Holistic Herbal Consultations
Now Accepting New Clients!
Plant & mushroom medicine for embodiment, aliveness, & connection.
We are pressured on a daily basis to disconnect from our bodies.
Whether that be through a chronically sedentary work environment, our attention siphoned toward an increasingly addictive realm of social media, or the need to feel constantly productive–we are losing touch with our bodies. In our culture, no one is immune from these pressures, and we all feel them in our own way: lack of sleep, chronic pain, digestive issues, anxiety, depression, infections that seem to linger for months, fatigue – in short, feeling unwell with no sense of how to feel oneself again.
For some, conventional approaches to healing have only made things worse. Conventional medicine overly relies on medicating our reasonable human responses to a world falling apart. This approach overlooks simple foundational aspects of health and wellness like nutrition, rest, movement, and environment (not to mention the social and cultural factors that influence one’s health and well-being).
The alternative or 'holistic' wellness industry isn’t offering much support either, and often only adds to the confusion. This industry emphasizes bodily aesthetics though the quest to find the perfect diet, endless personal optimization, and fear-mongering around the 'toxicity' of every last food or household item.
Instead of looking for solutions on the outside, we need to rediscover the wisdom our bodies carry within, wisdom that our bodies have carried throughout our evolutionary history here on earth. This wisdom reaches far beyond the porous boundary of our skin to encompass the ancient wisdom the plants and mushrooms have cultivated through hundreds of millions of years of healing themselves and thriving in their ecosystems.
Working with plants and mushrooms through herbalism, we can cultivate our body to show up fully in our lives, relationships, communities, and efforts for social and ecological change.
It is our birthright to feel embodied and fully alive in our own skin. It is our birthright to connect deeply with our bodily self.
While this looks different for every person, it is clear that conventional approaches to health and well-being are not capable of offering depth of care in this historical moment.
Working closely with herbalist Alex Williams, you will learn new ways of tending to your body–through herbs, lifestyle, nutrition, and movement–to address the health concerns you bring to each session.
These initial sessions may be sufficient for your needs if you are:
new to herbal care and are seeking to get a sense of how to integrate herbalism into your daily rituals
familiar with herbal care and simply seeking support in cultivating a self-care plan related to concerns such as anxiety & stress management, immune support, or general wellness guidance.
Structure and Cost:
(1) 90 minute Initial Intake Consultation
(2) 45 minute Follow-up sessions.
Takes place over the course of 2-3 months
Package does not include the cost of herbs & supplements
Package Cost: $250
If you are experiencing more long-term, chronic health conditions, additional sessions may be helpful to check-in and ensure the protocol we develop together is supporting you over time.
Additional sessions are offered on a sliding-scale basis based upon your needs, circumstances, and available resources after the three initial sessions have taken place.
Not interested in a full consultation package? Check out “One-and-Done” Custom Potions, where we meet for a short, 30-minute consultation, and I formulate a custom tincture or tea blend for you. No follow-ups required!
If you are more interested in the emotional and spiritual aspect of herbs and working with herbs to nurture a deeper connection with your body and the more-than-human-world you inhabit, you might be interested in my Mentorship offering.
Where herbal consultations focus more on the concrete physiological concerns you'd like to address, mentorship allows for a more exploratory and reflective approach to self-development and conscious growth, allowing us to work with the emotional and spiritual bodies while tending to the physical body.
Initial Sessions – Laying the Groundwork
Book your First Session
To book an appointment, please click the link below. This link will bring you to our booking page, where you can book your initial intake Session. Upon booking, you will be asked to briefly describe the primary issues and wellness goals you’d like to address through our work together.
At the end of our first session, we will book your first follow-up session.
What happens after booking my first session?
Sign up for Practice Better - After booking your initial session and package, you will receive an invitation to join Alex's secure client management system, Practice Better. It's free and this platform will give you access to the forms and video conferencing tools needed to conduct the consultation.
Complete Forms Online - You will be sent two forms to complete before we meet (an informed consent form, and a confidential health history form), which will be stored securely and shared with an herbal mentor only with your consent. These forms must be submitted 48 hours prior to your consultation in order to keep your appointment.
Initial Intake Consultation - During our 1.5 hour initial consultation, we will go in-depth into your health history so that we can develop a clear picture of where you are in your wellness journey. From here, we will begin to lay a foundation for your wellness journey by developing an integrated herbal, nutritional, and lifestyle protocol to support you in addressing your wellness goals.
Receive Initial Herbal Protocol - After your session, I devote several hours to go over your case, research, and develop an herbal and lifestyle protocol for you. You will receive this written guidance through Practice Better within a week of our Initial Intake Session.
Written Guidance / Herbal Protocols may include custom herbal tea blends, tinctures, and other preparations. This guidance may also include lifestyle changes, recipes, foods, movement, body work, meditation or reflection practices, and suggestions for how to integrate all practices and herbs into your routine.
Purchase Herbs & Supplements - The cost of herbs is not included in your visit. An invoice for your custom formulations will be included along with your protocol and shipped after payment of herbs is received.
Ongoing Support Appointments - At the end of our first session, we will also book your first follow-up appointment. Both follow-up appointments are offered to check in and see how the herbs are working with you, answer any questions and make any changes to your initial protocol.
Other things you might want to know before booking…
Virtual Sessions: All sessions are held virtually via through my client management system, Practice Better.
In Person Sessions are only available for those who live in Chicago and after we have completed our initial three sessions and have continued on to longer-term work. For in-person consultations, my home office is located up a flight of stairs. If this is inaccessible to you, please consider a virtual consultation instead.
The Greenspell Herbal Free Clinic is available for those who would like to see an herbalist, but do not feel that they can afford the full cost of consultation or consultation package. Click Here to learn more.
Case details may be shared with 2-3 herbal mentors for professional development purposes only with your consent.
I comply with HIPAA standards. Your files and any other information you provide will be kept in HIPAA-secure online spaces. Our virtual meeting takes place via a HIPAA-secure online virtual room.
Initial sessions are audio recorded for note taking purposes. All recordings and transcriptions are stored securely on Practice Better's HIPAA compliant server and are only available to Alex Williams for the purposes of note-taking, research, and protocol development.
FAQs
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As an herbalist dedicated to providing you the best experience possible, we will dive deep into your health history according to your priorities and goals.
During a holistic herbal consultation, we’ll discuss your primary health concerns in depth, as well as other health issues that may be relevant in an attempt to find and address the root cause(s) of any health concern you bring to the consultation.
I approach our conversation and work together with complete respect, creating a non-judgmental environment to explore your wellness goals.
We may discuss:
body system functions
family medical history
nutrition and lifestyle
movement and exercise
rest and stress patterns
and more!
Based on what we discuss in our initial consultation, I craft a holistic herbal protocol that is tailored to address your unique wellness goals that includes herb, supplement, and lifestyle recommendations, alongside self-care practices in support of your wellness goals.
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Holistic health consultations are focused on addressing your health concerns using a holistic approach, and are intended to complement your primary medical care.
Through working with a clinical herbalist, you will:
Support your body & mind in ways that are holistic, integrative, and effective.
Develop a professional relationship with a holistic practitioner who is devoted to your needs and vision for wellness.
Work with plants in support of your vitality and well-being while ensuring safety alongside prescription medications and complex health conditions.
Receive a comprehensive protocol that is tailored for your body, constitution, and vision for wellness.
Learn the best approaches for rekindling a strong relationship with your body and earth.
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Naturopaths are doctors, herbalists are not. Herbalists tend to offer herbal recommendations to complement primary medical care, not replace it. While naturopaths do study herbal medicine, they also embrace a wide variety of therapies, which means that they tend to be generalists rather than specialists. Herbalists tend to focus solely on herbal approaches to address health issues, so their herbal knowledge tends to be far more extensive than naturopaths.
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Most people typically see a clinical herbalist when they have a chronic illness, with or without a diagnosis, if they are experiencing health issues that they feel conventional methods have been unsuccessful in addressing, or if they are seeking a more holistic perspective to complement their primary medical care. Clinical herbalists, especially those who are members of an organization such as the American Herbalists Guild, have extensive clinical training in anatomy, physiology, and herb-drug interactions, and establish their practice with a standard of competency necessary for offering comprehensive holistic care.
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Once you have booked an herbal consultation, I have the time reserved for you in my schedule exclusively for you. Cancellations made up to 48 hours prior to your appointment will be rescheduled without penalty. If you cancel your appointment less than 48 hours prior to your appointment or do not show up to your appointment, you forfeit this consultation booking and no refunds or rescheduling for that missed appointment will be available. See all additional policies, including our refund policy, by following the link in the footer section below.
