Looking Back: A CCNH Memoir
I began working at The Clayton School of Natural Healing and its sibling, the American Holistic College of Nutrition, almost 14 years ago, having been offered employment after writing a number of courses for the former Doctor of Holistic Health program. Located in the heart of Birmingham's allopathic medical district and within walking distance of a nationally prominent medical college, our offices occupied a suite on the second floor of a building that had once been a boarding house and later the home of a food coop. Although there were far fewer students and staff members, as well as a smaller curriculum than we offer today, the school had already existed for more than 10 years during a time when natural healing was considered to be, perhaps, a little peculiar. However, in 1991, we were on the cusp of many changes in the natural health community, and the idea that one could stay healthy by working with nature was gaining recognition in all regions of the country.
In the years since, we have brought the schools of natural health and nutrition together as Clayton College of Natural Health. We have moved from our old location into newer, far more accommodating (and ever expanding) office suites and increased the number of our staff members tenfold. Likewise, our curriculum has grown in terms of what we offer as well as in the depth of each course. As we have improved, our student body has responded by growing larger and more sophisticated—to which we have responded with our own growth and improvements. And so we have been maturing together, always with the same goals: teaching and learning about health in order to teach others how to stay healthy.
Although BS, MS, and PhD level programs had always been part of the holistic nutrition curriculum, for many years the doctoral programs offered through The Clayton School stood alone. This changed in 1995 when we introduced BS and MS programs in natural health and replaced the Doctor of Holistic Health program with a PhD in Holistic Health Sciences. For the first time, students were able to take elective courses. In addition, we gave greater attention and emphasis to the thesis and dissertation, as well as to all other aspects of writing. So many CCNH graduates were being published (and still are) that we wanted to help our students develop their skills in this area.
The second half of the 1990s were particularly busy as the faculty grew—both in number and in abilities—adding specialists in the practice of traditional naturopathy (although we weren't yet using that term), herbalism, chiropractic, nutrition, the sciences, counseling and integrative medicine. We developed a curriculum leading to the Doctor of Natural Health degree in order to better serve those who wished to practice as consultants but did not want to earn a degree in naturopathy. We also added optional concentrations in homeopathy and herbology to supplement any degree program. (Although we no longer accept enrollments in the homeopathy program, the herbology concentration remains quite popular.) As we expanded the number of programs, we also increased the education and support for our PhD candidates and our future practitioners by creating courses designed to help them improve research and practice skills respectively. Now, students who would need to write a dissertation had support in doing so, and those who were educating themselves to become practitioners could receive feedback concerning these vital abilities.
In addition to improvements in our general curriculum, the late ‘90s saw the first steps of outreach toward the allopathic medical community, as we developed the Naturopathic Medical Doctor program. We had discovered that over the years a number of medical doctors had also earned degrees through CCNH, and now there was a program that could focus on their needs.
Since the turn of this century, we have added the Nutrition and Lifestyles concentration as well as certificate programs in herbal studies, holistic care of companion animals and iridology, for which we worked in conjunction with the International Iridology Practitioners Association. CCNH and IIPA have maintained a wonderful partnership ever since. We have also developed the Natural Wellness certificate and the Doctor of Naturopathy for Healthcare Practitioners programs for those who work in many different healthcare fields. Among the most exciting of our recent developments have been the annual natural health conferences that began in the spring of 2002. In addition to giving us the pleasure of meeting our students face-to-face, the conferences have brought together many outstanding educators and pioneers in the fields of natural health.
As we arrive at the midpoint of this millennium's first decade, and the college's 25th year, we at CCNH remain busy and excited. We have recently introduced our And so we have been maturing together, always with the same goals: teaching and learning about health in order to teach others how to stay healthy. Doctor of Philosophy in Traditional Naturopathy and Master of Arts in Holistic Wellness programs, and we are beginning the work on further improvements to the courses designed to build the skills of practitioners as well as those that concern natural health and nutrition research.
From my point of view as director of curriculum development, our evolution has been similar to artistic creation. That is, from the beginning there was always an impulse toward improvement. We have continually asked ourselves if this course or that program is the best we can offer, to which the answer has usually been, “Yes, for now,” with the unspoken understanding that more growth and development would come later. Twenty-five years ago, our courses required less reading and writing than they do today, but the material has always been compelling. Even in our early days, we often received comments such as the one below, which expressed our aims so well that it found a place in several editions of our school catalog.
“I found this course of study to be quite extensive and thorough, providing a solid basis for educating and assisting others in their quest for wellness and wellbeing.”
Our goal is for this statement to be true today, truer tomorrow and truer still in the years to come.
Krista Leamon
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