As the widow of a former U.S. Navy corpsman who died by suicide, assisting veterans and their families is a priority for Bridget Gehrz, who is a student in the Integrative Health and Healing DNP program.
The three- or four-year program includes coursework in traditional nursing topics like physiology and pharmacology, as well as topics such as botanical medicines, wellbeing and resiliency, meditation and healing imagery. That holistic nature was a large part of the appeal for Gehrz when she first heard an advertisement for the program on Minnesota Public Radio in 2016.
“It’s been a lot about self-discovery and self-growth, and realizing, I think, how much I needed this to learn these skills for me,” she said.
The benefits have extended beyond her professional pursuits; courses like Food Matters and Reiki Healing have influenced her daily life. Her 6-year-old son, Aksel, regularly asks her to practice Reiki, an alternative Japanese energy therapy, on him.
“I try to bring my whole self to everything that I do,” she said, “and despite all of the challenges in my life right now, I still take a positive outlook to it and I believe that we can do good, and I can do good.”
Gehrz said she’s frequently asked how she balances raising three kids—ages 5, 6 and 7—with school. Her answer? Schoolwork is a joy, not a burden, and it fuels her to keep going.
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