herbeire.ie

Professional Training in Herbal Medicine
The course is designed to prepare the student for clinical practice as a Medical Herbalist in the tradition of Master Herbalism. As such it covers the subject of Herbal Medicine in depth with a particular emphasis on the use of Irish herbs. At the end of the programme a participants is ready to embark on a career as a Master Medical Herbalist. There is a growing demand for this kind of professional service as people return to safer, more effective and less invasive forms of healing.

Most people who take part in this course are mature and often in full time employment, raising a family or both. With this in mind the academic content of the course is delivered entirely through on-line learning allowing for the face-to-face experiences of the student to be entirely dedicated to clinical training.

Clinical training is by far the most important component of any professional training in medicine or natural healing. It allows the student to experience the reality of working in a clinic and dispensing herbal medicines. The School places great emphasis on clinical training and the course is essentially built around the apprenticeship model. Clinical training is provided by the school at its busy herbal clinic at the Old Rectory in Portlaoise and also in Maynooth University Conference and Accommodation Centre.
While most of the course is spent studying herbalism, natural healing protocols, Vitalist Nutrition and detoxification regimes are also covered. Iridology is taught as a natural non invasive diagnostic tool. It is used to suggest a particular healing regime for each patient. This assessment tool points to the key areas of the emotional and physical health of a person that may need attention and suggests specific methods of treatment.
Apart from the required subjects such as plant chemistry, botany and human and clinical sciences as outlined in the modules below, Vitalist nutritional principles or the belief that plant based and living food is optimal for health is central to the teaching of Master Herbalism.
The first two years of the course reflect this ethos and on completion of same students are awarded a Diploma in Iridology and Nutrition.
Extra curricular activities such as herb identification trips are organised each year. This year the school is running its fifth Student trip to Tuscany in Italy to see the largest museum of herbal medicine in Europe. Students also visit an organic herb preparation facility which has eighteen hundred acres of herb growing.

Programme Content


Course Format
The Master Herbalist Programme is part-time. The academic content of the course is entirely delivered on-line. The course is designed with the maximum use of on-line resources including: podcasts, videos and discussion forums. Students are assigned a personal tutor who is in charge of moderating student groups and online activities and is always available to deal with students queries.
Because of the on-line nature of the course delivery attendance at the school’s clinic and at the conference centre in Maynooth is dedicated to the completion of the 600 clinical training hours required by the programme. Each academic year a student is required to attend an average of ten days in the School’s clinic in Portlaoise and three weekends in Maynooth University Conference and Accommodation Centre.



Clinical Training
In first year students visit the working clinic at the school and take part in a multitude of varied tasks such as preparing herbs in different combinations like tinctures, infusions, decoctions, powders and ointments. Students learn the art of case taking and are given an opportunity to interact with patients giving advice as directed by a clinic supervisor. They also observe and support more advanced students treat patient under supervision. At the end of each day of clinical training, students are required to upload a reflective report. This becomes a core element of the assessment of this module. The website serves as a platform for collaborative learning and sharing of experiences between students.
During the following years of the programme students are presented presented with ever more complex cases and challenged to contribute to the creation of a remedy for each patient. The clinical supervisor guides students through the reasoning behind the creation of the treatment protocol.


Qualification
On successful completion of the course, the examination and clinical training students will receive a Licentiate in Master Herbalism from the Irish School of Natural Healing. Graduates can join The Irish Association of Master Medical Herbalists.


Fees
Study fees are €2,850 per year. This includes full clinical training each year.
An optional payment plan is available on request.


Application Procedure
To register for a place on the course applicants should first arrange an interview with the Course Director. Places are allocated based on this interview/discussion during which students can also have further questions answered.


Application Form Download
Download application form here


Next Start Date
  • February 2012
Early application is advised as places are limited.