WMU News

Holistic health care program offered in Glen Arbor

June 3, 1999

KALAMAZOO -- This July and August, Western Michigan University will start offering its popular Graduate Certificate Program in Holistic Health Care at the Leelanau School in Glen Arbor, Mich.

The Leelanau Holistic Summer Institute will allow health professionals and interested individuals to immerse themselves in intensive week-long classes at the scenic Leelanau School, a private 50-acre boarding school surrounded by Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

Students may take the classes for personal enrichment or apply them toward WMU's 18-credit-hour holistic health care certificate.

The certificate program, one of the first holistic health care programs in the nation, is relationship centered and integrates health knowledge into everyday life. It is based on the philosophy of holism, an approach to health and healing that encompasses the physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, social and environmental dimensions of a person's life.

Certificate course work can be completed in two to three summers at the institute, and the required internship can be completed at the student's home location. Students also have the option of taking some or all of their courses on WMU's main campus in Kalamazoo or at one of five WMU regional centers.

The Leelanau Holistic Summer Institute will be offered in two sessions of two classes each. Students will be allowed to take one class per session.

The first session, which runs from July 25 through 30, will feature Holistic Therapies and Introduction to Holistic Health. The second session, which runs from Aug. 1 through 6, will feature Holistic Methods I and Introduction to Holism and Expressive Art.

The institute's nontraditional classes are highly experiential and designed to give students an opportunity to live a holistic lifestyle while on campus. A variety of complimentary and alternative lifestyle approaches, techniques and resources will be presented, including meditation and yoga, massage, healthy meals, time for reflection, group discussion, and guest presentations.

All four instructors for the classes teach in WMU's holistic health care certificate program. Two are full-time faculty members and two are continuing education instructors.

The full-time faculty members, Dr. Thomas R. Holmes and Dr. Molly B. Vass, are both associate professors of community health services. Holmes directs the holistic program and has a doctoral degree in counseling psychology and master's degrees in clinical psychology and social work. Vass is a former director of the holistic program and has a doctoral degree in counseling psychology.

The other two instructors are Marcy Clark-Lee and Gay S. Walker. Clark-Lee is a massage therapist who has master's degrees in French and communication and a certificate in cranial therapy. Walker is an art therapist and a graphic designer. She coordinates the holistic program's adjunct faculty members and has a master's degree in holistic art therapy.

The Leelanau Holistic Summer Institute courses are appropriate for health care professionals, social workers, nurses, therapists, physicians, and occupational and physical therapists. They also may be valuable to students enrolled in health care-related degree programs and to individuals interested in incorporating holistic approaches into their personal, family and work life.

Space at the institute is limited, so immediate registration is encouraged. The deadline to register is June 18. For a brochure, application and fee schedule, contact Mary Swartz, WMU's regional site director in Traverse City, Mich. She can be reached by phone at (616) 922-1788, by fax at (616) 922-1789, or by e-mail at <mary.swartz@wmich.edu>. More information also is available on the World Wide Web at <www.wmich.edu/holistichealth>.

Media contact: Jeanne Baron, 616 387-8400, jeanne.baron@wmich.edu


Office of University Relations
Western Michigan University
1903 W Michigan Ave
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5433 USA
616 387-8400
univ-rel@wmich.edu

http://www.wmich.edu/wmu/news