I volunteered with the Veterans Resiliency Holistic Clinic under HWB from 2017-2022, in addition to private clients. While I stepped away from clinical practice in 2022 to focus on education, clinical aromatherapy is still a big part of the work I do for HWB and managing a donation network where herbal and aromatherapy supplies are prepared, labeled, packaged, and shipped around the US. This work relies on supporting trauma, sleep, anxiety, and other needs while also responding to natural disasters or to underserved communities in need. Health Justice is our focus, and we must continue to learn and expand our knowledge in order to do this work. I make hundreds of aromatherapy products for free clinics each month, and we look to accessibility, ease of use, GRAS, and other inclusive guidelines in making products available to communities. If you are in the Dane County, WI area and are interested in volunteering to help manage our US Donation Distribution network which includes not only growing/harvesting/managing herbs but also managing incoming donations and making products as needed/requested around the US. We manage significant donations every month, and can always use help. Find out more here.
Not all herbalists are aromatherapists. Aromatherapy is a very effective modality that is easy to use, portable, easy to demonstrate, and effective for people. By blending aromatherapy products from donated supplies here at our US Donation Network location, I can blend therapeutic formulations that target specific needs for our communities around the US that are safe and effective. I also share working documents of formulas and recipes so that they are available to all HWB members around the world. As a certified aromatherapist I look to all of the needs of the chapters, clinics, and projects, review our donated supplies, and then blend support for free clinics, community outreach, self-care kits, and more. I also create Make and Take Kits for HWB Coordinators that include containers, carriers, essential oil blends, herbs, instructions, and sheets with the actions and energetics of the essential oils and herbs.
In my home we have neurodiversity, disability, and LGBTQIA2+ folks, so those topics are close to our heart and our commitment to make herbalism and aromatherapy truly inclusive and accessible to all, not just abled folks.