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Holistic Studies Concentration

  • Credits:
    18

Concentration Description

Holistic Studies is an integrated approach to psychology that addresses the relationship between mind, body and spirit. It draws from multidisciplinary, theoretical and cross-cultural sources including contemporary mind-body approaches to healing. Holistic Studies includes expressive art therapies and views the transformative nature of the arts as an important aspect of holistic psychology. Holistic perspectives are applied to human growth and development, psychological disorders and clinical practice, wellness, and the nature of human potential.

A Key Element in Your Bachelor’s Degree.   The Holistic Studies concentration is accepted in any Cambridge College bachelor’s degree, as open electives. It is often of interest to students doing a bachelor’s degree in human services, multidisciplinary studies or psychology. It also provides valuable understandings to students in other fields who work with people.

Program Outcomes

  • Fundamental understanding of the historical development and methodologies of holistic psychology
  • Understanding of the relationship between mind, body and spirit as they relate to the study of psychology, and a variety of perspectives on mental health, psychopathology, maladaptive behaviors and psychotherapy

Careers and Further Study

Our graduates are well prepared to enter a variety of careers working with people using holistic approaches.  Graduates work in a myriad of institutional and private programs and agencies, including clinical, educational, human service and management settings and research. Our students also go on to graduate study in psychology, counseling, social work and related fields.

Curriculum

Formative Ideas in Psychology
PSY 120 • 3 credit(s)
The CLEP exam in Introductory Psychology is accepted as equivalent. The field of psychology is introduced and the historical development of psychology as an academic discipline and as a professional career are surveyed. The major fields of psychology are explored and applied to understanding human beings as individuals, and as members of groups, and communities. The major methods of psychological research are introduced, including data collection and analysis.
Theories of Personality
PSY 325 • 3 credit(s)
This course is an introduction to the study of personality and examines a broad range of theoretical explanations for understanding personality development. Students will learn both historical and contemporary approaches to understanding personality including: psychoanalytic, humanistic-existential, social-cognitive, behavioral, biological and feminist perspectives and will also examine the impact of culture on personality development. The course will examine similarities and differences between various theories through case studies and students will be encouraged to explore the relevance of the material to their professional and personal understanding.
Cross-Cultural Perspectives in Psychology
PSY 316 • 3 credit(s)
This course introduces cross-cultural, traditional, and psycho-spiritual views on human growth and development, wellness and illness, healing and belief, the ritual process, the roles of healers, altered states of consciousness, and comparative models of self-realization. Drawing from a wide range of cultures and perspectives, the course emphasizes the internal coherence of these views and how individuals experience and use them in their own lives and settings. Given recent trends in diversity and cross-cultural encounters, it has become critical to understand the views of those who embrace radically different ideas about the world we all share. Special emphasis is given to the practical implications of this understanding in a variety of human service, educational, and therapeutic settings.
The Spiritual Dimension: Psychological and Educational Themes
PSY 345 • 3 credit(s)
Educators, clinicians and human service providers need to understand the impact of spiritual experience and religious traditions upon the lives of the people we work with and to recognize how such understanding is intrinsic to new and emerging holistic views of development. This interdisciplinary course explores the impact of the spiritual dimension upon education, psychological understanding, and development. Starting with the voices of children, our study draws from the psychology of religion, anthropology, education, and the humanities to examine the experiential core intrinsic to spiritual life. Special emphasis is given to helping students find practical ways to incorporate this learning into their professional activities.
Psychological and Therapeutic Dimensions of the Arts
PSY 376 • 3 credit(s)
This course explores the psychological dimensions of the arts, creativity, and art-making and how the expressive arts are included in contemporary psychological thinking and therapeutic encounters. Using current and cross-cultural examples, we explore how music, dance, theater, painting, poetry, and theater deal with fundamental aspects of human experience and how this awareness informs our psychological understanding of human growth and development and the inner life. We consider how current psychological practice incorporates the arts in therapy and how creative art therapists work. Implications of this study are incorporated into the student’s professional work.
Holistic Psychology: An Integrated Approach
PSY 428 • 3 credit(s)
This is a course on integrative approaches across the healing disciplines, focusing on integrating body, mind and spirit in a variety of psycho-educational, human services, and healing contexts. Students learn a multidimensional approach to healing that integrates different techniques, therapeutic orientations and approaches. The course combines theory and research, experiential learning, and practical application of new techniques. We explore new information about ourselves, the ways we approach our professions, and how we can apply this knowledge in our work with various populations.
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