COURSE INFORMATION

This online CE course, for mental health professionals and other professional health care professionals is the study of Mindfulness Meditation.  Mental health and Health Care Professionals will study the theory, process and applications of mindfulness meditation as an evidence-based psycho-therapeutic and physiological therapeutic modality in clinical practice.  The text book used in this course is authored by one of the world leaders in the study, teaching and researching of Mindfulness Meditation. This course will educate mental and health care professionals in the use of Mindfulness Meditation practices and prepare them to teach/instruct clients in its use in the clinical setting as well. They will be able to incorporate Mindfulness Meditation therapies within a Holistic model of care and assess a range of outcomes which clients achieve from these practices. Mental health and health care professionals will examine stress as a modern-day epidemic and the multiple negative effects of stress on their clients in body, mind and spirit.  Case studies are examined to enhance education of the use of Mindfulness Meditation as a therapeutic modality and as a defense against mental and physical illness. Specifically, mental health and other health care professionals will learn how to use Mindfulness Meditation to enhance care of clients that are dealing with multiple health issues such as stress reactions, anxiety disorders, depression, sleep disturbances, chronic pain, work stress issues, relationship dysfunctions, over-all poor coping skills, time management issues and more. Research outcomes are studied to enhance the evidence-based knowledge of all dimensions of the use of Mindfulness Meditation in psychotherapeutic mental health care and in overall wellness care today. Knowledge gained in this course allows mental health and other health care professionals to acquire skills and knowledge that will add to their current practice abilities to provide evidence-based high-quality care to clients within a holistic model of care. This course is particularly designed for mental health and other health care professionals who are seeking certification as a Certified Meditation Instructor by the American Institute of Health Care Professionals, Inc.

Level of Complexity: Intermediate to Advanced.

Course Code MED 400. 

Contact Hours of Education = 45.

This course is particularly designed for those who would like to become Certified as a Certified Meditation Instructor by the American Institute of Health Care Professionals, Inc.

Target Audience: Nurses, Physicians, Psychiatrists, Psychologist, Social Work Professionals, Counselors, Marriage and Family Therapists, Mental Health Specialists, School Counselors, Grief Professionals, Trauma Specialists, Crisis Interventionists, Stress Management Consultants, Thanatologists, Pastoral Counselors, Mental Health Care Coaches, Rehabilitation Specialists, Substance Abuse Counselors, Spiritual Counselors, other Licensed Health Care Professionals and those in the helping and caring professions, as well as professional educators.

Instructor/Course Author: Dominick L. Flarey, Ph.D, RN-BC, CH-C, ANP-BC

Link to Resume: Resume

TEXTBOOKS & TAPES/CDs: There is one (1) required textbook for this course and one (1) audio. There are also several youtube videos you will need to view.

Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain and Illness. By: Jon-Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D & Thich Nhat Hanh. New York; Bantam Dell Publishers:2013. ISBN-10: 0345536932 ISBN-13: 978-0345536938

Link to Purchase Directly from Publisher: click here

Mindfulness Meditation – Cultivating the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind (audio CD). By: Jon Kabat-Zinn. Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio/Nightingale-Conant; Abridged edition (February 1, 2002). ISBN-10: 0743520688 ISBN-13: 978-0743520683

Link to Purchase Directly from Publisher: click here

There are six (6) You Tube Videos that you must preview for this course:

(Access Classroom to See Videos)

You are required to order your own copy of the textbook and the set of tapes/CD’s. Please be sure to order your book and tapes as soon as possible so that you can begin your course of study.

TIME FRAME: You are allotted two years from the date of enrollment, to complete this course. There are no set time-frames, other than the two year allotted time. If you do not complete the course within the two-year time-frame, you will be removed from the course and an “incomplete” will be recorded for you in our records. Also, if you would like to complete the course after this two-year expiration time, you would need to register and pay the course tuition fee again.

GRADING: You must achieve a passing score of at least 70% to complete this course and receive the 45 hours of awarded continuing education credit. There are no letter grades assigned. You will receive notice of your total % score. Those who score below the minimum of 70% will be contacted by AIHCP and will be permitted one more attempt to retake the online examination.

BOARD APPROVALS:

The American Institute of Health Care Professionals Inc: is an Approved Provider for Continuing Education by the South Carolina Professional Counselors, Marriage & Family Therapists and Psycho-Educational Specialists licensing board, Provider # 4637. Access information

The American Institute of Health Care Professionals (The Provider) is approved by the California Board of Registered Nurses, Provider number # CEP 15595 for 45 Contact Hours.

The American Institute of Health Care Professionals, Inc. is an Approved Provider of Continuing Education by the Florida State Board of Nursing  Provider # 50-11975.

OTHER STATE BOARDS OF NURSING

The American Institute of Health Care Professionals Inc: is a Rule Approved Provider of Continuing Education by the Arkansas Board of Nursing. CE Provider # 50-11975.

The American Institute of Health Care Professionals Inc: is a Rule Approved Provider of Continuing Education by the Georgia Board of Nursing. CE Provider # 50-11975.

The American Institute of Health Care Professionals Inc: is a Rule Approved Provider of Continuing Education by the South Carolina Board of Nursing. CE Provider # 50-11975.

The American Institute of Health Care Professionals Inc: is a Rule Approved Provider of Continuing Education by the West Virginia Board of Examiners for Professional Registered Nurses. CE Provider # 50-11975.

The American Institute of Health Care Professionals Inc: is a Rule Approved Provider of Continuing Education by the Kentucky Board of Nursing CE Provider # 50-11975.

The American Institute of Health Care Professionals Inc: is a Rule Approved Provider of Continuing Education by the New Mexico Board of Nursing. CE Provider # 50-11975.

Course Refund & AIHCP Policies: access here

ONLINE CLASSROOM RESOURCES AND TOOLS

• Examination Access: there is link to take you right to the online examination program where you can print out your examination and work with it. All examinations are formatted as “open book” tests. When you are ready, you can access the exam program at anytime and click in your responses to the questions. Full information is provided in the online classrooms.
• Student Resource Center: there is a link for access to a web page “Student Resource Center.” The Resource Center provides for easy access to all of our policies/procedures and additional information regarding applying for certification. We also have many links to many outside reference sites, such as online libraries that you may freely access.
• Online Evaluation: there is a link in the classroom where you may access the course evaluation. All students completing a course, must, without exception, complete the course evaluation.
• Faculty Access Information: you will have access to your instructor’s online resume/biography, as well as your instructor’s specific contact information.
• Additional Learning Materials: some faculty have prepared additional “readings” and /or brief lecture notes to enhance your experience. All of these are available in the online classrooms.

COURSE OBJECTIVES: Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

• Discuss the concept of “mindfulness.”
• Discuss common issues related to the practice of mindfulness and how they can best be overcome when working with clients in clinical practice
• Discuss the concept of establishing a stress clinic and its potential benefits to clients.
• Discuss the concept of being present in all waking moments and how best to teach clients to achieve states of being present.
• Discuss the foundations of mindfulness practice and in-turn develop a teaching plan to teach clients the foundations and process of mindfulness practices
• Discuss the many attitudes and issues related to commitment for the practice of meditation and include these in the teaching plans for educating clients
• Discuss the concepts of commitment, self-discipline and intentionality.
• Discuss the power of breathing and how to apply this process with clients in practice.
• Discuss the physiology of breathing and how to assess proper breathing for mindfulness when teaching client’s breath work
• Discuss the concept of diaphragmatic breathing and how to properly teach and assess this breathing strategy to your clients in clinical practice.
• Discuss how to teach clients to be mindful of their breathing and incorporate this into meditation practice as well as how to assess their effectiveness in carrying out this modality.
• Discuss the concept of “sitting meditation.”
• Discuss how you would teach a client to practice sitting meditation and how to assess their responses to the practice.
• Discuss how you would teach clients to work with their thoughts during meditation and how to teach clients to evaluate their experiences with this work.
• Discuss other objects of attention in sitting meditation and assist clients to learn to focus their attention on objects when practicing mindfulness meditation.
• Discuss five exercises that can be used in sitting meditation and develop teaching plans to properly teach your clients at least three of these techniques in your clinical practice.
• Discuss the body scan technique, its process and how to teach it to clients and assess their response to the practice.
• Identify ways in which the body scan meditation technique may be used and discuss how to teach it to clients and how to assess their response to it and the outcomes they achieve.
• Discuss the concept of “Walking Meditation,” and define how you will teach this to clients and assess their responses to the practice.
• Identify and discuss issues related to mindfulness in one’s daily life and incorporate discussions into sessions with your clients.
• Discuss the concepts of wholeness and interconnectedness.
• Discuss the many issues related to healing and the use of meditation practices as a therapeutic and holistic modality for stress reduction and wellness care within a holistic framework of health care.
• Identify and discuss the practice of “loving kindness” meditation, how you will teach this practice to clients and how to assess client outcomes in practice.
• Discuss the biopsychosocial model and its applicability to stress management.
• Discuss the research related to the use of laughter in stress management and healing and how to incorporate laughter as a healing modality in your work with clients.
• Discuss the role of emotions in health care and how to better assess the emotional states of your clients.
• Identify and discuss common psychological illnesses and their applicability to meditative practice and assess which mindfulness techniques might best serve which clients.
• Discuss social influences on general health.
• Discuss the concepts of the general adaptation syndrome as related to stress and use this knowledge when assessing and working with clients in the clinical practice setting.
• Identify and discuss major issues related to “change” and how stress management techniques are applicable.
• Discuss the “Stress-Reaction Cycle,” and how knowledge of this cycle can be used to enhance your assessment skills in working with clients and in planning mental health care.
• Discuss all aspects of “Stress Reactivity,” and how this knowledge adds to your skills in assessment and care of clients in clinical practice.
• Discuss the concept of responding to stress instead of reacting to stress and how to effectively teach clients to do this to strengthen their coping skills.
• Discuss ways that you can teach clients to work with their stress related symptoms.
• Discuss ways that you can work with clients who are experiencing physical pain using mindfulness techniques and evaluate the effectiveness of the techniques.
• Identifying how mindfulness meditation is used in clients experiencing chronic pain.
• Discuss the concepts of “problem-focused coping” and “in motion-focused coping,” and discuss how to work with clients using these theories to assist clients in strengthening coping skills.
• Discuss ways to work with clients experiencing fear, panic, and anxiety using mindfulness meditation practices.
• Identify issues related to time management and stress and how clients can use mindfulness practices to significantly reduces such stressors in their lives.
• Discuss issues related to sleep and sleep “stress,” and what specific mindful meditation techniques and practices you would teach clients to use to over these issues.
• Discuss issues related to relationship stress and define which mindfulness meditation techniques you would teach clients to incorporate daily to deal more effectively with these types of stressors.
• Discuss major issues related to “work” stress and teach clients how mindfulness techniques can be used for short periods of time while at work to lessen these stressors significantly.
• Explain what is meant by food stress and discuss major issues related to this.
• Explain “world’s stress” and understand its impact on clients and teach clients how mindfulness can help them to significantly reduce such stressors.
• Discuss resources for clients undergoing stress management and meditation instruction.

COURSE CONTENT:

A brief abstract of content:

•  Mind/body and integrative medicine
• Stress, pain and illness and client manifestations
• Implementation of a stress management clinic and the use of mindfulness meditation as a primary intervention
• The practice of mindfulness meditation as an evidence-based modality in holistic health care
• Meditative practice in stress management strategies
• Attitudes related to meditation practice.
• Commitment, self-discipline, and intentionality as foundations of mindfulness meditation practices
• The power of breathing for client health and well-being
• The use of breathing in healing and in meditation practices
• The physiology and pathophysiology of breathing and its use in mindfulness meditation
• Diaphragmatic breathing and its benefits and use in meditation practices and mindfulness
• Sitting meditation as a major stress reduction and meditation practice
• Working with thoughts in meditation as a major component of mindfulness meditation practice
• Objects of attention in sitting meditation and simple exercises for implementation with clients
• The Body-Scan Technique for use in client care
• Case studies in the stress clinic related to mindfulness practice and client outcomes
• Behavioral medicine and meditation, what we are learning
• Wholeness and connectedness and the holistic model of health care
• Psychoneuroimmunology and mental health care
• Healing the body with meditation and evidence-based outcomes
• Loving kindness meditation for use with clients in clinical practice
• Biopsychosocial model of health and wellness for use with clients in practice
• Beliefs, attitudes thoughts and emotions causing wellness or harm
• Personality studies in stress and what they teach us about providing quality mental health care
• Social influences on health and how they shape care planning
• Self – regulatory functions in the nervous system
• Theories and concepts of stress as foundational knowledge for understanding therapeutic psychodynamic interventions
• Change, change management and meditation practice as therapeutic client interventions
• The stress-reaction cycle and stress reactivity and its role in assisting in client assessments
• Chronic stress and Maladaptation and how it can be reduced with mindfulness practices
• Responding to stress and to change our response through mindfulness meditation
• Applications related to stress management and mindfulness meditation for use in clinical practice
• Working with symptoms and listening to the body to induce mindfulness meditation
• Working with physical pain through mindfulness meditation practices
• Pain outcomes in a stress clinic when using mindfulness meditation
• Mindfulness meditation and chronic pain; what we are learning
• Working with emotional pain through mindfulness meditation practices
• Problem and emotions focused coping and strengthening with mindfulness
• Working with fear, panic, and anxiety with mindfulness meditation
• The use of mindfulness in treating anxiety and panic
• Time and time stress management with mindfulness meditation
• Sleep and sleep stress reduction techniques through mindfulness
• People’s stress and how to combat it with mindfulness interventions
• Role stress and work stress through identification and mindfulness interventions
• Food stress and world stress and their reductions by mindfulness meditation
• The way of awareness and how to live a life of fuller awareness and mindfulness
• Methods to keep up with formal practice of meditation