Another four days of intense training at Duke Integrative Medicine have come and gone. Two modules down, two to go, and I’m feeling very good about the whole process. It was great to see everyone again, especially the other trainees. There was at least as much richness and learning happening during break times and lunch as there was during the training sessions. We were also given a block of program time to network in small groups of folks with similar interests and target populations. Most of the trainees intend to apply this training to their current job settings—places like hospitals, health care centers, schools, fitness centers, yoga studios, etc. My group was composed of the six or seven of us who are looking to start our own businesses/private practices. I know next to nothing about the ins and outs of business, marketing, insurance, taxes and that whole ball of wax, so it was very helpful for me to get the others’ perspectives. I’m pretty sure the trainers plan to cover some of the basics in a future module, but this initial brainstorming session was great. One of my big insights so far is that I don’t have to make everything happen on my own. The sense of community is really powerful at these trainings, and it’s changing the way I understand the idea of what a career can be.
We covered several topics related to Integrative Health in this module: nutrition, exercise, weight loss management, and the importance of one’s physical environment. Mindfulness is always emphasized, which I love. The chef—who’s been serving us fantastic gourmet meals everyday—put on a cooking class and we also practiced with some mindful eating. As always, the trainers gave us a ton of information—very well organized and with references to the supporting research—and the presenters were each experts in their respective fields who are affiliated with Duke Medicine.
Of course, we also spent many hours on coaching practice, breaking up into dyads or triads while the trainers floated around and offered feedback. The trainers also did several coaching demos to model specific skills and illustrate coaching concepts.
At the end, as in Module One, we were divided into groups of three, members of which will be practicing together via weekly conference calls during the month or so leading into Module Three. I’m looking forward to the calls, to the next module, to the networking with new friends and associates, and to working on my business plan and website.