Skills & support to nurture you, your practice, and your community
The craft of herbal practice is a container that makes healing possible. As herbalists, we know a heart-centered approach that connects our knowledge of herbs with the needs of the communities we serve is the center of our work.
Yet often, the path between herbal wisdom and the practice of herbalism is challenging to navigate on your own. Moving into the clinic, new skills are asked for and they are no less pertinent to our livelihoods than honoring the ecology of our homes and land, making medicines with deep intention or learning how to hold safe space with our clients.
Recognizing the guidance and support that many new herbal practitioners are seeking, we've created an innovative and comprehensive six month curated mentorship opportunity that celebrates and nurtures your unique approach to herbalism. This program provides tools of support and skill development for herbalists to step into clinical practice while honoring right livelihood in relationship with the plants, self, community, and the changing planet.
"Craft is the dovetailing of discipline and imagination, dedication and inspiration. When those spiral around each other, and serious attention is given over to that alchemy, then one’s craft can be realized.”
Rosanne Cash, singer & songwriter
Crafting Your Herbal Practice:
A six month container for nurturing clarity & confidence in your skills
Our mission is to create a container for herbalists to dive deep and emerge with greater confidence. This course will teach you how to tend to yourself and your family with wise practices for our current times and how to maintain the integrity of the craft.
Our goal is to weave together essential clinical skills, sound business practices, and tools that nourish and nurture herbalists, their community, and their practice. We envision a community of herbalists gathering together to activate a shared vision of what is possible as herbalists.
Nourish your herbal roots to help you blossom
Take your education and experience to the next level
Topics include
- Personal self-development
- Skills to ensure community accessibility
- Tools to promote health justice and equity
- Ethics and confidentiality
- Good apothecary practices such as record keeping and safety issues
- All aspects of intakes and how to create a safe container for healing in partnership with your clients and the larger community
- Waivers, insurance, business entities, taxes and other fun questions and issues
- Commitment to the deep study of self and craft
- The role of the herbalist as an ecological steward
Outcomes
- Develop your self-awareness of the elements of a therapeutic relationship
- Create and hold sacred, safe space for your client and yourself
- Establish ethical policies and procedures to ensure confidentiality
- Improve your intake skills and to create concise case studies
- Identify your core values around herb sustainability and conservation and access resources to implement them in your practice
- The components of safe apothecary practices: record keeping, sustainable sourcing, compounding guidelines
- Make a practical business plan to ground your clinical practice as a source of right livelihood.
- Integrate waivers, liability insurance, business entities, taxes and more into your business plan
This course is for you if….
- You have completed a minimum of 300 hours of training in herbalism, including formal and independent study
- You have basic competency in anatomy, physiology, and pathophysiology
- You have comprehensive knowledge of the actions, energetics, contraindications and uses of at least 100 medicinal herbs
- You have educational training or mentorship in clinical herbalism including intake, assessment, and protocol
- You have experience using a specific health paradigm to inform your differential assessments of cases and guide your botanical protocols (such as Western herbalism, folk medicine, inherited traditions, energetics, TCM, Ayurveda)
- You are ready to commit to your herbal practice and deepen your confidence as a practitioner
Details
- Meets September 12, 2023 through March 19, 2024 (with winter break December 6 to January 9)
- Meets Tuesday Evenings 6:30 - 9:30pm Eastern Time
- Program Tuition is $3500
- Payment plans are available
- Live weekly sessions supplemented with videos, readings, and written assignments
- Anticipate a weekly commitment of eight hours between live sessions and homework
- Program is limited to 30 students
Pre-Requisites
- An Introductory or Foundations level program that would include systems of the body, basic a&p, basic energetics, herbal actions, and a working relationship of at least 100 plants
- Basic anatomy and physiology course or similar level education (i.e. college A&P or Tammi Sweet's online course)
- Have begun to apply the health assessment paradigm you will use to guide your herbal protocols (e.g. Western herbalism, folk medicine, inherited traditions, energetics, TCM, Ayurveda)
- Understanding of ethical and ecological issues facing our profession
Your Teachers
We sincerely believe every community benefits from the services of a competent herbalist committed to their calling.
As the creators of this course, we have over 70 years of combined clinical experience.
In addition to our three primary instructors, several guest herbalists will be joining the course to share a variety of perspectives on the craft of the herbal practice.
We are eager to share with you on your journey as an herbal practitioner what we have gathered from our years of study, apprenticeship, education, and, most of all, our time sitting with and learning from our clients.
Patricia Kyritsi Howell
Founder of Botanologos School; Author of Medicinal Plants of Southern Appalachians
Kat Maier
Founder of Sacred Plant Traditions; Author of Energetic Herbalism
Emily Ruff
Founder of Florida School of Holistic Living and Florida Herbal Conference; Director of Sage Mountain Botanical Sanctuary
How to Apply
As the world around and within us changes, so too do we herbalists need to steward our craft our practice in these changing times.
Committing to a lengthy course of study requires careful consideration on your part and we take seriously the task to ensure we are a match for you at this time.
Through your application, we look forward to hearing the story of your herbal journey to assess your expectations and needs. What experiences have shaped your herbal and clinical work? What is your vision for your future as an herbal practitioner? All of this will be part of the application found at the link below.
Applications are taken on a rolling basis until capacity in the program is reached. We will begin the initial round of application reviews the week of May 15th, and encourage you to apply early. We will review your submission upon receipt of your application, and contact you upon acceptance to confirm enrollment and payment arrangements.
Join Patricia, Kat and Emily for an informative session to learn more about the program and get your questions answered.
