Formal Qualifications
- Bachelor of Chinese Medicine (Chinese Herbs & Acupuncture) Honours, Victoria University, Melbourne, 2008
- Internship Shangdong University Hospital, Shangdong, China 2007
- Diploma of Health (Shiatsu & Oriental Therapies), Australian Shiatsu College, 1997
- Bachelor of Arts, University of New England, 1994
Further education: includes
- Pregnancy, birth and post-partum with classical Chinese herbs
- Sharon Weizenbaum’s Complete pregnancy course using Chinese herbs
- Graduate Mentorship with Sharon Weizenbaum
- Heather Bruce’s Painless Pregnancy Course, Living Ligaments I, Avoiding and repairing C-Sections
My story
After completing my Arts degree with a major in psychology, I started post graduate studies, however it dawned on me that the medical framework in which I was studying did not sit well for me. I started searching for a healing modality that resonated with me. That was Chinese medicine where the body, emotions and spirit were one and cannot be separated into parts. That is when I started studying Shiatsu, Chinese medicine, meditation and 5 element qi gung. During this time I embarked on a deep healing and spiritual journey as a Buddhist practitioner. This journey really helped me understand how our thoughts and emotions have a profound effect on our physical health.
In my 30’s I started studying acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine.
My children were born with an emergency C-section about a year after graduating. I am a mother to twin boys who are now nine years old.
I lived in Bali for a number of years, working at Yayasan Bumi Sehat, a natural birthing centre.
We had a community acupuncture and herbal clinic there and I was giving healthcare to newborn, children, fertility couples, pregnant women and all the way through to palliative care. It was a deep learning curve and I was often researching how to help patients as I sometimes felt out of my depth. It was sink or swim.
I remember when I was asked to run the paediatric clinic as all the other practitioners were away.
My response was I have only learned it in theory, I have no practical experience and I was told – well now is the time to gain experience!
My time in Bali was an enriching experience . My children came to the clinic and created lots of mischief running around and charming the midwives, nurses and other staff.
Since returning to Australia to live, again I have been pushed out of my comfort zone yet again and have now set up a clinic in Redcliffe, north of Brisbane.
Why I became a Gentling Way Practitioner
I was interested in learning Mayan abdominal massage, and I had a couple of treatments with Heather which I loved. She has woven into her treatments, healing techniques from different traditional societies as well as acupuncture and lymphatic drainage. This coupled with Mayan abdominal massage which readjusts the ligaments of the uterus and adhesion breaking helped with my C-section scar and I instantly felt taller and freer. They were simple techniques that can have profound effect on the quality of peoples lives.
One of the things I really love about the Gentling Way is that the responsibility to heal is in your hands, not the practitioner. Not only do you receive treatment to correct the imbalances that is causing suffering, you also learn self care techniques that you take home and continue the healing/wellness journey in your own home.