FOR PRACTITIONERS, TEACHERS & SEEKERS OF DEPTH
Teaching & Mentorship
Teaching Rooted in Presence
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The longer I practice, the more I see that skill isn’t what makes a great practitioner — presence is.
When you can listen, stay oriented, and respond from the living body of knowledge within you, treatment becomes art.
My teaching isn’t about memorizing techniques or systems; it’s about developing the capacity to meet what’s right in front of you.
I teach presence first, then protocol.
Most of the time, we begin with a Cocoa Chat to ensure we’re a good fit to journey together.
PHILOSOPHY OF STUDY
Learning as Relationship
Study is a living thing. It’s not about gathering information but growing a relationship with medicine itself — with the body, with the plants, and with the principles that organize all life.
Every class, practicum, and mentorship is an invitation to slow down, to perceive more fully, and to translate what you see into effective, compassionate care.
I teach what I practice: clarity, strategy, and the art of listening.
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in-person practicum study
The Heart in the Clinic
An intimate 3-day practicum (November 7–9, 2025, Cary, NC) limited to 6 participants. We refine strategy, pulses, needling, and long-view treatment plans across the five channel systems.
19 CEUs approved. Returning participants receive a discount.
one-to-one or small group
Mentorship Pathways
Mentorship is, at its heart, a relationship — what I call making medicine together.
It’s a shared journey of refinement, exploration, and transformation — whether your work is clinical, spiritual, or deeply personal.
All mentorship begins with a Cocoa Chat, where we listen for what’s true and clarify which vessel best supports your growth.
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For licensed practitioners and advanced students who wish to deepen their skill, embodiment, and clinical confidence.
We explore cases, treatment strategies, and the long arc of care — working with the five channel systems to refine perception and practice.
This mentorship may unfold as one-to-one study or through small group learning, depending on what best serves your growth.
Options include:
1:1 Mentorship - Making Medicine Together:
a relational, guided mentorship for practitioners or students wanting sustained, personalized support.
Group Mentorship - Classical Chinese Medicine:
a small, six-person circle for shared study, case exploration, and clinical refinement.
Each mentorship container is customized following your Cocoa Chat, with duration and meeting rhythm determined together.
1. Clinical Mentorship
2. Spiritual Mentorship
For those cultivating presence, compassion, and energetic sensitivity — whether in practice, meditation, or life.
Together, we work with Buddhist and Taoist principles to explore how awareness itself becomes medicine.
Spiritual mentorship may take the form of 1:1 sessions or seasonal group gatherings, depending on your experience and readiness.
Occasional Live Offerings:
Meditation Group Mentorship (Live Q&A):
90-minute sessions for inquiry, contemplation, and community.Upcoming Sessions:
Friday, December 19, 2025
(4–5:30 p.m. Eastern, limited to 8 participants)
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3. Personal Health Mentorship
For individuals ready to enter a guided relationship with their own health and healing.
We work together to clarify what your body is saying, create structures of accountability and reflection, and bring conscious choice to your healing process.
These sessions often weave medicine, meditation, and self-cultivation — a practice of coming home to yourself through the language of the body.
“I have been on an accelerated path to awakening under Josephine’s guidance for over a year now. (I had been on that path for many years, but the pace was sluggish.) Josephine’s mysterious combination of direct instruction (from her seemingly bottomless wisdom from various traditions) and her encouragement for me to stay open to my own wisdom is exquisite. Anyone wanting and willing to experience a richer, deeper, more authentic life should meet Josephine Spilka.”
-Peggy, Weaverville, NC
Mentorship often unfolds alongside ongoing study.
If you’d like to explore Chinese medicine, essential oils, or clinical strategy in depth, these courses can complement or precede private mentorship:
The Nectar of Plants — Essential oils as living teachers (30 hours, CEU-approved).
Body Geography — Mapping the five channel systems.
The Three-Legged Vessel — Working with the Primary Channels.
continuing study
Structured Learning for Practitioners
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the next step in your study
Begin the Conversation
If you feel called to deepen your study or mentorship, the first step is the Cocoa Chat — a 45-minute, session where we can listen for what’s true and determine the best vessel for your growth.