The pre-requisites for this course are our Family Herbalist program and our Community Herbalist program. Together, that's over 400 instructor hours, in addition to self-study and homework.

Once you have completed these two programs, you'll take the exam at the end and schedule your session to go over your exam with Ryn and Katja together. Then you will be invited to join the Clinical Herbalist program.

If you have already studied herbalism through another school, and you would like to join the Clinical Herbalist program, there is an exam to complete before enrolling in the program - this is the same exam that our students take at the end of the Community Herbalist program, so that you know you are moving ahead fully prepared to succeed.

Please read this entire page before requesting the transfer exam.

If you have completed a program that is similar to the Family Herbalist and Community Herbalist, with:

• a similar number of instructor hours (that means time where a teacher is actually teaching in person or by video, and does not include self-study, reading time, homework, experiments, etc),
• a specific focus on clinical perspectives in the work
• a vitalist paradigm - ie, the program places equal priority on holistic interventions such as sleep, food, movement, and stress as well as herbs
• a deep understanding of herbal energetics and actions, tissue states, and constitutions and the ability to formulate specific to a person's constitution
• a thorough understanding of working with food allergies, sensitivities, and intolerances and how they apply to various pathologies
• a core understanding of anatomy and physiology

we invite you to ask for the transfer exam!

Schools like Colorado School of Clinical Herbalism, NAIMH, VCIH, or ArborVitae may prepare you to pass the transfer exam, as these schools have curriculums and philosophies of practice similar to our own.

If you have studied at other schools, you have certainly learned material that will help you in your herbal practice, but you may not have learned to practice in the same way that we do.

Because our Clinical Herbalist program assumes that you are already able to help people with the skills and methods we teach in the Community Herbalist program, and because throughout the program, we refer frequently to material from Community Herbalist and Family Herbalist without reviewing it, you really do need to have a clear understanding of the way that we do that work in order to succeed in the Clinical Herbalist program.

If you have taken self-study programs such as Sage Mountain, Herbal Academy, Chestnut, or Centre of Excellence, then you might feel comfortable skipping the Family Herbalist program and starting with the Community Herbalist program, but you won't be ready to move directly to Clinical Herbalist. Please do not request the transfer exam.

These programs give you a great introduction to herbalism and help you to decide whether this is something you want to pursue more deeply, and although they will not have prepared you to pass the transfer exam, they are a vital part of your journey in herbalism and getting you to this point!

If you have taken one of these programs, or if you have learned herbalism through self study, you will be best served to start your clinical education in the Community Herbalist program.

If you’re not sure what the best starting point would be for you, just ask! We're happy to help guide you.

If you would like to enroll in the Clinical Herbalist program and you have NOT completed the Family Herbalist program and the Community Herbalist program,

But you have attended CSCH, NAIMH, VCIH, or ArborVitae, and completed at least 400 hours of their curriculum,

please send us an email and ask for the transfer exam.

This is the same exam that we give our own students at the end of the Community Herbalist program - once you complete the exam, we'll talk together about the path that will best serve your needs.

If you would like to enroll in the Clinical Herbalist program and you have NOT completed the Family Herbalist program and the Community Herbalist program,

But you HAVE NOT attended CSCH, NAIMH, VCIH, or ArborVitae,

your best course of action is to start with the Community Herbalist program, or the Family + Community program at the same time.

We spend a lot of time with our students and we want you to be successful! For this reason, we do not allow students to enroll in the Clinical Herbalist program until they have completed the exam and we have met together with you (via web conference) to discuss your path. If you look through the exam and it is more advanced than your training has prepared you for, don't worry! We cover all of that material in the Community Herbalist program.