HH Certificate Overview
This exciting twelve (12) credit program introduces students to the basic concepts of health by examining wellness from a holistic perspective. Students are taught how to live healthy lives, manage stress, and understand the benefits of physical activity in addition to learning about complementary and alternative medicine and fitness. If you are looking for a short and informative program that will enhance your personal life or professional practice, you will enjoy taking a course in this program or the entire program to earn a certificate.
Students who wish to take just an individual course from this program as a non-matriculated student, must choose “Continuing Education” on the application page as their program selection. As a non-matriculating student there is NO application fee. Students must supply a photo ID.
- Category: HH
Optimal health results from healthy living. To be healthy, we need to live healthfully every day. Healthful living includes: developing a positive attitude towards life; eating fresh, whole, natural foods; regular exercise; getting plenty of rest and sleep; getting fresh air and sunshine; handling stress and avoid negative influences of life. In this course, we will look at health and well-being from a holistic perspective that involves balance and harmony of the mind, body and spirit. Holistic health is a philosophy of care that involves a wide range of approaches to establish and maintain balance within an individual. This course will offer guidance in your journey to living a balanced life through holistic health. (3 Credits)
HH 101 Course Objectives:
- Learn how to identify your health habits and the features of an ideal health profile
- Define nutrition and identify components of healthful nutrition
- Discuss the development of the supplement industry and identify uses for nutritional supplements and herbal remedies
- Explain various types of exercise and list the benefits of regular physical activity
- Identify different types of stress, explain the effects of stress on the body and list ways to reduce stress
- Identify characteristics of a healthy relationship and ways to develop healthy relationships
- Describe the difference between religion and spirituality
- Illustrate ways to create balance between work and life
- Identify the environmental effects on health and ways to create a healing environment
- Define gelotology and learn how to take life lightly by adding humor to your work and home life
- Learn how to become an advocate for your own health and describe ways to create a healing relationship with a healthcare practitioner
Stress is an inevitable part of our daily lives. Stress and the ways that we deal with the stressors of everyday life can affect the body in a multitude of ways. Stress, whether positive or negative, can have a cumulative effect on the body. The “stress response” triggers a hormonal cascade of events in the body that gives us the extra energy to deal with a stressful situation. This course will focus on ways to identify stressors (internal and external), identify what triggers a stress response, ways to minimize exposure to stressors and, lastly, ways to effectively manage our response to stress from a holistic perspective. (3 Credits)
HH 102 Course Objectives:
- Define stress
- Identify stressors, both positive and negative
- Discuss holistic stress management
- Identify and explain effective coping skills for stress
- Identify and explain different relaxation techniques
- Identify stress hormones
- Discuss the relationship between diet and stress
- Explain how exercise reduces stress hormones
- Identify ways to incorporate stress management techniques into a daily routine
- Learn how to create a personalized stress management plan
Across the world, people are interested in natural approaches to health, healing, and disease prevention. Many do not want to leave conventional treatments, but want a blended approach that integrates the best therapies from conventional medicine and complementary and alternative interventions. There are many choices when it comes to medicine and healthcare, but ultimately healing is up to you. The best medicine is going to be the one that works for you and becoming informed is the first step in the healing process. This course provides information about complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) with descriptions about many CAM modalities including the history, characteristics, uses, and modern applications of each modality. (3 Credits)
HH 103 Course Objectives:
- Understand the basic concepts of complementary and alternative medicine
- Review, evaluate and compare research findings examining efficacy and effectiveness of CAM
- Learn about the various modalities of CAM
- Illustrate a CAM modality with its historical progression, current uses and research
- Explain the role of CAM and CAM professions in conventional medicine
- Discuss strategies for incorporating CAM with conventional medicine
The saying goes, “Use it or lose it.” Movement is the most basic expression of energy output. Research has shown that physical deterioration and lack of function is due to a sedentary lifestyle. Lack of physical movement leads to an increased incidence of degenerative disease such as cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, arthritis, osteoporosis and obesity. Regular physical activity and physical fitness are necessary to promote health, well-being and maintenance of a healthy body weight that allows us to live a longer, more active life. In this course, we will explore the physical and psychological benefits of physical activity, identify the components of fitness, determine how much exercise we need, identify types of exercise, discuss obstacles to exercise and ways to create healthy movement for a lifetime of health and vitality. (3 Credits)
HH 104 Course Objectives:
- Define the National Health Goals as set forward by Healthy People 2020
- Define health, wellness and fitness and discuss ways to achieve them
- Identify self-management skills that will useful in making and adhering to lifestyle changes
- Identify factors that will help you prepare for and make physical activity a part of a normal routine
- Identify the health benefits of regular physical activity and good fitness
- Understand how the physical activity pyramid is used for different types of physical activity to meet physical activity guidelines
- Identify moderate intensity activities and explain the health and wellness benefits when performed regularly
- Identify the appropriate types of exercise needed to promote cardiovascular health
- Identify vigorous intensity activities and explain the health benefits associated this these exercises
- Understand the scientific basis of muscular fitness
- Describe how flexibility is needed for good health and optimal performance
- Identify the methods for preventing and reducing the risk for neck and back problems
- Identify the principles and guidelines of athletic performance
- Discuss the issues associated with being overweight and obese
- Identify methods for maintaining a healthy body composition
- Identify the factors that will help you to become a more informed consumer of fitness, health and wellness products
- Create an action plan that includes physical activity for maintaining a healthy lifestyle
- Category: HH
Why learn online at Hawthorn University?
Hawthorn University's online Holistic Health program is ideal if you:
- are interested in improving your own health and the health of others.
- want to learn how to live healthy lives.
- want to manage stress.
- understand the benefits of physical activity.
- are motivated to learn and work at your own pace.
- want to enhance your professional career with nutritional information.
- want to educate others about how to maintain good health.
- are a lifelong learner.
We are excited about new educational opportunities available to online learners paired with the support and tutoring of your Hawthorn instructor. Educational tools include audio lectures, textbooks, journals, and websites. Successful students actively participate in their studies, apply the principles being learned to their own lives, and share their information and experiences with others as well as network with other professionals.
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Hawthorn University welcomes students who have graduated from high school or have earned a GED to be considered for enrollment to the Holistic Health Certificate program. Written permission from a legal guardian is required for admission of a person under legal age. Basic computer proficiency, access to the Internet, and E-mail are required.
Students who wish to take just an individual Holistic Health course as a non-matriculated student, must fill out a “Continuing Education” application available in the Continuing Education section and indicate their desired course. As a non-matriculating student there is NO application fee. Students must supply a photo ID.
Complete and return the online application. A non-refundable application fee of $60 will be charged to all matriculated students. Your application will be reviewed and qualified applicants will be contacted.
Hawthorn University does not provide English as a second language instruction and all classes are taught in English. Hawthorn University requires prospective international students to have an academic background equivalent to an education in the United States, to fulfill admission requirements and to speak and write fluent English.
For more information on the application process, click the admission's link or contact Kathy McDermott, Director of Admissions & Student Management, at
or by phone at 707-986-4153, Ext. 401 during office hours, 9 am - 5 pm ET.
- Category: HH