Althea Northage-Orr
MA,RH, CST, L.Ac
Althea began her practice in 1981 after completing her professional training as an Oriental Manipulative Therapist at the Midwest College for the Study of Oriental Medicine. She subsequently went on to complete a degree in Acupuncture and began her practice in 1984. She has numerous certifications in bodywork (Structural Therapy, CranialSacral Therapy, Masters Method of Psychophysical Reeducation), psychotherapy (Gestalt Institute, Hakomi Institute) and recently completed her Yoga Teacher Certification with Yoga Now. Currently she practices as an herbalist, acupuncturist, body worker and functional nutritionist.
In 2000 she founded the Chicago College of Healing Arts which operated for fifteen years, a school dedicated to teaching clinical herbal medicine and numerous other healing arts. She has served two terms on the governing council of the American Herbalists Guild, and was on their committee for admission to professional membership for over a decade. A passionate gardener, Althea also operates Glastonbury, an 80 acre United Plant Savers Botanical Sanctuary. She maintains a busy clinical practice in Chicago, where she also hosts and teaches classes about health and healing.
Jane C Woodcock
BA, CST
Structural Therapy and Movement Re-Education.
Julissa Gillig
Pharmacy Director, Clinical Herbalist, Teaching Assistant
Julissa Gillig is an herbalist, medicine maker and educator based in Chicago. She began studying herbal medicine in 2017 and completed her studies in clinical herbalism in 2019 under Althea Northage-Orr. She currently assists Althea in teaching her Alchemical Herbalism Course and runs the CCPH pharmacy. Julissa teaches a monthly herbal crafting workshop at Reprise Roasters in Evanston IL.
Completing her BFA from SAIC in 2017 Julissa came to herbalism as an art form and views medicine making as a creative practice. She worked under distiller Brian Harper of Toms Town Distilling learning the basics of distillation and exploring a hands-on interest in alchemy. From 2019-2024 she co-hosted many experiential wellness events and workshops through therapy practice Sacred Psyche.
In 2020 she began practicing herbalism as an act of radical care for communities that face stigmatization. During the covid pandemic she worked at Midtown Kava as an herbalist and made home deliveries to impacted communities. From 2020-2022 Julissa worked with the MO Ho Justice Coalition through the ACLU of MO to provide herbal medicine support to trans and sex working communities. She hosted the Every Woman show on KKFI monthly from 2021-2023 educating the public on herbal medicine and uplifting the voices of people in the healing arts practices of greater Kansas City, MO.
Julissa is CPR and first aid certified, along with a certificate in Layperson Naxolone Adminitration Education.
LeeAnn Lodder
LMT, CST
Massage and Structural Therapy