What is a Holistic Health Educator?
Holistic health educators use natural methods to instruct patients on how to improve their overall mental and physical health. Read on to see if this type of healthcare is for you.
Field Defined
Holistic healthcare practices work to improve patients' overall health before diseases or other dangerous health issues arise. The holistic health field focuses on promoting not only general physical wellness, but also mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. This untraditional branch of medicine encourages patients to seek out information about their own health, so that they can make treatment decisions along with their healthcare providers.
<h3 id="section---ImportantFactsAboutThisOccupation">Important Facts About This Occupation</h3><p></p><table border="1"><tr><td><b>Median Salary (2021)</b></td><td>$60,600 (<i>for all health educators</i>)</td></tr>
<tr><td><b>Job Outlook (2021-2031)</b></td><td>8% (<i>for all health educators</i>)</td></tr>
<tr><td><b>Professional Certification</b></td><td>Voluntary certification is available</td></tr>
<tr><td><b>Similar Occupations</b></td><td>Massage therapist, acupuncturist, chiropractor, nurse</td></tr>
</table><p><i>Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics</i>
</p><h3 id="section---JobDuties">Job Duties</h3><p>Holistic health educators motivate their clients to make positive health choices in their lives. While most healthcare professionals specialize in treating a certain ailment or part of a person's body, you'll work to improve well-being throughout the entire body as a holistic health educator. Instead of treating symptoms, you'll often work with patients to improve their overall health before problems set in.
</p><p>To do this, you'll communicate with patients to promote better lifestyle choices, including good eating and exercise habits, positive thinking, spiritual calmness, and the creation of healthy relationships. You'll treat patients as unique individuals with one-of-a-kind emotions and needs, rather than patients with health problems.
</p><p>Holistic health educators can also work as wellness and lifestyle coaches or homeopathic consultants. Most holistic healthcare educators work at hospitals or other clinical settings. Some educators start their own holistic healthcare practices.
</p><h3 id="section---EducationInformation">Education Information</h3><p>A few schools offer undergraduate degrees and certificates in alternative medicine, holistic health and similar fields. Graduate certificates in holistic health are also available. In addition, some private organizations offer a holistic health credentialing program for current healthcare providers.
</p><p>If you don't have a college background, you can take non-certificate granting classes and learn about holistic education for your own personal enrichment. Many holistic health programs are offered by for-profit institutes, and online options are available. Classes are offered in anatomy, physiology, herbology, nutrition, and aromatherapy.</p>