Medicine Folk
DayDream Collaborative Clinic yearlong mentorship program
Who are Medicine Folk?
We are medicine folk. And so are you.
DDCC’s yearlong mentorship is a call to community members that are caregivers in their communities, both in professional and non-professional capacities. We acknowledge that care really begins in our own selves, our homes, and in our circles. We acknowledge that our grandparents and their grandparents before them had access to folk medicine that was safe, effective, culturally relevant, and seasonal. We acknowledge that many folk medicine traditions have been lost through genocide, forced enslavement, colonialism, patriarchy, and capitalism. We acknowledge that in western wellness and allopathic medicine, many indigenous and ancient practices have been marketed, gate kept, and sanitized to suit the colonizer perspective.
We acknowledge that some things are lost forever, but we have the capacity to reclaim our inherent need and right to help one another.
This mentorship is a patchwork of healing practices from lineages such as Traditional East Asian Medicine, Yoga, folk traditions throughout the world, and modern day research . As our community grows - we are able to offer more diverse perspective. We need to gather outside of academic institutions to fully explore the lived experience and lineages that have been kept out of the canon of healing practice.
To be a helper is a commitment and a calling. This is not a weekend course that will make you a healer or a master. There is no certification or CEU's. We are the medicine for one another - that knowledge lives in the genetic codes of all living things, both human and more than human.
Let’s spend some time remembering what is possible when we gather with the intention to care for one another.
Journey with us through the wheel of the year and experience the medicine of each season in real time
Mentorship Dates
We meet in person at DayDream Clinic in Beacon one Saturday each month from May 2024-April 2025 (10-5).
Your 2 phone calls are scheduled after registration, and your 4 clinic shifts are scheduled after our first meeting. Please note that the December and April sessions are virtual half days from 10-1.
2024/25 Schedule (Saturdays 10-5):
May 18, June 8th, July 13th, August 10th, September 14th, October 19th, November 16th, December 14th, January 11th, February 8th, March 8th, April 5th
What is included
12 in person full days of lessons and practice
4 supervised clinic shifts where you are able to observe and gain practical skills (value is priceless // this type of supervision is rarely found outside of academic settings)
2 supervision phone calls (30 minutes) at the beginning and middle of the program to set goals, a self care plan, and connect (value $250)
2 free community acupuncture treatments to be used throughout our time together (value $150)
Materials for coursework: Course manual, glass vacuum cup, moxa kit, magnets, ear seeds, and more.
Instructors and Lessons
Medicine Folk will be led by Masha Schmidt, L.Ac Clinic Director at DayDream. She will cover clinical supervision, acupressure, 5 element aromatherapy, magnets, gua sha, cupping, and moxa. She will be joined by various DayDream staff as we delve into topics such as: trauma informed care/healing centered engagement, anti-bias training, flower essences, nervous system regulation, guided meditation, breath practices, propping for constructive rest, Yoga Nidra, ear seeds, working with addictions/harm reduction, managing our own energy + intuition, and many other methods of healing that are relevant at this moment in time.
Time commitment
Over the course of a year - expect to spend one Saturday each month together, along with 4 clinic shifts (3 hours each), and 2 clinic sessions where you are the recipient of care (1 hour each). Also expect two half hour supervision phone calls, and give yourself time to practice your new or refined skills with friends and family members. Reading assignments will be brief but inspiring. (All required and suggested books are available at the clinic.) As we heal from the effects of capitalism and grind culture we understand that sometimes we need more time or special accommodations. We are not machines and neither are you. We will work together to make sure that you are supported.
Investment/Exchange
We have 10 spots available for our mentorship program, 1 is a full scholarship. We encourage folks to apply that would otherwise be unable to participate, particularly those that have been kept out of healing spaces due to discrimination and bias.
The cost of this program reflects our commitment to paying our instructors for their time, the cost of maintaining our clinic, and supplies. We appreciate your investment in our project and our community.
Program cost for the year is $1,980 (or $165 each month) plus a non refundable $100 materials fee. This can be paid in full (with a $99 discount), or as monthly payment of $165 after the $100 deposit and first month session is paid. Included in this fee are the monthly lessons, materials, supervision, individual support, and 2 community clinic sessions to receive care.
Our commitment to you
We offer a supportive space to explore what health and healing looks like - for yourself, your family, and your community. We have space for you celebrate all of your identities. We encourage folks that hold marginalized identities to join us, ask for scholarships, and we honor your lived experience as an entry point to create dialogue and change. We show up for one another with kindness. We create a soft place to learn, ask questions, and find answers that make sense. If you miss a class, we will partner you with a classmate to review what you missed, and focus on those lessons during your clinic shifts. If you miss more than one class, you can contact the instructor about private lessons. Make up lessons will be available with the next cohort in 2025-2026. Our goal is to train change makers in our communities and we will work with you to make that happen.
Is this for me?
Medicine Folk IS for you if:
You are a practitioner in a ‘hands on’ field such as acupuncture, massage, physical therapy, nursing, etc - and would like to gain clinical skills
You are a practitioner or instructor in a ‘hands off’ field such as talk therapy, education, etc - and would like to gain clinical skills
You are a caregiver or community leader and would like to learn how to take better care of yourself and your immediate family/friends/community members
You wish to examine your own complicity in systems of harm and are committed to creating change in yourself and your community
Medicine Folk IS NOT for you if:
You intend to market the clinical skills that we teach outside of your scope of practice
You believe that expertise or mastery can be gained in one year. It is important to us that you understand that the mentorship process is a commitment to lifelong learning and mastery is gained over time and with experience.
You are not ready to sit with the discomfort as we examine the extent to which we are all complicit in systems of harm.
