who we are

mary blueMary Blue, Founder of Farmacy
Activist, Herbalist, Community Organizer
Mary facilitates a 5-month herbal education and training program for budding herbalists and offers classes and workshops to gardening, senior and special interest groups and organizations. From 2004- 2008 she was the Practicing Herbalist, Education Coordinator at Seven Arrows Herb Farm. She is now the Director and Practicing Herbalist of Farmacy Herbs and continues to leads herbal education classes at Farmacy.

Over the last 12 years she has taught numerous free garden, nutrition and herbal workshops to children and high school students in Providence. She is a founding member of  the following community groups:  The Annual Northeast Grassroots Community Herbal Convergence, Providence Recycle-A- Bike and The Northeast Radical Healthcare Network, Radherb (radherb.org).

Over the last 10 years she has focused on gleaning experience from herbalists in a professional and informal setting.  From 1999-2002 she acquired three years of herbal experience and knowledge at Indigo Herbals, an herb shop in Providence RI. In 2004, she started her career as a Community Herbalist at Seven Arrows and currently sells a line of specialized medicinal tinctures and teas at Farmers Markets and local stores.

mary and tonyShe has been a student of many wonderful herbalists while attending Sage Mountains advanced program in 2006 and works to support the Northeast herbal community by attending herbal conferences and organizing The Northeast Community Herbalist convergence.  In 2006-07 she volunteered in New Orleans as an herbalist in the clinics, farmer in the gardens and kitchen worker.

She has been awarded The Northeast Herbal Association Community Herbalist Award, 2008, for her dedication and commitment to the herbal community (northeastherbal.org).

Antonio Kaminski is the Farmacy bicycle mechanic, gardener and aspiring herbalist. He is a native Rhode Islander, and you can find him in the garden, working on bikes, or at the farmers' market!

Our Current Practitioners

Find out more about the specialties and backgrounds of the practitioners that work with Farmacy Herbs.

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Anna Rogers, Licensed Massage Therapist and Herbalist Anna uses an integrative approach to massage. Deep tissue, sport injury, detoxification are all great reasons to call Anna. To make an appointment with Anna, call 401-480-0803

Elizabeth Truskoski, Herbalist, Reiki Practitioner and Holistic Health Educator
Beth has been studying herbal medicine and nutrition for over 10 years, receiving training from various community herbalists in informal and formal settings. She has been an organizer for the Northeast Herbal Convergence for the past 3 years. As a Reiki practioner, she focuses on the energetic and spiritual aspects of health and healing.  Beth holds a Masters Degree in Holistic Counseling from Salve Regina. 

In individual holistic health education sessions, she supports people to understand the mind body connection, with a strong emphasis on nutrition. Beth currently works with an organization, Avatar, Inc, supporting adults with disabilities with logistical aspects of their lives while helping them to realize their potential.  Beth brings with her a deep connection to nature, gardening, creative movement and social justice.

Linda Nedderman-Eaton, Herbalist and Holistic Educator
Linda has been studying Holistic Health Education informally and formally for over 20 years.  She has a Certificate of Completion of  "The Science and Art of Herbalism " Course from Sage Mountain Herbal retreat Center in VT, a Certificate of Completion of Christopher Hobbs' "Foundations of Herbalism " Herbal Training Course, and a diploma in Anatomy and Physiology from The School of Natural Healt Sciences in London, UK. 

Linda is currently undertaking further courses related to Holistic Education and Herbalism in order to stay informed and round out her Herbal and Holistic Health and Education Studies.

Wendy Rappaport, BFA Art Education
Aroma therapist, Certified Reflexologist of The Ingham Method of The International School of Reflexology
Completed Level I & II Aromatherapy training with Master Aromatherapist, Barry Kapp of Wisdom of the Earth, Arizona. Sees clients in Charlestown & Wickford. Certified White Belt of The Nia Technique, a Mind, Body, Spirit fusion fitness program for all those who love moving to music.

For more information on Nia & her classes see nianow.com. Member United Plant Savers, NEAH, Apeiron House, The Nature Conservancy. Plants, organic gardening,  ecology, sustainability, holistic design for the home and/or  workspace, belly dancing, yoga, hands-on artistic art projects that soothe the soul.

Pat Hastings, Addiction Therapist, Spiritual Counselor, Support Group Facilitator

Pat has been leading Women's Spirituality retreats and workshops for the past eight years. In her retreats she helps participants find a loving relationship with God through prayer and forgiveness, as well as making peace with the past.

She is a dynamic speaker who recently won a Toastmaster's inspirational speech contest. She is available to give presentations on a variety of spiritual subjects including faith, prayer, self-love, self esteem and manifesting and creating your dream.

She is also a psychotherapist with twenty years of experience, both in private practice and in a local government agency. Her current practice offers spiritual healing/counseling, specializing in women's issues: self esteem, relationships, abuse, grief, divorce and co dependency.

In her recent book, titled Simply a Woman of Faith, she shares her everyday experiences of faith and answered prayer. Whether you are searching for more meaning and purpose in your life or already have strong faith and prayer, her poignant stories will touch you deeply. Whatever your spiritual beliefs are, her stories have a universal message of love, hope and transformation. Pat received her Master's degree at Springfield College in Massachusetts and completed two years at the Spiritual Life Center in R.I. She has been living the spiritual life for over thirty years.

Brett Mayette, BS Level II Reiki Practitioner
Restaurant Consultant offering lectures, workshops & consultations to restaurant owners & their staff on ‘The Psychology of Service.’ Business & Marketing. 32 years experience in the Restaurant business. Organic (market) gardener specializing in eclectic salad mix and edible flowers.

Christian Berg, Pain Management and Meditation

A program originally designed by doctors, A visualization biased form of Bio Feedback to manage our pain and stress and commonly used in the elite athlete training programs.

Relevant Coursework At UMass Amherst:
Human Nutrition & Performance, Medicinal Botany, Chemistry, Physics, Exercise Science, Anatomy (two semesters), Statistics, Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, Social Psychology, Motor Control, Physiology, Exercise Physiology, Measurement & Evaluation, Exercise Testing, Behavior Change, Exercise Injury care and Prevention, Wellness in the Workplace

Experience:
9 Years of daily Practice
5 Years of active Teaching
A life time of Studying

Mary Beth Miller, Horticultural Therapy (www.gardening4good.org)
Mary Beth is the founder of Gardening for Good and is a horticultural therapist, speaker, writer, garden designer and Master Gardener. She is a past two-term member of the national board of the American Horticultural Therapy Association (AHTA) and holds a certificate in horticultural therapy from the Horticultural Therapy Institute, Denver, CO.

In 2005, the Rhode Island State Council of Granges honored Mary Beth as
"Agriculturalist of the Year" for her work in horticultural therapy. Also in 2005, Gardening for Good was cited as "Best Gardening with a Mission" in Rhode Island Monthly magazine's "Best of Rhode Island" Editor's Poll. Since 2004, Gardening for Good has received several awards for its educational outreach garden displays during the Rhode Island Spring Flower and Garden Show including "Best Creative Design" and the People's Choice Award.  Gardening for Good is a partner organization with the Roger Williams Park Botanical Center in Providence, Rhode Island and provides horticultural therapy consultation and services to the Rhode Island Children's Garden Network.

Babs Vitale, RN,
Reiki, Holistic Surgery Prep, Integrative Imagery, Circle of Life Health and Wellness Coaching

Through her Circle of Life and Wellness Coaching, Babs can help you to:
*modify your lifestyle to promote health and overall wellness
*reduce stress with techniques you can weave into your daily routine
*navigate major life choices in a focused and healthy
*break through "stuck" areas of life
*use your strengths effectively
*make skillful life changes and stop guessing what to do next
*break through personal barriers and walk on the path of your preferred future

Holistic Surgery Prep is a five step program that prepares you for surgery or any invasive medical procedure.  Research on this program indicates it helps people to feel calmer before the surgery/ medical procedure, results in a 23-50% reduction use of post operative pain medication and shortens the length of post surgical hospitalization.

Gisela Murrell, M.A. CAGS, Holistic Counselor, Flower Essence Consultant, and Ordained Minister(www.theintegralpath.net)

Gisela holds a Masters degree in Holistic Counseling and a CAGS in Mental Health Counseling, both from Salve Regina University in Newport. Further certifications include EMDR (part 2), Past-Life Therapy Professional Training Certification by Dr. Brian & Carol Weiss, and a three month intensive training and work experience in Bild-und Gestalt Therapy (BGT) at the Forum Gilching for Holistic Psychotherapy in Munich, Germany. She is currently working towards her licensure as a clinical therapist (LMHC) in Rhode Island.

Gisela works with any kind of life challenges & transitions such as trauma reactions, chronic pain / illness & somatic symptoms, cancer, relationship problems, emotional overwhelm, anxiety, and grief. She specializes in in-utero and early childhood trauma. In Flower Essence Consultations and Holistic Counseling sessions, she takes a step away from traditional 'talk' therapy and the contemporary medical model of diagnosing and fixing.

Through the integration of holistic modalities, we focus on establishing a healthier body-mind-spirit balance and finding your sense of well-ness in a safe space. Her approach to this process evolved from her personal experience and supervised training in a variety of different techniques and teachings. Those include the Expressive Arts, Authentic Movement, Dreamwork, Energy Healing Modalities, Bach Flower Essences Therapy, Meditation, Guided Imagery, Shamanism, Systems Theory, Past Life Regression Therapy, (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), BGT, Gestalt, and Psychotherapy.

 

Farmacy volunteers and supporters are many!

Alex Svoboda, Dave Baily, Jimmy Hastings, Tony Kaminski, Bridgette Dopazzo, Rachel Silver, Jen Clifford, Kelly Nichols, Kathy, Alana, Christie Moulton, Linda Hazinski, Hayden, Jenn Baumstien, Joanie, CJ, Michelle, Ann, Ariel, Vanessa Jones, Maria, Amber Shultz, Amanda, Kim Trenholm, Steve, Linda Nedderman- Eaton, Katrina Clark, Katie Pasternack, and many more volunteers/ apprentices from the past years have made Farmacy what it is. We would not be doing what we do with out many hands helping plant, weed, cut lables, make tea, tinctures, salves, cut lables and cut lables!

Thank to everyone who has volunteered here for a day, a few hours or two years!