Start here · The Holistic Counselor Podcast learning guide
From the Mic to the Community
What is holistic counseling?
Consider mind, body, relationships, culture, and chosen faith.
Diana S. Rice · Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), Certified Integrative Mental Health Professional (CIMHP), Qualified Supervisor (QS)
4 pages · No email required · Education, not individual care
Have you ever felt like someone was looking at one piece of your life while missing the rest? Whole-person care asks us to widen the conversation.
Look at the whole person
Holistic counseling can consider emotions, thoughts, physical health, sleep, relationships, culture, daily stress, and spirituality when the client wants it included. The term covers different practices, so ask what a particular clinician actually does.
Ask about each part of the plan
An approach is not proven simply because it is called natural or holistic. Ask what research supports each treatment, what risks exist, and how progress will be checked.
Build a team when needed
A therapist may coordinate with a medical clinician or other qualified professional with your consent. Supplements, medication changes, and physical symptoms need appropriate medical guidance.
Research & perspective
What to keep in mind
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health describes whole person health as attention to connected areas of a person’s life. This broad view does not establish the effectiveness of every treatment marketed as holistic.
Explore the sources ↓A moment for you
Let’s pause and reflect.
Choose one question, or take your time with all three. Your answers can stay private. Skip anything that feels like too much; you do not need to revisit painful details to use this guide.
- Which part of my life tends to get overlooked?
- What everyday conditions make caring for myself harder?
- How much, if at all, do I want faith included?
Use your own notebook or the writing space in the PDF. This page does not ask you to submit reflections.
Optional faith reflection
What does caring for my whole self mean within my faith, without blaming myself for being unwell?
Continue the conversation
Listen with curiosity.
Selected conversations to begin with. Guests share their own perspectives; a linked episode is not a treatment recommendation or a complete review of the evidence.
- Episode 1
- Episode 98
Make room for support
Questions to bring to a professional
- What does holistic mean in your practice?
- Which parts of your plan have research support for my concern?
- When would you recommend another professional?
One next step
Make a short list of the areas you want included in your care. Bring it to your next appointment.
Keep learning
Sources & useful resources
These links support the teaching and help you explore further. Professional organizations describe their own approaches; faith organizations describe their perspectives. Directories are starting points, not endorsements.
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Whole person health ↗
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Complementary and integrative health ↗
Services, fees, rules, and links may change. Confirm current details directly.
When a guide is not enough
Need support right now?
In the U.S. and its territories, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline offers support for emotional distress or a suicidal crisis.
If there is immediate danger or a medical emergency in the U.S., call 911. Outside the U.S., use your local emergency or crisis service.
This website and its contact form do not provide crisis care.