What Are the Dimensions of Wellness?
Dimensions of Wellness
Is wellness a topic you intentionally seek? Do you know what the different areas of wellness are?
I came across the National Institute of Wellness.
This organization was born as part of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (UWSP) Foundation in 1977. Its original name was The Institute for Lifestyle Improvement. It separated from UWSP Foundation and became a NWI, a non-profit entity in 1989.
Standards and competencies for the field of health and wellness originated from this organization. NWI is the first body that sought and continues to work toward maintaining these standards. They also exist to provide professional development programs for health and wellness professionals.
NWI’s foundation or mission revolves around The Six Dimensions of Wellness Model. Dr. Bill Hettler, one of NWI’s co-founders created the model in 1976.
The model separates the ability of individuals to thrive into 6 categories or 6 dimensions of wellness. These include Physical, Social, Intellectual, Emotional, Spiritual, and Occupational dimensions. Other field professionals and organizations segment these even further. They include categories such as cultural, financial and environmental, to name a few.
Health and Wellness Resources
Through NWI, professionals in the field of health and wellness can become Certified Wellness Practitioners. They can also obtain continued education to maintain their licensure or practitioner requirements.
There are around 80 universities or institutions that provide Health and Wellness Coaching programs. There may be more, but these appear on the list recognized by the National Board of Health and Wellness Coaching .
NWI in conjunction with UWSP offers one of the 80 or so programs listed on referenced site above.
Visit NWI if you wish to explore their resources and program offerings.
If you are someone who wants to listen to practitioners discuss wellness topics, below is a link to NWI’s wellness podcast recommendations. The page contains direct links to the websites of 7 health and wellness professionals who host health and wellness discussions on their own channels.
I am excited to listen and learn more about these audio shows.
If you are passionate about learning and would like a repository of free wellness courses, head on over to Coursera.Org.
Coursera is one of several organizations that offer MOOCs. MOOCs are Massive Open Online Courses. These are free college level courses that are available to anyone. Many people around the world are taking advantage of these free resources.
You can create account using your email address at the link provided above.
Not all of the courses’ content is available for free. Some of the content maybe restricted, and is only available if you pay a fee to obtain a certificate along with the course material.
If you do not pay, you are still able to audit most classes. If you do not pay, then the level of access that you get is called a class audit.