Nutritional Psychology?

Discussion in 'Nursing and medical-related degrees' started by Michelle, Sep 22, 2008.

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  1. Michelle

    Michelle Member

    I'm researching graduate programs to start as soon as I finish the bachelors degree from TESC.

    I am planning to enroll in an holistic / homeopathic type counselor training program this summer and could go in a few different career directions with it, like massage therapist, counselor, nutritionist, or life coach so I'm researching different graduate programs. When I complete the training, my goal is to help people with addictions, gender identity issues, and behavior issues.

    I am not interested in traditional nutrition but am extremely interested in how nutrition effects the brain and how nutritional deficits can contribute to various types of addictions. I am thinking that what would interest me the most would be to become a counselor (not sure if a social worker, marriage & family, or clinical would be best for me) who could also make diet suggestions and recommend nutritional supplements.

    I think that the career title is nutritional psychologist, but I can't seem to find any colleges offering programs in nutritional psychology. Do you guys know of any that I could check out? I would prefer a regionally accredited online program, but I would be ok with a legitimate nationally accredited program.

    Thanks,
    Michelle
     
  2. cookderosa

    cookderosa Resident Chef

    how nutritional deficits can contribute to various types of addictions.>>



    Interesting. You may be able to explore that possibility through your own research as part of a traditional psychology or nutrition degree.

    I have no idea if the subject has been researched. In my own study of nutrition, addiction, and psych (admittedly limited) I haven't come across someone drawing a line to connect those dots. I would "presume" there is a link, because I don't accept that the things we put into our body are neutral ...however, presumptions amount to squat.

    Maybe you have a dissertation idea! ;)
     
  3. Ian Anderson

    Ian Anderson Active Member

    If you do a search of "Science" Journal (AAAS) you will find papers on this topic. So I imagine there are other journals with papers on the topic. Look at the author's affiliations and that might lead you to a school that meets your needs.
     
  4. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

  5. Ronin Distance

    Ronin Distance Rojiura no Uchuu Shōnen

    It seems you and I share similar interests, Michelle. I too would like to study the effects that nutrition has on a person's mood and behavior, specially when it comes to chronic conditions such as depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive behavior. It is my hope to make a person's "recovery" as holistic and drug-free as possible, and in that sense, I believe that diet is key. I will "look around" to see what I can find, and hopefully, the more "senior" members will contribute as well. Good luck.
     
  6. Ronin Distance

    Ronin Distance Rojiura no Uchuu Shōnen

    You might also want to look into this discipline, as it appears to be more established, and shares many of the characteristics that you mentioned in your post, including a particular focus on the treatment of addictive behavior.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_psychology
     
  7. japhy4529

    japhy4529 House Bassist

    If you decide to go this route, you may wish to check out Northcentral University. Northcentral offers a 100% online Ph.D. in Psychology, with a concentration in Health Psychology.


    Good Luck!
    Tom
     
  8. Michelle

    Michelle Member

    Thank you for all of the feedback!!

    For those of you who mentioned being unfamiliar with the role of nutrition on mental health, here is an excerpt from a book that describes what I am interested in: http://www.healthyplace.com/communities/depression/treatment/alternative/food_moods.asp.

    Thanks for the information about the Health Psychology program at Northcentral. It is one of the programs I'm considering for a PhD after I complete my masters.

    I've been continuing to research my options. It looks like there are some good programs in England but that doesn't help me much. The only online program I found in England was for a bachelors degree or diploma, but I couldn't quite figure out how the online program worked.

    I am leaning toward getting licensed as a massage therapist and then combining a few different programs in order to gain the knowledge I want, like a degree in human services or counseling combined with a certificate or diploma in nutrition from another school. I have found a very affordable local massage therapy program at a state tech school that I can enroll in now while I finish the bachelors degree from Thomas Edison.

    Here are links to some of the other programs I am considering:
    Rosalind Franklin University
    Huntington College
    Santa Barbara Graduate Institute (somatic concentration)
    MA in Counseling and Psychology (somatic concentration) at Prescott College

    Is Huntington College a legitimate college?

    Thanks,
    Michelle
     
  9. Peace123

    Peace123 New Member

    bastyr

    Michelle,

    Try looking over this colleges website , they may have something you are looking for.

    http://www.bastyr.edu
     
  10. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    Huntington College is accredited by the Distance Education and Training Council www.detc.org , which is recognized by the United States Department of Education www.ed.gov and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation www.chea.org. That's as legit as it gets.
     
  11. Michelle

    Michelle Member

    Does Bastyr offer online programs? They come up in just about every search that I do, but I thought they only offered on-campus classes.

    It's good to know that Huntington is legitimate. From the website, it seems similar to Clayton College of Natural Health, which I wish were a legitimate school because their program descriptions sound really useful. I'm glad to know Huntington really is.

    Thanks,
    Michelle
     
  12. Peace123

    Peace123 New Member

    Bastyr

    Sorry Michelle, I did not realize you were seeking an online option.

    I believe they only offer on campus, but I am not 100% sure best thing to do is contact them to find out.

    Also if enough people contact them about online courses maybe they would offer them.
     
  13. Michelle

    Michelle Member

    I grew up a few hours from Seattle, but now I live about 3000 miles away so I would definitely be interested in online classes.
     
  14. Chip

    Chip Administrator

    Bastyr and National are the two oldest and most reputable naturopathic schools in the US. There are only 4 real naturopathic schools, all the rest are basically fakes or unwonderfuls that do substandard education that doesn't allow you to practice in any of the states (some 16 or so) that license naturopathic physicians. As far as I know, there are no distance-based naturopathic programs that are legitimate. (This include Clayton College, the often-mentioned school that is unwonderful, but has advertised so heavily and has set up so many fake accreditors that a lot of people think it's legit.)

    You may also want to try and contact Candace Pert, Ph.D. She wrote the book Molecules of Emotion and was the researcher at NIH credited with discovering the opiate receptor. She has done a lot of work on emotions, psychology, and the effect of emotions in mediating immune response and other functions that, prior to her work, were considered unrelated. I don't know if she teaches anywhere, but if she does, that would be an excellent person to study with.
     
  15. Michelle

    Michelle Member

    Chip, great advice - thank you!
     
  16. japhy4529

    japhy4529 House Bassist

  17. jurplesman

    jurplesman New Member

  18. zaljeera

    zaljeera Guest

    If I want to start a nutrition plan but it call for fish can I substitute it with chicken? I want to start a nutrition plan and it says to eat fish at dinner time. I don't eat any other kind of meat that's not chicken, can I change it to chicken?
     
  19. jurplesman

    jurplesman New Member

    I suspect that you were advised to eat fish for the sake of fishoil or omega-3 fatty acids. You an get that as a supplement.
     
  20. Michelle

    Michelle Member

    I wanted to add a program to this old thread I had started, in case someone else is looking for similar information. I had never seen a program like this before. Please post links to similar programs if you know of any.

    Master of Science in Health Sciences: Integrative Health and Wellness at the Institute for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. The program looks kind of expensive - I think about $18,000 but possibly more. There's conflicting information on the website about whether online students pay in state or out of state tuition.

    MSHS Core Courses (15 credits)
    IDST6121 Data Analysis and Interpretation I, 3 credits
    IDST5110 Health Services Issues and Trends, 3 credits
    IDST6400 Evidenced-Based Literature Review, 3 credits
    IDST6000 Research Methods, 3 credits
    IDST5200: Principles of Transcultural Health Care, 3 credits

    Specialization Required Courses (9 credits)
    PCAR 7115 Complementary and Alternative Medicine Seminar, 3 credits
    ICAM 5100 Integrative Treatments for Common/Chronic Conditions, 3 credits
    ICAM 5200 Integrative Health Coaching and Self Care, 3 credits

    Elective Course (Choose one: 3 credits)
    ICAM 5105 Integrative Nutrition, 3 credits
    ICAM 5205 Herbs and Dietary Supplements, 3 credits
    ICAM 5305 CAM Journal Club, 3 credits
    ICAM 5405 Mind/Body Medicine, 3 credits
    NUTR 6505 Ethical Issues in Health Care Practice, 3 credits

    Graduate Project (3 credits)
    IDST6980: Graduate Project (or IDST6989: Graduate Clinical Project)

    UMDNJ-ICAM: Current Educational Opportunities
     

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