Why St. Kate’s
“As more people are seeking spiritual and health journeys influenced by global cultures, we need educated professionals to help integrate Western and traditional medicine and guide their journeys.”
— Anne Marie Hotop ’06
— Anne Marie Hotop ’06
St. Kate’s has been a leading educator in holistic health studies for 25 years. Today, 62 percent of adults in the United States use complementary/ alternative modalities, according to the National Institutes of Health. Career opportunities in holistic health are ever increasing as integrative models of health have moved into the mainstream and there is a public demand to have professionals with expertise in this field.
A program as individual as you are
The path through Holistic Health Studies is highly personal. As a student you can customize the program to take you in a direction aligned with your passions. In addition to gaining a breadth of understanding of new and traditional approaches to healing, each student collaborates with others in a final research project to deepen their understanding of a topic. Recent research projects include:
- Healing spaces: Personal perspectives on the influence of place
- Female voices arising: Menarche and meaning making
(Received St. Catherine’s Abigail Quigley McCarthy Center for Women Graduate Research Award) - Integrating holistic therapies: The relationship between self-care and nursing burnout in the acute care setting
- The effects of Tai Chi on balance, blood pressure, spirituality, and quality of life in adults age 50 and older
Embrace cultural perspectives
Within the program there is a deep commitment to the development of a model of integrative healthcare that brings together the best of scientific medicine with the wisdom of the elders. Through our curriculum you’ll learn to respect and honor new and time honored approaches to healing from varying cultures, while honing valuable skills in self-empowerment and self-care, leadership and collaborative research.
In addition to our campus faculty, we attract holistic healthcare leaders in the community to teach courses and offer experiential learning opportunities. For example, St. Kate’s has fostered a unique partnership with the Powderhorn Phillips Cultural Wellness Center. Faculty and elders of the center offer St. Kate’s students two courses on site: Culture as a Resource in Health and Healing, and Organizing for Social Change.
Add perspective to wide-ranging fields
Through your exposure to multiple healthcare modalities and the opportunity to delve into your own unique interests, you’ll develop your own voice and perspective in holistic health. Depending on your undergraduate degree and your work experience, you’ll graduate able to creatively apply your abilities in healthcare or a number of other fields including social work, human services, chemical dependency counseling, private practice, education and business.
Many students, many stories
The educational and career experiences our students bring to the program are highly differentiated, and we like it that way. Those who are attracted to the field of holistic health have backgrounds in healthcare as well as business, humanities and the arts. They take their education back into the environments from which they came or shift their careers to embrace their new direction. Read more »
St. Kate’s Close-Up
