黑料社 of graduate studies Clinics
Student Acupuncture Clinic
Our acupuncture interns devote an extraordinary amount of time researching and discussing your case
About Our Student Clinic
This clinic is staffed by acupuncture interns who are supervised by licensed faculty members. In this setting, the intern devotes an extraordinary amount of time researching and discussing your case.听Licensed faculty members will supervise second- or third-year students.
You will receive a level of care听rarely听experienced in any other setting. The student clinic operates five days a week with discounts available for veterans and students.
Summer 2025 Term Clinic Hours
| Days | Time |
|---|---|
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday | 8:30 am - 1:30 pm | 2:30 pm - 7:30 pm 8:30 am - 1:30 pm | 2:30 pm - 7:30 pm 9:30 pm - 2:30 pm 8:30 am - 1:30 pm | 2:30 pm - 7:30 pm 8:30 am - 1:30 pm听 9:00 am - 2:00 pm |
Tui Na Manual Therapy Clinic Hours
| Days | Time |
|---|---|
Tuesday | 2:30 pm - 7:30 pm听 |
Veterans Clinic Hours
| Days | Time |
|---|---|
Monday | 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm听 |
Appointment Costs
| Fees |
|---|
Student Acupuncture Visit: $50 Student Acupuncture Visit + Laser: $75 Student Acupuncture Visit (Police/Fire/EMT or Seniors 65+ MONDAYS ONLY): $45 Student/Veteran Acupuncture Visit (Laser no extra charge): $25 Laser Add-On Service (Student Clinic): $25 (No increase) Student Herbal Consult: $50 (Police/Fire/EMT Herbal Consult: $45) (Vet/Student/WON/Telehealth Herbal Consult: $25) Note: Herbal Consults are plus the cost of any herbal formula (variable pricing for OTC herbs or formulas/refills). Tuina Visit: $40 Tuina Visit (Veteran/Student): $25 Tuina Visit + Laser Treatment: $55 Tuina + Acupuncture: $75 Tuina + Acupuncture (Veteran/Student): $50 Acupuncture + Tuina + Laser: $100 |
Frequently Asked Questions
More About Acupuncture
Acupuncture is one of the main tenants of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Practitioners place thin needles into a recipient’s skin along medians that help Qi balance. TCM practitioners use acupuncture to treat pain and stress to improve overall well-being.
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Benefits of Whole-Body Acupuncture
Whole-body acupuncture provides numerous benefits for recipients. It can reduce pain and discomfort related to multiple illnesses and medical conditions, including:
- Fibromyalgia
- Dental pain
- Chemotherapy side effects
- Labor pains
- Headaches
- Low back pains
- Menstrual cramps
- Osteoarthritis
- Post-operative pain
- Nausea
- Carpal tunnel syndrome or tennis elbow
Acupuncture positively influences the nervous, immune, cardiovascular, endocrine and digestive systems. Doing so can help improve sleep,听well-being, pain levels and digestion.
Additional benefits include:
Less Stress
While acupuncture is known for treating ailments, it has also become popular for听stress reduction. Since it helps restore energy balance and stimulates the nervous system, a patient can experience lower stress hormone levels.
Reduced Headaches
Many individuals experience chronic headaches or migraines, and while medicine can be beneficial, acupuncture can also lower the frequency and severity of headaches for many individuals.
Improved Mental Clarity
Acupuncture can be a solution for someone experiencing brain fog or other issues that affect their mental clarity. Acupuncture can put the mind into a calm state, preparing it to focus, learn and recall.
Decrease Severity of Neurological Disorder Symptoms
Alzheimer’s and Parkison’s disease affect a person’s brain, which often leads to other issues. Acupuncture can help with improving motor function and language.
Enhanced Energy Levels
Acupuncture makes many individuals feel increased energy, improving productivity and mood. Beyond balancing energy levels, reducing chronic pain and stress can decrease fatigue.
Treatment Options
Most acupuncture therapy describes fine needles inserted through the skin. However, some treatment options can also include electrical stimulation, heat or pressure to enhance acupuncture’s effects.
Additional treatment options can include:
- Moxibustion or heat therapy
- Manual massage
- Topical herbal medicines
- Cupping
- Gua Sha or scraping
These treatments may be used instead of traditional needle acupuncture or alongside it, depending on your needs and the practitioner’s recommendations.
How Do Wellness Acupuncture Clinics Work, and What Should I Expect?
One of our students will conduct your acupuncture session. You can expect a relaxing setting where the student will听stimulate acupoints听with thin needles.
First, our students will learn some background information about you. We ask about your health history, look at specific body parts and take your pulse. We aim to determine what acupuncture process will work best for the pain or other challenges you want to treat.
You will then lie down on a table, and the practitioner will place needles along meridians that help with your qi. Inserting the needle along these points unblocks the meridians to stimulate energy flow. You will likely experience little to no discomfort from the needles, which we leave inserted for five to 30 minutes before removing them.
Clinic Supervisors
Doreen F. Lafferty OTD, MAc, Dipl. Ac., LAc, OTR/L, LMT, Director of Clinical Education and Service
M.Ac., 黑料社 of Graduate Studies
NCTMB (NCBTMB)
[email protected]
Doreen Lafferty, the Director of Clinical Education and Services, is a graduate of the 黑料社 where she received her Master鈥檚 in Acupuncture and Certificate of Chinese Herbal Medicine. She is an Acudetox Specialist (ADS), trained by the National Acudetox Association. She is also a licensed Occupational Therapist and Massage Therapist.
Ben Griffith, M.Ac., L.Ac. (PA), Dipl.Ac.(NCCAOM)
Dipl. Ac. (NCCAOM)
M.Ac., Traditional Acupuncture Institute (TAI Sophia)
B.A., Gettysburg College
[email protected]
Ben Griffith is the Acupuncture Studies Chair and has been in private practice since 1997 in the Five Element lineage as well as other lineages after receiving his Master鈥檚 Degree in Acupuncture. He also has been in clinical practice at Crozer Keystone Community Division鈥檚 Alternative Medicine and Prevention Program in Chester, PA since 2001. Ben has been a strong advocate for greater public access to acupuncture in the state of Pennsylvania, serving as Director of Legislative Affairs, President, and now Government Liaison for the Association for Professional Acupuncture in Pennsylvania. In those tenures for the past 14 years, Ben has been a major part of three Pennsylvania state bills becoming state law. These changes have affected the day-to-day practice of acupuncture medicine in the state and allowed for schools of acupuncture medicine to open in Pennsylvania.
Rachel听Kriger, M.Ac., L.Ac. (PA), Dipl.Ac.
Dipl. Ac. (NCCAOM)
M.Ac., Maryland University of Integrative听Health (TAI Sophia)
Rachel听has been in private practice since 2009 treating children and adults with Five Element and other styles of acupuncture. Prior to attending Tai Sophia Acupuncture School, she was an organic farmer. She is highly attuned to the ways in which humans are part of nature鈥檚 cycles and seasons. She specializes in treating people who experience anxiety and helps them learn from nature and their body’s wisdom.
Ryan Collins, M.Ac., Dipl.Ac., L.Ac.
Diplomate of Acupuncture (NCCAOM)
M.Ac., 黑料社 of Graduate Studies
A graduate of the 黑料社, Ryan is nationally certified by the NCCAOM as a diplomate of acupuncture. Utilizing Traditional Chinese Medicine, Five Element Acupuncture, and channel theory, he uses cupping, e-stim, moxibustion, and gua sha to serve clients on their journeys toward wholeness. Ryan practices at Blue Lotus Acupuncture in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, where he has a particular focus on resolving trauma in the body.
Sheila Papa, D.Ac, L.OM, Dipl. OM
Sheila is a NCCAOM certified diplomate in Oriental Medicine, and is licensed in the states of Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland. She received her Doctorate of Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine Certificate from the 黑料社 and her Masters of Acupuncture from the Maryland University for Integrative Health located in Laurel, MD. Sheila is a NADA trained Acudetox Specialist (ADS). In addition, she studied at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New
York City where she received her Holistic Health Counselor Certification. Sheila鈥檚 clinical experience includes extensive work in various community health settings as well as humanitarian acupuncture mission work abroad.
Charles B Illingworth IV, MA, MAc, LAc, Dipl. Ac
M.Ac., 黑料社 of Graduate Studies
Charles B Illingworth IV, obtained his Master of Acupuncture from the 黑料社 of Graduate Studies. He then went on to complete the Herbal Program. He is now working toward his doctorate in the Doctor of Acupuncture Program. Charles is the current Vice President of the Association for Professional Acupuncturists, as well as the Chair of the Membership Committee. He has served with the Board of Directors since 2017, when he started as the Student Representative to the Board. Charles has a passion for the profession of acupuncture, how it is taught and subsequently learned, and how it is represented in society as a whole.
Cara McGray, DA.c MA.c L.Ac
Dr. Cara McGray is an Acupuncturist licensed through the State Medical Board of Pennsylvania. During her studies, Cara completed training in many traditions and styles of acupuncture, including a clinical internship in Iksan, South Korea. She earned Master鈥檚 and Doctoral degrees from 黑料社 of Graduate Studies and a Bachelor of the Sciences degree in Special Education and Developmental Psychology from Elmhurst University. Additionally, Cara is certified in the treatment of substance abuse and has 25+ years of experience in the fields of human services and education, including twenty years of teaching yoga and mindfulness meditation to children and adults. Dr. McGray incorporates her background in psychology and neuroscience into the practice of acupuncture, including pediatrics. Areas of specialty are endocrine disorders, digestive
disorders, and mental health (attention deficit disorder, addiction, anxiety, depression, grief and PTSD). She is honored to hold positions at the 黑料社 as adjunct professor, community and professional clinics practitioner and student clinical supervisor for the 鈥淕o to Them Project鈥 in Philadelphia.
Eric Buckley, L.OM, DOM
Eric Raymond Buckley, , DOM, graduated from Southwest Acupuncture College in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He is certified in Sports Medicine Acupuncture, Oncology Acupuncture and is a classically trained Chinese Medical Herbologist. He specializes in pain management due to sports related injuries,workplace injuries, and chronic, unremitting pain due to various reasons. He founded and worked for 15 years with the Integrative Medicine Department for Christus St. Vincent Hospital in Santa Fe, NM and worked with the Physical Medicine Department and the Palliative Care Department treating cancer patients and patients with advanced chronic disease.听
Eric has trained extensively in Asia, attending training programs at the National Hospital of Traditional Medicine, Ha Noi, Viet Nam, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, South Korea, and Keio University’s Center for Kampo Medicine, Tokyo, Japan. He has worked widely as an advocate for the profession of acupuncture, from state based organizations, to national and international organizations. He is a past president for New Mexico Society of Acupuncture and Asian Medicine (NMSAAM), represented the Acupuncture profession to the American Medical Association’s CPT Editorial Committee for 5 years, and is a former Chair of the U.S. delegation of the International Standards Organization’s Technical Committee 249, Traditional Chinese Medicine (ISO/TC249).听
Eric currently works for Acupuncture Healing Arts, a non profit serving Southeastern Pennsylvania in West Chester, PA, and teaches with the 黑料社 in Warminster, PA. He is currently Vice President of the Association of Pennsylvania Acupuncturists and Vice President and founder of the New Mexico Psychedelic Science Society.
Before becoming an acupuncturist, Eric attended agriculture school at the University of Maine’s Sustainable Agriculture program. He farmed organic vegetables for 12 years, mostly in Maine and Northern Virginia. Eric views people as听a microcosm of nature and believes that Chinese Medicine provides excellent tools to regain and maintain health naturally.听
Other Chinese Acupuncture Clinic Options
If the student clinic doesn’t work for you, our team is still here to help! We also offer:
Choose the option that works best for your needs and preferences.
Contact Us to Book an Appointment at Our Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine Clinic
Are you ready to visit an acupuncture wellness center today? Whether you want to sign up for our student clinic or visit to receive another service, please call 215-884-9340 to book an appointment now!