Programs of Study
Looking for a school that is flexible and accommodating to your needs?
Our programs are for those seeking advanced clinical education in the herbal arts.
ECLECTIC LEARNING
Programs with a Clinical Focus
The reality is that it’s often more lucrative to teach about herbs and sell herbal products than to practice clinical herbalism. The key difference between the two lies in the depth of understanding and care provided to clients. In clinical herbalism, practitioners must first obtain a comprehensive health history, carefully consider all possible factors, make an assessment based on the information gathered, recommend herbs tailored to the individual’s needs, and then monitor and document the results through follow-up appointments. This diligent process is what sets clinical herbalism apart from theoretical herbalism.
Our entire curriculum is founded on the principles of clinical herbalism, because we believe that herbal medicine can be a powerful and effective form of healthcare, with clinical herbalists serving as essential healthcare providers. We only teach the use of herbs for specific health challenges when we have hands-on experience working with multiple clients facing those same issues. By anchoring our curriculum in real-world clinical experience, we have created an unrivaled program designed to train individuals at any level to comprehend the underlying processes at play during health challenges and to effectively support the restoration of health from dysfunction and disease.
PLEASE NOTE: We are in the process of updating and relaunching all of our certificate programs. The new programs include exciting new classes, updates to core curriculum classes, and new assignments to help students interact with the material in a more hands-on way. When we the program update is launched, tuition cost will go up to reflect the increase in content and student-teacher interactions. If you sign up before relaunch, you get the lower price locked in AND receive all of the new material as it comes out.
Online Integrative Herbal Programs
Family Herbalist certification presents educational material that will open up the world of herbalism to any beginner, but with a strong clinical focus. Through this pathway, you will explore our basic healing modalities, gain a solid foundation in medicine making, clinical nutrition and learn how to address acute care situations. If you are interested in attaining the fundamental knowledge necessary to understand health and in turn disease, then this is the course pathway for you.
When you complete the family certification, you will be able to support yourself, family and friends with nutritional and herbal interventions for common acute health issues, be able to make basic and advanced herbal preparations for sale or for family/friends/home use, and understand the basics of herbal energetics focused on the 6 tissue state model, along with basic herbal actions. This course will not prepare you for active clinical practice.
The Community Herbalist certification program builds on the foundations of the Clinical Family Herbalist course. In the Clinical Community Herbalist course, students are introduced to the two most vital body systems: the digestive system and the nervous system. Students will also learn about mental health, systemic inflammation, insulin resistance, public health, scope of practice and the energetics of traditional Western herbalism, and traditional assessment.
This course is perfect for those who plan on doing herbal work in their communities, working at an herb shop or for people who want a deeper understanding of the body and herbalism. Students who intend to see clients professionally should plan on continuing on to the Clinical Herbal Practitioner course.
This is our most advanced online certification pathway. It provides the education and experience needed to be a competent and confident clinical practitioner. The Clinical Herbal Practitioner course continues to build on the framework provided in the Clinical Family and Clinical Community Herbalist programs. Students will complete modules on the body systems, functional bloodwork, phytochemistry, and more. Students who complete the Clinical Herbal Practitioner program will be able to recognize the patterns of disease and implement the appropriate protocols to return to health.
As part of this training package, we have a variety of in-person classes focused on medicine making, sensory experiencing of materia medica based on different body systems, a low dose botanicals weekend as well as fun guest teachers. These classes are only for certificate program students and allow you to meet your cohort, spend time with Thomas and Mel, and get to know the plants.
When you graduate from the clinical program, you will be able to work as a practicing clinical herbalist.