate Certificates of Completion

• Integrative Health Coaching
• Integrative Health and Healing
• Learning and Thinking
• Consciousness and Transpersonal Psychology

Continuing Education & Integrative Health Workshops

• Self-Care 101: The Heartmath Solution For Relief from Stress and Chronic Anxiety
• Creativity As Your Personal Well-Being Strategy
• Stand Like A Mountain, Flow Like Water
• Breathing Science
• Integrative Pain Management For Chronic Pain

GRADUATE CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION PROGRAMS

INTEGRATIVE HEALTH COACHING CERTIFICATE

– Classes Start August 29, 2022
The Integrative Health Coaching (IHC) program from the Integrative Health Institute at Salem University is a board-certified, 16-week, 6-credit graduate-level course. Salem University – Integrated Health Coaching is an Approved Health and Wellness Coach Training & Education Program by the National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching (NBHWC). Graduates of this program are eligible to apply for the HWC Certifying Examination to become a National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC). All attendees need a Bachelor’s degree to enroll in the course. The IHC program provides basic competency in core coaching skills for working with a diverse set of clients or patients, with a specific focus on integrative health approaches. The course will foster self-awareness and self-discovery through exploration of mindfulness and personal growth to create an integrative approach to wellness. IHC will also instill knowledge of healthy lifestyle factors and steps for improving wellness. A key objective of the program is to facilitate client self-awareness and coaching for behavior modification strategies through the application of wellness assessment tools and motivational skills. The program is designed to serve and educate professionals interested in coaching others to optimal health and wellness. Students will develop the skills necessary to build the coaching relationship from start to finish.

INTEGRATIVE HEALTH AND HEALING CERTIFICATE

– Classes Start August 29, 2022
The Integrative Health and Healing program is a 12-credit hour graduate-level certificate of completion. Students will examine health, wellness, and illness from a holistic perspective. This approach involves comparing, connecting, and integrating conventional, alternative, and complementary approaches to promote health and wellness to prioritize prevention, well-being, and healing. The program begins by introducing students to the cultural belief systems of patients and practitioners while exploring diverse allopathic, complementary, and alternative healing practices and protocols for achieving optimal health and wellness. Students will explore the five major types of complementary and alternative medicine including alternative medical, mind-body, biology-based treatments, manipulative and body-based methods, and energy therapies. This program provides a map to assessing and creating protocols for a whole-person approach in the promotion of wellness or the management of chronic illness.

LEARNING AND THINKING CERTIFICATE

– Classes Start August 29, 2022
The Learning and Thinking certificate is an 18-credit program designed for teachers who seek opportunities to discover the sources and processes of thinking, learning, and creating meaning. The program’s content develops students’ abilities to analyze and synthesize a wide spectrum of academic experiences for the purpose of extrapolating personal meaning(s) and for extending worldviews through the internalization of selected conceptual frameworks. The specialization focuses on the study of cognitive and metacognitive strategies, developmental psychology, socio-emotional learning, and with applications to classroom teaching.

CONSCIOUSNESS AND TRANSPERSONAL PSYCHOLOGY CERTIFICATE

– Classes Start January 2023

The graduate certificate in Consciousness, Transpersonal Psychology (CTM) is a 12-credit certificate of completion that provides students with a foundation in Consciousness Studies and Transpersonal Psychology. The certificate is designed to introduce students to the historical origins and the theoretical and methodological foundations of Consciousness and Transpersonal Psychology through the examination of diverse theories and concepts of consciousness and the processes that may lead to transpersonal phenomena such as awakening, enlightenment, and unity consciousness. Students will learn to access their own intuition and embodied wisdom while practicing mindfulness and presence.

CONTINUING EDUCATION AND INTEGRATIVE HEALTH WORKSHOPS

SELF-CARE 101: THE HEARTMATH SOLUTION FOR RELIEF FROM STRESS AND CHRONIC ANXIETY

– Classes Start September 28, 2022 (October 5 and 12, 6:00 – 8:00pm ET)
During this course based on the HeartMath® system of scientifically validated tools and technology, students will learn powerful and practical self-care skills for reducing the negative impact of stress while regaining energy and vitality. HeartMath is known for its innovative use of Heart Rate Variability to measure and train our physiology into optimal states. Topics include Stress Reduction, Nutrition, Sleep, Overwork, Nature, and Movement.
* HeartMath is a registered trademark of Quantum Intech, Inc.

CREATIVITY AS YOUR PERSONAL WELL-BEING STRATEGY

– Classes Start October 26, 2022 (November 2, 9 and 16, 6:00 – 8:00pm ET)
Most people have not tapped into an unlimited supply of creative energy designed into them. This course is a multi-modality exploration of your personal creative gifts through music, art, dance, creative writing, and photography. As a result of research in emotional well-being, immune function, resilience, longevity, disease prevention, and optimal health, it has been proven that being creative actively boosts immune and cognitive function, while also being great for our mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health.

STAND LIKE A MOUNTAIN, FLOW LIKE WATER

– Asynchronous/Self-paced, On-going enrollment
This course offers a comprehensive overview of insights, theories and wisdom on the topic of stress and human spirituality. This self-paced online course presents 10 lessons based on the chapters from the best selling book, Stand Like Mountain, Flow Like Water. Each lesson is comprised of three parts: 1) A “wisdom circle” fireside chat highlighting spiritual insights, 2) A soul-searching journal exercise to help process these insights, and 3) A guided meditation to help reinforce the insights and offer a sense of relaxation and inner peace in these challenging, if not turbulent, times. This course provides students with the tools to cope and resolve stressors (big and small) on the journey called life.

BREATHING SCIENCE: The profound effects of breathing habits on health and performance

– Class On November 5, 2022 (9:30am – 5:30pm ET)
Statistics suggest that millions of people worldwide suffer from the profound deficits and misunderstood symptoms of dysfunctional breathing habits. Unfortunately, these habits are rarely identified by practitioners. Their effects are mistakenly attributed to other causes and their resolutions tend to be prescriptive in nature, often leading to additional health impairments over time. In this introductory course, you will learn about the physiology, behavioral science, and technology used in identifying and disengaging dysfunctional breathing habits, as well as comprehensive approaches to assisting clients in learning new habits that enhance health and performance. We will explore a new paradigm for understanding breathing and its effects, and bring together the biological and behavioral sciences in new, practical ways.

INTEGRATIVE PAIN MANAGEMENT FOR CHRONIC PAIN

– Classes Start September 10, 2022 (September 17, 24 and October 1, 12:00 – 1:15pm ET)
Pain that lasts more than three to six months develops a different pathophysiology in the body and brain due to central and peripheral sensitization. Further, due to the evidence demonstrated in the medical literature, the 2022 CDC opioid guidelines delineate the use of Integrative Therapies as first line management in many or most chronic pain syndromes. In this course series, we will discuss the physiology of acute pain and the central and peripheral sensitization that develops in chronic pain. Next, we will cover the mechanisms of action for evidence based non-opioid therapies. We will focus on evidence-based therapies that have a physiologic basis including mind-body medicine, nutrition and dietary supplements, movement therapies and acupuncture. This course will be beneficial for anyone with chronic pain and for practitioners working with patients with chronic pain. Participants will leave the course will a toolbox full of effective non-opioid therapies for chronic pain management.

LEADERSHIP AND FACULTY

Bruce Cryer, Executive Director

Bruce Cryer has been involved with integrative health, both personally and professionally, for more than four decades. He has been adjunct faculty at Stanford University since 1997 and was one of the original creators of the HeartMath system, serving as CEO for 11 years. Bruce has consulted the Mayo Clinic, Kaiser Permanente, Duke Healthcare, and the NHS (UK) and has worked with tens of thousands of health professionals and the general public on four continents. He was previously CEO of The Graduate Institute, whose core holistic programs will be featured through the Integrative Health Institute at Salem University. Today, Bruce enjoys a robust lifestyle that is now 12-years cancer free.

Dr. Kirsten Ferguson, Director of Integrative Health Programs

Dr. Kirsten Ferguson, DC, CFMP, has been practicing chiropractic since 1996. In addition, she is a Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner, Certified yoga instructor, and Certified breath coach. Since 2012, she has participated in course development and served as adjunct faculty with numerous universities. Her areas of expertise include Anatomy & Physiology, Neurology, Myology, Kinesiology, Functional Health & Wellness, Nutrition. Dr. Ferguson’s philosophy is that optimal health starts within. She has a passion for empowering others to manage their own health journey through education and action.

OUR PARTNERS AND COLLABORATORS

The Integrative Health Institute at Salem University is built on a foundation of collaboration with leaders from academic institutions, nursing and medical associations, health sciences, integrative and holistic nursing, holistic health and medicine, integrative health coaching, psychophysiology, neuroscience, resilience, breath science, learning, leadership, and trauma-informed therapies.