Willow Creek uses a nursing model as opposed to a typical medical model of care, which means the practitioners are not just diagnosing and then treating, but looking at the whole equation of your life and what may be causing issues. This is based on things like your diet, lifestyle, stress level, and more. They even offer evening appointment times on Wednesdays so women who work during the day don’t have to take time off to receive care.

“I think that’s why we’ve grown,” Poirier said. “Women come in for a problem, but we take the time to look into all pieces of their life, not just that single diagnosis.”

“Willow Creek’s appointment times are also longer than your average medical appointments, allowing practitioners to build relationships of trust and collaboration,” said Willow Creek practitioner, Allison Wilson.

Since moving into their new office in River Prairie Wellness Center in May of this year, a new nurse practitioner, Amy Marvin, and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Wendy Brousseau-Anderson, have joined the team to be able to give a more well-rounded experience for women.

“To be able to combine and collaborate with a mental health right in the same building has been the goal for most primary care practitioners,” Poirier said.

“It has been great to be able to collaborate with them on the therapy side of things while they work on the medication end,” said Brousseau-Anderson.

The process of receiving mental health care has become very fragmented with providers trying to piece together what’s happening in therapy and with medication, so having a therapist on their team has helped fix that system.

The Willow Creek team is also very passionate about educating Chippewa Valley women about their health, which is why they often hold informational classes and support groups for different populations of women. These include classes on post-partum readiness, menopause, migraines, life balance, and more.

“Education is a huge piece of the puzzle of how we take care of women,” Poirier said. “We all kind of feel like we’re teachers more than anything. We educate about what a certain diagnosis is, what the different treatment options are, and how diet, exercise, and other lifestyle components are important.”

Whether you are in for a checkup or hoping to address some other health concerns, Willow Creek Women’s Clinic wants to be a place where women know their voices and concerns will be heard and taken very seriously.

“It’s another option for women in the area,” Poirier said. “We want to give women a chance to explore a different kind of care that may resonate better with them. I think the more options and opportunities we have for people to choose what type of care best meets their needs, it’s all the better.”