How does your school differ from other schools of this kind?

There are actually very few schools of our kind- only a handful in the country- by that we mean a hands-on, on premises, experiential school.  Naturopathic School of the Healing Arts is committed to traditional Naturopathy education and practice.  

We are not a medical school, as in "naturopathic medical" school.  Such schools have different curriculums which follow the allopathic medical model as their paradigm, and require biochemistry and many other pre-requisites for admission.    See our page on this site entitled "Naturopaths Are" for further insight.
 
We believe a genuine and authoritative education in this field, one that will serve you for the future, as this field grows, and public awareness and discernment evolves, is derived from a minimum 3 or 4 year program in living classrooms, providing on- premise clock hours, with living experienced teachers mentoring and guiding in living educational processes.  

You can best understand health and healing responses through living, hands-on education, mentored throughout the program duration by teachers with long term clinical experience.  We show, demonstrate, practice and directly experience, with living people, a variety of assessment and treatment methods utilized in the art and science of natural healing.

We encourage the individual prospective student to attend different classes and open houses as you journey towards your decision. We offer the opportunity to drop in , Open House style, for classes, and to register for an entire individual weekend class.  

We bring in new teachers from outside of our system, to bring fresh flow and perspective to the learning experience, and to assist the school and the students  in the development of professional  discernment and intellectual inquiry.  We strive to create a peaceful, supported, and inspiring experience for you to explore and follow your passion, while requiring high academic achievement under the personal guidance of our highly experienced teachers.

I have graduated from a massage school.  Can I test out of portions of your program? 

While we unable accept, for credit or tuition deduction,  any portion of training from any other program, we do honor the fact that any previous training and experience you may have has the potential to help you develop and deepen your overall healing skills in the process of learning naturopathy practice and becoming a natural physician -  including those of focus, creativity, and nuance.

Our current students include MD's, RN's, massage therapists and other healing arts practitioners who may have had exposure to healing arts training of different kinds in the past.  

Our program is one of personal and professional development specifically to this field of practice.  We support lifelong learning and continuing education in the healing arts.


What about credit from online courses? 

We encourage anyone who has either taken online courses. or considered them to now consider the great difference it makes to study and develop your career within a supportive, hands-on, experiential learning community.    

Clayton College, (a fully online education business)  which recently abruptly closed for good, may have been a harbinger in our changing times wherein natural health care takes its place along side of other health care choices.  As public awareness increases and public demand with it, our communities will naturally prefer those who have received supervised, hands-on education with clinical internships.

Your past participation in an online course will prepare you to be a better student-- however, our program does not offer advanced placement of any kind, as all students benefit from our entire program, which is a process oriented, living program of personal and professional development.

How does your school compare to medical school?

We train in health care for the traditional naturopathy model of practice.

Naturopathy has stood the test of time for hundreds of years, and one which we are dedicated to preserving.  We are not training people to work within the medical industry, although they could serve a helpful (and needed, in our opinion) role in upgrading the health care within that industry.  We are training our students to practice and preserve traditional, classical naturopathy - and to that end, each year of foundational training is necessary, as is the continuing education we promote, offer, and recommend. 

Medical professionals are welcome to consider our program of traditional naturopathy, to enrich, and integrate with their current modes of practice.

Tell me about the format of the school and what may be required of students going through the program

We gather for many scheduled 20 hour intensive weekends, approximately 14 times per year, for experiential teachings in classical applied naturopathic practice.  But it would be misleading to come away with the impression that this is a "weekend activity".  The entire program has an intensive nature, designed to immerse oneself in learning experiences when classes meet, and then reflectively complete assignments in between class sessions.  For some, taking a few preparatory classes, or committing to the first year, are excellent foundational steps.

Students should be prepared to allocate 6-8 hours per week of personal study time outside of class in order to do well in this program, due to the reading,  assignments, and projects that are required.  There is required homework to complete in between our monthly meeting times. We require a minimum 80% or higher grade to pass the program.  We maintain records and evaluations of individual students at the school.  .

Students should be prepared to pursue tutorials of subjects they find challenging-  this approach is also common in college, medical school, and within other intensive healing arts programs.  

The program is one of professional development- we encourage participants to evolve into the therapeutic presence as the program unfolds.  Be prepared to purchase any needed equipment, such as a massage table, basic iris analysis tools (flashlight and loop), books and notebooks, learning supports, hydrotherapy supports, and other tools of the trade and tools of personal practice, as you transform into a skilled practitioner.  

What are admissions qualifications?

Although there are exceptions considered on an individual basis, a potential student must be 21 years of age or older, and possess some experience in the world beyond high school.  That could encompass general work experience, professional experience, OR one or more years of college, and/or completion of a 200 hour + healing arts certification.  We recognize that adult life and work experiences does prepare prospective students to consider the step and progression of a life changing program achievement such as those offered at Naturopathic School.  


Do you teach different therapies?

Yes, we teach our students to understand, demonstrate, apply, and choose among the many different therapeutic applications within the Naturopath's "medicine kit" and traditional scope of practice as it has been for generations.  
 These therapeutic applications include but are not limited to a variety of compresses, fomentations, poultices, soaks, herbal therapies, botanical/essential oil therapies, Hydrotherapy,  bodywork therapies (Naturopathic physical medicine and massage), some movement therapies, energy work, dietary approaches (including cultured, traditional, pastured and raw foods, as well as herbal nourishment), Iris Assessment, soft tissue evaluation,  and more.

 Additionally, students are guided in learning and practicing all aspect of herbology, medicinal herbal study, Herbal Pharmacy and Dispensary, apothecary skills- you will be able to produce therapeutic herbal formulations from seed to bottle or capsule yourself, if you wish, knowing the full scope and ramifications of the herbal quality and action.

What financial aid is available ? 

Check out the page on this site titled "Financial Planning".  The School offers a payment plan- request this information with your catalog. We recommend that students who need loans seek out private loans through credit unions or through their bank, or through other channels.

Additionally, prospective students may be eligible for financial aid through the Michigan Works program.  www.MichiganWorks.org 

Do you accept credit from other schools? 

No, we do not.  

What do naturopaths do? 

Many of our students have, or will pursue, multiple trainings.  The foundation of what we do includes

~   offering consultations for family health and healing 
~    teaching within the community about natural healing
~   consulting with companies about natural health products
~   maintaining a private practice for the purpose of helping clients
~   working within an integrated clinic as the voice of natural healing
       protocols and methods, as consultant, practitioner, teacher.
~   taking emerging professional pathways, such as naturopathic pet care


Our blogs, newsletter, and other media give good insight into the workday of a naturopath.  Also check out the information at www.gaiaherbalstudies.net, which gives insight into medicinal herbal practice and study.

Is a license necessary to practice?

No.  There are approximately 15,000 naturopaths in the country, actively practicing, some for decades.  We do not seek licensure, which is governmental "permission" to do something.  

We seek enactment of a Health Freedoms Act or legislative bill which would resolve for our citizens the freedom to choose among a variety of health care practitioners- we already have that freedom, however a legislative bill would put it in writing, protecting our freedoms from being taken away in the future.

Meanwhile naturopaths have practiced for hundreds of years and will continue to.  While we do not seek licensure (which is "permission" to do something, not to be confused with a guarantee of training, skill, experience, or ideology),we at Naturopathic School of Ann Arbor are strong advocates of professionalism, hands-on education, clinical training, development of educational and curriculum standards, and innovation in naturopathy/natural medicine education.  When and if political climates and law change, we will be the first to inform. 

"Naturopathic" Physicians-  ("NMD") which is a different job title (following a medical model interpretation, a different philosophy, and different scope of practice, with a different education- (and lacking much of the important traditional naturopathic training we offer) - do as a group seek licensure around the country, as they seek to admit people to hospitals, perform surgery, and diagnose medical disease.  They practice in Michigan, but DO NOT have licensure.  They seek licensure to define their practice, which is different from our own, and moreover, to gain entry into the medical system with its insurance reimbursement model.

Naturopaths do not follow that specific model.

 There will always be a demand for well trained and skilled naturopaths, and that demand is growing more and more each day- our communities need us!  Naturopaths practice in all 50 states, in Europe, and all over the world.  

I had heard that nobody can discuss food and diets in Michigan , unless they were licensed.  Please comment.

Discussions about real food, good diets, and dietary changes can and should take place within every home, and they do take place within a large variety of health care practices and teachings - including yoga, physical therapy, massage therapy, natural healers of many kinds, naturopaths, chiropractors, medical approaches, acupuncture/Chinese medicine, and more.  Our nourishment is a fundamental basis for our health, and no one group has sole "permission' to discuss nourishment with their clients.