Berns's first professional incarnation was as an elementary teacher in New Brunswick and Northwest Territories, Canada. After 12 years of being in front of the classroom his focus shifted to psychotherapeutic group work. He studied various humanistic approaches and bodywork at PD Seminars, then earned a Masters degree from the University of Victoria in 1995. He has worked as a mental health therapist for a non-profit community agency, providing short term therapy to adults, training and supervising volunteers, and supervising graduate students. Berns also has a private practice. Somatic Experiencing entered his life in 2000 and has since been a major focus in his professional orientation. He completed the SE Touch Training for Psychotherapists and finds that incorporating SE bodywork/touch has deepened his experience and strengthened the impact of the therapeutic process. Early in this learning process Berns was privileged to be part of a gifted training team working with First Nations peoples on Vancouver Island. "The depth of the trauma and commitment to change foreshadowed the transformation through the healing process. I am grateful and humbled to have witnessed this. They reinforced how organic somatic work is, the power of connection, and the necessity of embodying the full range of life's energy. Collaboration and connection is key. We are not meant to go-it alone." Berns continues to marvel at, and be awed by, the continuous richness Somatic Experiencing offers...

Tracey has a Somatic Experiencing & Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy practice in Melbourne with a focus on both shock and developmental trauma symptoms. Her passionate interest in the cause and effects of trauma in the body led Tracey to enhance her trauma resolution skills by qualifying as a SE practitioner in 2009. This, plus additional qualifications in Natural Nutrition, Facial Reflexology, Emotional Freedom Technique and Brain Spotting have deepened further her understanding of the holistic nature of complementary healing and the body/mind relationship. SE based courses attended with Dr. Peter Levine include Working with Syndromes, Trauma and Memory, The Polyvagal Theory, Working with Diaphragms, The Eye of the Needle (near death states) and Depression, Aggression, Triumph & Breath. She has also completed both the Touch Skills for Trauma and Somatic Resilience after Early Trauma body-based courses with Kathy Kain, the NARM developmental trauma training with Dr. Larry Heller, the ISP Integrated Somatic Psychotherapy training with Raja Selvam and Aline La Pierre’s Neuro Affective Touch. Tracey is currently undertaking Diane Poole Heller’s DARe Attachment training As well as assisting on all the SE Professional Trainings in Australia, she was previously a tutor assistant on a Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy training. Tracey enjoys sharing her diverse experience and knowledge to support and encourage students throughout the training process.

Camille is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Somatic Experiencing Practitioner.  As a survivor of trauma herself and after years of raising her mentally ill son, Camille became a social worker to both further her own journey of healing and recovery and to help facilitate others to heal.   Her personal work with Somatic Experiencing began in 2007 when she wanted to deepen her own healing and growth.  As this experience changed her life, Camille began training with Steve Hoskinson and has also gone on to complete Steve’s Organic Intelligence Master classes. Camille has assisted for all levels of SE trainings, is a session provider for all levels and has assisted for; Steve Hoskinson, Joshua Sylvae, Ariel Giarretto, Berns Galloway and Kathy Kain.   Camille believes deeply in the body’s capacity to heal itself and utilises a very gentle and compassionate approach whilst working; meeting each individual where they are. Camille works at Sierra Tucson, a residential treatment centre in Tucson, Arizona which helps others towards healing who suffer with symptoms of PTSD, complex and developmental trauma. She also specialises in addiction and mood disorders.

Catherine has worked as a body-oriented and expressive arts therapist in Vancouver for over 25 years. She currently works in private practice, does supervision in an Expressive Arts Therapy program, and is a faculty member at a personal growth centre. For many years she was a school counsellor and teacher educator. Catherine has studied Dance/Movement Therapy, Process Work, Emotion-Focused Couples’ Therapy and other body-oriented and Jungian modalities. Currently she works mostly with developmental trauma and attachment difficulties, especially as they appear in clients experiencing loss, chronic illness, stress, and spiritual issues.   She completed the SE training in 2004, and since then has assisted at many SE trainings in Canada, the U.S., Asia, Australia, and India, including Diane Poole Heller’s Somatic Attachment Training & Experience. She has taken and assisted at Kathy Kain’s Touch Training for Psychotherapists, and also completed  Somatic Resilience and Regulation with Kathy and Stephen Terrell. Catherine brings a spirit of curiosity and play to her sessions, and finds that SE integrates well with her passion for meditation, movement, and the natural world. She is happy to be a part of the Auckland team and looks forward to supporting your learning in whatever way she can.

Katie is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Licensed Professional Counsellor, Somatic Experiencing Practitioner and a Bodywork and Somatic Education for Trauma Therapists Practitioner in private practice in Chapel Hill, NC. She works with diverse, complex issues affecting couples, adults, adolescents, and families and has extensive experience with survivors of interpersonal violence, sexual assault/abuse, and rape. For 3 ½ years she was the Deaf Services Counsellor (conducting sessions in ASL) at SafePlace in Austin, TX – a nationally recognised agency providing services to survivors of violence. Chronic pain, medical trauma, and motor vehicle accidents are struggles common to many of her clients. Katie’s led an eclectic life and had several careers before becoming a psychotherapist. Her journey has deepened her appreciation for the unexpected, its lows and highs, and how it impacts who we become. These past careers include professional musical theatre performer (ages 12-24), working with managers and agents for actors, personal assistant for an actor and later to a director, professional songwriter and demo singer, and American Sign Language Interpreter. At heart, Katie is an advocate for those who lack a voice in our society and in our world. This is the ultimate healing that needs to take place – to create a world where everyone has a seat at the table.

Sage offers intuitive, collaborative and skilled SE sessions to support shifts, transformation and deepening into the heart and the body’s deepest alignment.  Sage is an SE Trauma Institute Basics Provider and has been utilising SE since 2006 as a bodyworker, craniosacral therapist, workshop facilitator and yoga teacher.  Sage has built on 11 years of body-based practice with a wide-variety of clients, student and colleagues to assist deep change and inspire evolution.  Sage comes to SE with a passion for social justice, always exploring about how to apply trauma modalities to collective healing.  In particular Sage has recently completed Francesca Mason Boring’s facilitator training Family and Systemic Constellations.  Sage taught workshops in Cork Ireland and Portland Maine on somatics, resonance, embodiment and healing.  Sage also recently co-wrote curriculum and facilitated a ten week SE research based psycho-educational group application with the transgender community, the paper will be published in early 2018. 

Taruno has been in private practice for 25+ years as a psychotherapist where he enjoys working with individuals and couples as well as providing supervision to allied and mental health professionals. With a background in mindfulness meditation, Taruno is certified as an International Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counsellor, a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, certified Sex Addiction Therapist (Patrick Carnes CSAT), Bessel van der Kolk’s Trauma Stress Studies, Kathy Kain’s Touch Skill Trauma Training, Pia Mellody’s PIT model, David Berceli’s TRE-Trauma Tension Release Exercise Practitioner and many master class trainings with Peter Levine. He has worked many years at the world renowned residential addiction and trauma treatment facility, The Meadows of Wickenburg, Arizona. There he specialised in addiction and trauma resolution with respect to sexual compulsivity, love addiction, addiction interaction, attachment and family of origin issues. Taruno is humbled and amazed at the depth of awakening and clarity that often surfaces during a session. He loves being a part of a process that moves beyond cognitive understanding to insight, wisdom and organic healing. In his free time Taruno enjoys traveling, fly fishing, hiking and mountain biking and hanging with his beloved wife and doggies!

Yarn has worked for over 20 years in public health and works from a human rights framework. She currently works in a teaching and supervision role in creative art therapy at MIECAT as well as running a small private practice. Her career began as a health worker at the Kirketon Road Center in 1994; one of the first needle exchanges and primary health centres established in Australia. Enjoying the complexity, rawness and challenge of the work, Yarn re-trained in social work and has since worked primarily with adults contending with difficult life circumstances such as: homelessness, addiction, developmental trauma, enduring mental illness, sexual assault and family violence. Over the last 8 years Yarn worked as Drug and Alcohol Counsellor in St Kilda. Yarn also holds a Masters in Creative and Experiential Arts Therapy. She has an abiding interest in embodiment, collaboration, and the potential of the arts to express the things we find the most difficult. She has a particular interest in social justice and outreach work to support people who might otherwise be excluded from services. Yarn incorporates touch in her practice. She trained with Kathy Kain in Canada with Touch Skills and also with Kathy and Steve Tyrell in Somatic Resilience and Regulation. Yarn trained with Maggie Kline and Berns Galloway in the first Australian Somatic Experiencing training. She is grateful for the personal and professional benefits and finds SE enriches interconnection. She is passionate about contributing to the SE community in Australia.

Anna is an experienced Counsellor and Gestalt Psychotherapist who works in private practice 3 days a week. Anna’s work has a strong focus on gaining a psychobiological understanding of developmental and attachment patterns. Anna invites clients to collaborate in co-creating optimal therapeutic conditions, it is in the safety of the relationship an opportunity presents to re-negotiate unmet attachment and developmental needs. Anna also works one day a week as a Clinical Supervisor with the Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency. Anna’s primary role is to support practitioners to be reflective in their work and to develop solid self-care plans to avoid vicarious trauma and burnout from sector work. Anna is passionate about restoring self-determination and supporting healing processes within Aboriginal community. Anna has also attended the Eye of the Needle master class with Peter Levine and Trauma through a Child’s Eyes with Maggie Kline.

Julie is an SEP, yoga teacher, and body therapist.  Her work is informed by her studies in cranial sacral therapy, Body-Mind Centering, dance and Somatic Experiencing. She specializes in using a hands-on and movement-based approach to healing trauma.  Her style is informed by touch skills trainings with Kathy Kain, David Berger, and Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen. Julie works as a body therapist for an NGO that provides mental health services for refugees in New Zealand.   She also has a private practice in Auckland where she works with people recovering from trauma, chronic pain, chronic fatigue, addiction, depression and anxiety.   Julie is passionate about creating environments where people can feel safe and be in relationship with themselves, others and their environment.  

Sabine Silberberg is an Expressive Arts Therapist, Registered Art Therapist and Clinical Counsellor. After working in inner-city community-based healthcare with marginalised populations, she taught as an assistant professor in counselling art therapy at Adler University in Vancouver. Sabine now focuses on somatic and arts-informed trauma work in independent practice, and orients toward social justice responsive and intersectional work. She continues to teach in arts-based degree programs internationally, as well to front-line workers in addiction and mental health contexts. Her latest dedication is to complete training as an Existential Analyst. You may notice not just a Canadian accent – Sabine is from Germany, and immigrated to Canada a long time ago. This is my fourth year of assisting in Somatic Experiencing trainings and has completed the near-death experience training “Eye of the Needle “with Peter Levine.

Trish Seek has over 20 years of experience in the field of Counselling.  She has a Master's degree in counselling, is a Licensed Professional Counsellor, a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner and a Reiki Master.  Trish currently works both in her private practice and at Sierra Tucson, an inpatient treatment facility. She has diverse experience, to include: Group and Individual Therapy, Adventure Therapy, Equine Assisted Therapy, Psychodrama and Somatic Experiencing. She has worked with a variety of populations. The focus of her career is supporting clients in their personal growth while helping them heal from various issues. These issues may include anxiety, depression, life transitions, grief and loss, addiction, body image, chronic pain and trauma resolution.

David has been a full-time Feldenkrais practitioner for the past 18 years and an Assistant Feldenkrais Trainer for the past 4. He completed his SE training in 2018 and Kathy Kain’s Touch Skills training in 2019. David works in private practice in Auckland and focusses on a range of trauma symptoms but in particular chronic pain. He is passionate about supporting people’s own innate self-restorative processes and helping them return to a felt sense of being safe, whole and complete. Having lived with chronic back pain for over a decade from the age of 16, he is a testament to the fact that through awareness, we can learn alternatives to our habitual patterns and break the pain cycle. David aims to bring a gentle and stable presence to his sessions. He loves the creativity of finding different ways to support the nervous system and allow space for the unknown to emerge. When he is not working he will be outdoors with his labrador Coco.

Mareile is living in New Zealand, near Christchurch where she enjoys her small organic holding with her partner; she has two adult daughters. Mareile is a therapist and group facilitator of 20 years. She has worked for many NGOs and for the last 7 years with START.HEALING INC. supporting the victims of sexual abuse. She is the guidance counsellor at the Christchurch Waldorf school and has been affiliated with Rudolf Steiner’s work for 30 years. The Christchurch earthquakes and their impact induced her to train in Somatic Experiencing Trauma Therapy, which has become her main focus and passion interweaving all parts of her work. She has a small private practice and as a supervisor has supported many counsellors in training. Mareile’s therapy work is founded on Solution Focused therapy, Narrative Therapy, elements of Gestalt and Creative Therapies, including Sand-tray work and Art therapy. She is passionate about Non Violent Communication and is involved in local training. Mareile takes a creative approach to counselling and has a rich experience in working with people of all walks of life and ages. She easily builds rapport with children and adolescents and with warmth and empathy supports people to overcome trauma and re-connect to their life potential. She has a Master in Biology and a Master in Education and Counselling. She is a full member of New Zealand Association of Counsellors and is registered with ACCNZ for sensitive claims counselling.

A Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP) and Bodyworker, Sally offers a unique blend of trauma based therapies in her body oriented practice including SEP, Sensorimotor Art Therapy, NLP and Bodywork. Sally aims to provide a somatic, sensory and embodied experience holding space for her clients with a real warmth, presence and attunement where her clients feel safe and supported allowing them go deeply very quickly and tap into their body’s own innate wisdom and intelligence to heal from trauma. Initially from a corporate background, Sally’s passion now is to help people live a more embodied and full life, living their true nature and being more connected within themselves and with others. Her areas of work interest are in developmental trauma, sexual abuse and early attachment. Sally also volunteers in SE trauma work and training in Nepal for survivors of Sex Trafficking.

Amanda holds a masters degree in Counselling and applied Psychotherapy, which is embedded in the SE approach. Having a keen interest in early developmental phases, Amanda trained in SRR touch with Steve Terrell and Kathy Kain. Studied Developmental Movement Patterns with Ruella Frank in New York, PACT level 1 for couples with Stan Tatkin. Then more recently resisdential level 1 & 2 intensives  with Myrna Martin in Canada for Pre and Perinatal pyschology.  Amanda sees clients in private practice in Sydney.

Berns's first professional incarnation was as an elementary teacher in New Brunswick and Northwest Territories, Canada. After 12 years of being in front of the classroom his focus shifted to psychotherapeutic group work. He studied various humanistic approaches and bodywork at PD Seminars, then earned a Masters degree from the University of Victoria in 1995. He has worked as a mental health therapist for a non-profit community agency, providing short term therapy to adults, training and supervising volunteers, and supervising graduate students. Berns also has a private practice. Somatic Experiencing entered his life in 2000 and has since been a major focus in his professional orientation. He completed the SE Touch Training for Psychotherapists and finds that incorporating SE bodywork/touch has deepened his experience and strengthened the impact of the therapeutic process. Early in this learning process Berns was privileged to be part of a gifted training team working with First Nations peoples on Vancouver Island. "The depth of the trauma and commitment to change foreshadowed the transformation through the healing process. I am grateful and humbled to have witnessed this. They reinforced how organic somatic work is, the power of connection, and the necessity of embodying the full range of life's energy. Collaboration and connection is key. We are not meant to go-it alone." Berns continues to marvel at, and be awed by, the continuous richness Somatic Experiencing offers...

Tracey has a Somatic Experiencing & Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy practice in Melbourne with a focus on both shock and developmental trauma symptoms. Her passionate interest in the cause and effects of trauma in the body led Tracey to enhance her trauma resolution skills by qualifying as a SE practitioner in 2009. This, plus additional qualifications in Natural Nutrition, Facial Reflexology, Emotional Freedom Technique and Brain Spotting have deepened further her understanding of the holistic nature of complementary healing and the body/mind relationship. SE based courses attended with Dr. Peter Levine include Working with Syndromes, Trauma and Memory, The Polyvagal Theory, Working with Diaphragms, The Eye of the Needle (near death states) and Depression, Aggression, Triumph & Breath. She has also completed both the Touch Skills for Trauma and Somatic Resilience after Early Trauma body-based courses with Kathy Kain, the NARM developmental trauma training with Dr. Larry Heller, the ISP Integrated Somatic Psychotherapy training with Raja Selvam and Aline La Pierre’s Neuro Affective Touch. Tracey is currently undertaking Diane Poole Heller’s DARe Attachment training As well as assisting on all the SE Professional Trainings in Australia, she was previously a tutor assistant on a Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy training. Tracey enjoys sharing her diverse experience and knowledge to support and encourage students throughout the training process.

Alison is a Biodynamic Craniosacral and Remedial massage therapist. She is currently in private practice in Fremantle Western Australia where she focuses on Somatic Experiencing, bodywork and touch skills to address developmental and shock trauma in her clients. Alison has successfully worked with clients whose symptoms present as complex syndromal patterns such as chronic pain, chronic fatigue and PTSD.  Alison travelled to France to study Somatic Experiencing in 2010. She has subsequently completed workshops and post graduate trainings with Maggie Kline (Trauma Through a Child’s Eyes) Anthony Twig Wheeler (Building Fluency with the SE Language and The Polyvagal System) Patricia Meadows (DARe1 Somatic Attachment)  and most recently with Kathy Kain (Somatic Resilience and Regulation : Early Trauma). The essence of Alison’s work comes from a deep value of our true nature and our inherent capacity to heal and transform. Her intention for her clients is to free the spirit enabling a life lived more fully and freely. Alison brings to her sessions a quality of warmth, presence and sensitivity.

Patricia is a Registered Marriage and Family Therapist (RMFT), Registered Social Worker (RSW) Registered Psychotherapist (RP) and Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP). Her 25 years of clinical practice has included extensive experience with individuals, couples, families, and groups. Patricia has worked with residential and outpatient children’s mental health, family services, sexual assault centres, and with at-risk youth in group homes or who are in conflict with the law. Currently Patricia has been working full-time in private practice and provides trauma training for government funded agencies. Additionally, Patricia is an AAMFT/ OAMFT Approved Supervisor. Patricia has published over 40 peer reviewed articles and book chapters and has presented extensively in the areas of trauma, integrating the body and touch into psychotherapy, strengths-based therapeutic practices, incorporating spirituality in clinical work, creating positive team culture in social services, and “keeping the soul in our work.” Foundational to Patricia’s clinical practice is her deeply held belief that “every interaction is an opportunity for healing”. In the creative realm, Patricia has directed and produced two documentary films that are widely utilised in university, college and high school curriculum. Since her initial introduction to SE in 2006, Patricia has studied and consulted with most of the North American SE Faculty and has assisted with Peter Levine.

Sage offers intuitive, collaborative and skilled SE sessions to support shifts, transformation and deepening into the heart and the body’s deepest alignment.  Sage is an SE Trauma Institute Basics Provider and has been utilising SE since 2006 as a bodyworker, craniosacral therapist, workshop facilitator and yoga teacher.  Sage has built on 11 years of body-based practice with a wide-variety of clients, student and colleagues to assist deep change and inspire evolution.  Sage comes to SE with a passion for social justice, always exploring about how to apply trauma modalities to collective healing.  In particular Sage has recently completed Francesca Mason Boring’s facilitator training Family and Systemic Constellations.  Sage taught workshops in Cork Ireland and Portland Maine on somatics, resonance, embodiment and healing.  Sage also recently co-wrote curriculum and facilitated a ten week SE research based psycho-educational group application with the transgender community, the paper will be published in early 2018. 

Taruno has been in private practice for 25+ years as a psychotherapist where he enjoys working with individuals and couples as well as providing supervision to allied and mental health professionals. With a background in mindfulness meditation, Taruno is certified as an International Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counsellor, a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, certified Sex Addiction Therapist (Patrick Carnes CSAT), Bessel van der Kolk’s Trauma Stress Studies, Kathy Kain’s Touch Skill Trauma Training, Pia Mellody’s PIT model, David Berceli’s TRE-Trauma Tension Release Exercise Practitioner and many master class trainings with Peter Levine. He has worked many years at the world renowned residential addiction and trauma treatment facility, The Meadows of Wickenburg, Arizona. There he specialised in addiction and trauma resolution with respect to sexual compulsivity, love addiction, addiction interaction, attachment and family of origin issues. Taruno is humbled and amazed at the depth of awakening and clarity that often surfaces during a session. He loves being a part of a process that moves beyond cognitive understanding to insight, wisdom and organic healing. In his free time Taruno enjoys traveling, fly fishing, hiking and mountain biking and hanging with his beloved wife and doggies!

Starr is a licensed clinical social worker in Massachusetts, USA. She has worked as an integrative change agent in private practice since 1981. She loves offering forums for holistic growth to individuals and groups to discover and unlock their own natural capacities and connect with themselves, others and their environment.    Her work has included psychotherapy, coaching, mindfulness, community & outdoor education, systemic constellation work, shamanic, & energetic bodywork. She has been influenced by cranial sacral and energy psychology, EMDR & other alternative healing modalities. Since 2003, SE has been integrated into her work, further evolving with SE Touch & Somatic Regulation work, Integral Somatic Psychotherapy & Trauma First Aid. She was on SE disaster relief teams in 2005 in Thailand and 2006 in Louisiana. Starr’s ongoing, current interest is in finding ways to expand joy & resiliency and to address social justice issues, particularly the disconnections and discrimination around race, gender, sexual orientation, immigration/refugees. Reaching people beyond the therapy office and synthesising the gifts of various perspectives and approaches is her passion.

Anita is a Counselling Psychologist, currently employed as the Co-ordinator of the Counselling and Psychological Services at the University of Western Australia. She completed a Doctorate titled “A Hypnotherapy (Ego-States) Model for Survivors of Sexual Crimes: a Psycho-Educational Perspective” in 2003. Her specialist trainings include Ego State Therapy; Somatic Experiencing; Medical Hypno-analysis; Ericksonian Hypno-Therapy; EMDR; EMI; and SFT. She is a supervisor and trainer for Ego State Therapy and Hypnotherapy and has been involved in the supervision of trainee psychologists since 2008. Anita has also facilitated workshops and presented papers and publications at national and international level on trauma and resiliency related topics.

Barbara has developed a unique and holistic approach around grief and trauma recovery over the last 20 years working as an accredited Mental Health Social Worker. She has a private practices in the heart of Albany and Denmark in Western Australia; trusting her intuition and her body’s fine tuned feedback system has changed how she works completely. She feels very humbled and honored witnessing moments of grace with her clients, which at times feel a lot bigger than just herself.  Barbara studied Social Work in Germany and immigrated to Australia 15 years ago. Somatic Experiencing, EMDR resource building and gentle Emotional Release in conjunction with Mindfulness and Visualisation build the foundation of her work and she loves bringing her aliveness, humour, creativity and authenticity to her sessions. Barbara nourishes her own senses via writing, going for walks, enjoying the beach, yoga, singing, chain-sawing fire wood, creativity, her little family and friends and community around her.

Idi is a clinical social worker, counselling in public agencies in the areas of addiction, domestic violence, and sexual trauma since the late 1990′s.    IdI is currently in private practice at Heart Matters, a heart centred counselling practice, and is also a senior counsellor, clinical supervisor and educator at a sexual assault crisis centre in Perth. Idi specialises in assisting people with emotional distress, trauma and life transition issues to move out of pain and return to a sense of aliveness, relaxation and wholeness. Her background is in humanistic, family systems and narrative psychotherapy.   Idi believes that the body holds the key to what is unfinished and needing to heal and, that knowing how the body and brain react to trauma opens powerful tools that can offer hope to those who have been stuck in cycles of reactivity, shame, and hopelessness. Idi credits SE as a methodology that provides a ‘holding environment’ for working through traumatic or emotional wounding that helps people get back in control.   Idi trained under Maggie Kline and Berns Galloway in the first Australian SE training in Melbourne. She has assisted Maggie Kline and Linda Stelte at the Brisbane training and is passionate about building a local Perth SE community.

Abi Blakeslee, SEP, CMT, MFT, Ph.D., integrates Somatic Experiencing with clinical research, the psychobiological principals of attachment, psychodynamic therapy, and somatic bodywork in her practice and teaching. She has conducted original research on the role of implicit memory in Somatic Experiencing with a committee that included Dr. Daniel Siegel. Abi holds a Masters of Arts in Counseling and Depth Psychology, and a Ph.D. in Clinical and Somatic Psychology. She is interested in the intersection between neuroscience, current trauma research, and the psychobiological principals of Somatic Experiencing. Abi is faculty for the Somatic Experiencing Trauma Institute and teaches widely throughout the United States. She also leads workshops in Relational Repair Work. She has clinical experience with individuals, couples, children, and families and treats a broad base of issues. Abi currently resides in Bozeman, MT with her husband and two young boys. She focuses on providing faculty-level individual and group consultations to all levels of Somatic Experiencing students.

Berns's first professional incarnation was as an elementary teacher in New Brunswick and Northwest Territories, Canada. After 12 years of being in front of the classroom his focus shifted to psychotherapeutic group work. He studied various humanistic approaches and bodywork at PD Seminars, then earned a Masters degree from the University of Victoria in 1995. He has worked as a mental health therapist for a non-profit community agency, providing short term therapy to adults, training and supervising volunteers, and supervising graduate students. Berns also has a private practice. Somatic Experiencing entered his life in 2000 and has since been a major focus in his professional orientation. He completed the SE Touch Training for Psychotherapists and finds that incorporating SE bodywork/touch has deepened his experience and strengthened the impact of the therapeutic process. Early in this learning process Berns was privileged to be part of a gifted training team working with First Nations peoples on Vancouver Island. "The depth of the trauma and commitment to change foreshadowed the transformation through the healing process. I am grateful and humbled to have witnessed this. They reinforced how organic somatic work is, the power of connection, and the necessity of embodying the full range of life's energy. Collaboration and connection is key. We are not meant to go-it alone." Berns continues to marvel at, and be awed by, the continuous richness Somatic Experiencing offers...

Tracey has a Somatic Experiencing & Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy practice in Melbourne with a focus on both shock and developmental trauma symptoms. Her passionate interest in the cause and effects of trauma in the body led Tracey to enhance her trauma resolution skills by qualifying as a SE practitioner in 2009. This, plus additional qualifications in Natural Nutrition, Facial Reflexology, Emotional Freedom Technique and Brain Spotting have deepened further her understanding of the holistic nature of complementary healing and the body/mind relationship. SE based courses attended with Dr. Peter Levine include Working with Syndromes, Trauma and Memory, The Polyvagal Theory, Working with Diaphragms, The Eye of the Needle (near death states) and Depression, Aggression, Triumph & Breath. She has also completed both the Touch Skills for Trauma and Somatic Resilience after Early Trauma body-based courses with Kathy Kain, the NARM developmental trauma training with Dr. Larry Heller, the ISP Integrated Somatic Psychotherapy training with Raja Selvam and Aline La Pierre’s Neuro Affective Touch. Tracey is currently undertaking Diane Poole Heller’s DARe Attachment training As well as assisting on all the SE Professional Trainings in Australia, she was previously a tutor assistant on a Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy training. Tracey enjoys sharing her diverse experience and knowledge to support and encourage students throughout the training process.

Anki has been in private practice for over 15 years as a psychotherapist and for many years she has had a genuine interest in how we can grow as human beings. She has experience with both group and individual therapy and has further skills in the treatment of drug and alcohol addiction. In addition, Anki has worked in co-operation with the local municipality and various private organisations. She has facilitated seminars and working groups for teachers in pre-schools and social welfare departments. Anki has also been a manager at a number of schools and a rehabilitation centre. Anki received her SEP certification in 2010 and since then has assisted at trainings in Sweden, Norway, Taiwan, UK and Australia. In 2010 she was a co-initiator in establishing the SE Association in Norway and is still a member. Anki is also trained in Kathy Kain’s Touch Skills for Trauma, Family Constellations, the Twelve Step Method, the first year of the Bodydynamic and has reached level two in David Berceli’s Trauma Release Exercises. She is also a NARM practioner and did her training with Dr. Larry Heller. Currently she is under training in Neuroaffective touch with Aline La Pierre. Additionally she has attended various postgraduate classes such as Energy Wells with Dr. Peter Levine, Some of the Dare modules with Diane Pool Heller and Shame and Guilt with Dr. Larry Heller. Having moved from Scandinavia to Singapore she has an active private practice and continues with her involvement in the SE community. In her free time Anki enjoys travelling, reading, Osho meditation and doing things that supports inner well-being.

Janie is a psychotherapist in private practice in Kensington, MD. She works with children, adolescents and adults, specialising in treating eating disorders, attachment issues and trauma. Janie is a facilitator for the EMDR Institute and an approved EMDRIA Consultant. Janie is especially interested in the development of trauma secondary to attachment ruptures and to medical interventions and related experiences. She is an assistant for Diane Poole Heller’s Somatic Attachment Training (DARE). Janie has also assisted for Raja Selvam’s Integral Somatic Psychotherapy(ISP). Janie contributed a chapter on eating disorders and EMDR in EMDR Solutions II, For Depression, Eating Disorders, Performance and More. She has presented nationally on the integration of EMDR and eating disorders. Janie believes deeply in the innate ability for people to heal through the mind/body/spiritual interconnection.

Jeannette has been a body-centered psychotherapist for 25 years. Her clinical experience began in community mental health providing counselling to adults, many who had been severely abused. It was being with such deeply traumatised people that fuelled her commitment to working holistically, and where the importance of including the whole person in the healing process became deeply rooted in her belief system. Jeannette currently provides individual, couples and group counselling to clients who are primarily teachers, administrators and other specialised professionals in the educational system in Saskatchewan Canada. Areas of focus include personal and professional stress, grief, chronic pain and rehabilitation. Jeannette has received training in a number of therapies, many of which have integrated nicely with SE. They include Redecision Therapy (a joining of Gestalt and Transactional Analysis), Bio Energetics, Family Systems, Ego State therapy, Hypnotherapy, and EMDR. While these have provided a solid foundation for her clinical work, she has been heard to say on many occasions that SE was the missing piece in her work. Since completing the SE Training in 2006 with Dr. Peter Levine, Jeannette has attended the following courses; Eye of the Needle- Working with Near Death States and Anaesthesia (levels 1 and 2), and Working with Emotions and Memory in Trauma with Peter Levine, Touching Trauma Certification Program with Kathy Kain, Using SE with Children and Teens with Maggie Kline, Ariel Giarretto’s courses on Pre-Peri Natal, and Diane Poole-Heller’s DARe Training. Jeannette is passionate about SE and utilises humour and playfulness while offering a compassionate and caring healing experience. She has co-ordinated several SE trainings in her community and has assisted at a number of trainings in Canada and the US.

Penny has been a stress and trauma therapist for 14 years. Her fascination with health and disease began in childhood and initially led to a career in pharmaceutical research exploring anxiety and depression. However the reductionist view of Western Medicine left her really disheartened and in 1999 she retrained as a Chinese Five Element Acupuncturist and an Emotional Awareness practitioner, (sensing the effect of the emotions in the body).  Then in 2006 she discovered SE and joined the first UK training with Raja Selvam. Since then she's only looked forward; passionately integrating somatic felt sense with the Taoist Philosophy of Chinese Medicine and Western traumatology and physiology. 

Along the way Penny has also trained in other cutting edge stress and trauma therapies including: auriculotherapy; Brainspotting; the Comprehensive Resource Model; The Grief Recovery Method; the Alchemy of Shame Transformation Model and NARM.  Other post grad subjects include: Developmental Trauma (Raja Selvam); Shame and Guilt (Larry Heller); Diane Poole Heller's Attachment Mastery Programme; Healing Trauma in Children with Play (Ale Duarte); and The Polyvagal Theory, (Stephen Porges).

Penny runs a private practice in Brighton, UK, working mainly with adults, particularly in the areas of pre-/peri-natal trauma, attachment ruptures, childhood trauma, and grief.  She remains deeply motivated to spread the SE word through Assisting SE trainings, (in the UK and Australia), and her involvement with the SE Associations of both the UK, (SEA UK) and Europe (EASE).  In her spare time she is passionate about Cuban salsa, travel and exploring different cultures.

Connie has been working in private practice as an SE trauma therapist since completing her SEP in 2008.  She has completed her  Advanced Certification Programs by Kathy Kain in Somatic Touch Therapy;  Resilient Child: Early Developmental Childhood Trauma, by Kathy Kain and Steve TerrelI; Emotions and Memory, by Dr Peter Levine; Dare 1 & 2 by Diane Poole Heller; and Pre and Perinatal Disruption by Ariel Garrett.  She also completed a year long on-line Couples Institute Therapist Training - Developmental Model, by Ellen Bader, Ph.D Clients are referred to Connie, who are specifically seeking an SE approach for children, adolescents, and adults and couples. Areas of focus are complex trauma, anxiety, residency building skills and single trauma events.  She combines her experience in theatre and art to enhance the felt sense and engage the imagination of children. Connie keeps the SE material fresh by regularly assisting at SE trainings (B.C., Quebec, Saskatchewan and now Australia)  She also finds assisting adds dimension to her life by meeting new people who are seeking this work with all the varied skills they bring.  This work is constantly surprising and exciting, sharing in a deeper conversation, which taps into our body’s wisdom and innate healing.

Idi is a clinical social worker, counselling in public agencies in the areas of addiction, domestic violence, and sexual trauma since the late 1990′s.    IdI is currently in private practice at Heart Matters, a heart centred counselling practice, and is also a senior counsellor, clinical supervisor and educator at a sexual assault crisis centre in Perth. Idi specialises in assisting people with emotional distress, trauma and life transition issues to move out of pain and return to a sense of aliveness, relaxation and wholeness. Her background is in humanistic, family systems and narrative psychotherapy.   Idi believes that the body holds the key to what is unfinished and needing to heal and, that knowing how the body and brain react to trauma opens powerful tools that can offer hope to those who have been stuck in cycles of reactivity, shame, and hopelessness. Idi credits SE as a methodology that provides a ‘holding environment’ for working through traumatic or emotional wounding that helps people get back in control.   Idi trained under Maggie Kline and Berns Galloway in the first Australian SE training in Melbourne. She has assisted Maggie Kline and Linda Stelte at the Brisbane training and is passionate about building a local Perth SE community.

Julie is an SEP, yoga teacher, and body therapist.  Her work is informed by her studies in cranial sacral therapy, Body-Mind Centering, dance and Somatic Experiencing. She specializes in using a hands-on and movement-based approach to healing trauma.  Her style is informed by touch skills trainings with Kathy Kain, David Berger, and Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen. Julie works as a body therapist for an NGO that provides mental health services for refugees in New Zealand.   She also has a private practice in Auckland where she works with people recovering from trauma, chronic pain, chronic fatigue, addiction, depression and anxiety.   Julie is passionate about creating environments where people can feel safe and be in relationship with themselves, others and their environment.  

Magna trained as a breath energy therapist since 1996 and holds a Master of Counselling degree (Curtin University). Over the last 20 years Magna has attended additional trainings in body, emotion and energy work. Meditation and mindfulness are also part of her professional background. After receiving her SEP in 2011 Magna has attended master classes with Peter Levine, studied with Babette Rothschild (trauma training) and has continued enhancing her SE by assisting in Taiwan from 2012 onwards. Magna works with both individuals and in a group format throughout Asia incuding Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan and China. Since 2010 Magna has been a consultant for school counsellors and social workers throughout Taiwan. She has introduced Peter Levine’s (SE), Babette Rothschild’s (PTSD trauma therapy) as well as breath energy work within the counselling professions.

Robert is a counsellor, Breath therapist and family constellation therapist and SEP. He is also a facilitator of various meditation groups. Robert has also trained with James Coventry as a Transcript Therapist. He has and is assisting groups throughout Europe Oceania and Asian regions. He has completed training in Somatic Trauma therapy with Babette Rothschild in England and is also on her assisting team. He has assisted with Maggie Kline on Trauma Through A Child’s Eyes and with Sonia Gnomes. Robert is also doing Myrna Martin’s Healing Early Developmental Trauma trainings and Dr Raja Selvam’s Integral Somatic Psychology. Robert’s underlining principle is that the individual has the capacity to heal themself and the therapist is just a guide, a friend helping create the foundations and boundaries for the healing to happen.

Yarn has worked for over 20 years in public health and works from a human rights framework. She currently works in a teaching and supervision role in creative art therapy at MIECAT as well as running a small private practice. Her career began as a health worker at the Kirketon Road Center in 1994; one of the first needle exchanges and primary health centres established in Australia. Enjoying the complexity, rawness and challenge of the work, Yarn re-trained in social work and has since worked primarily with adults contending with difficult life circumstances such as: homelessness, addiction, developmental trauma, enduring mental illness, sexual assault and family violence. Over the last 8 years Yarn worked as Drug and Alcohol Counsellor in St Kilda. Yarn also holds a Masters in Creative and Experiential Arts Therapy. She has an abiding interest in embodiment, collaboration, and the potential of the arts to express the things we find the most difficult. She has a particular interest in social justice and outreach work to support people who might otherwise be excluded from services. Yarn incorporates touch in her practice. She trained with Kathy Kain in Canada with Touch Skills and also with Kathy and Steve Tyrell in Somatic Resilience and Regulation. Yarn trained with Maggie Kline and Berns Galloway in the first Australian Somatic Experiencing training. She is grateful for the personal and professional benefits and finds SE enriches interconnection. She is passionate about contributing to the SE community in Australia.

Aggy is a dedicated Grief/Loss and Trauma counsellor, passionate about assisting other human beings struggling with painful experiences, situations and memories. Becoming a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner has added significant and meaningful depth to her practice, further enhancing clients’ quality of life. Aggy has worked as a counsellor with carers, AOD clients, survivors of torture and trauma, survivors of sexual assault and with bereaved parents. Currently she works in a Victims of Crime counselling position, including Royal Commission Support Services (with survivors of institutionalised sexual abuse). Her work combines Person-centered approach with SE, mindfulness, ACT, Attitudinal Healing, as well as REIKI and Reconnective healing in a private outreach practice. In balancing her work with leisure, Aggy likes to disappear in nature, be it bushwalking, mountain climbing, or simply being by the water side. There are many teacher-creatures abound and all living things matter!  Aggy deeply believes in learning opportunities available to us all in every waking moment, place and situation, expanding us as much as we are keen to keep our eyes, ears and hearts open.  

Arnaud teaches Yoga/Stretch TherapyTM classes and has a private practice. Since 1998 he has studied with Kit Laughlin, author of “Overcome Neck and Back Pain” and founder of Stretch TherapyTM. Both his classes and private sessions are SE informed and trauma aware and accessible to everyone from all walks of life. His private practice incorporates SE, Yoga/Stretch TherapyTM, body/touch work, and is infused with his passion for the non-dual wisdom traditions that he has been exploring for over 28 years. Arnaud’s sessions offer a heartfelt facilitation of SE to support transformation, healing and the embodiment of our innate ever present natural state of wholeness and Being. He continues exploring SE and other related modalities. He would like this beautiful healing and transformational work to be accessible and available to all. Arnaud lives and practices around the Byron Bay Region. He enjoys being in nature, connecting with friends and family. He also enjoys playing music in chanting and sound healing groups, which facilitates community, healing, celebration and joy.

Carissa Rodgers is a Stress & Trauma Therapist, and Facilitator of Sacred Practices. She holds a Masters Degree in Gestalt Therapy and works in her own private practice in Bargara, Queensland. Carissa recently finished her 3-year SE training, which has dramatically improved the results she’s getting for clients. In her practice Carissa serves clients from the Queensland Ambulance Service, Queensland Fire & Rescue and the State Emergency Service, as well as women who have experienced early developmental trauma. For the past 8 years Carissa has led resilience and mindfulness workshops for a diverse range of clients and she’s worked as a counsellor in community organisations for 11 years. She is passionate about helping people transition from trauma to triumph, step on their authentic path, live with more presence and manifest their potential. Carissa is married with 3 girls, and loves to dance in her spare time. She is actively involved in her commitment to keep up with the latest practices in therapy.

Lou is dedicated to the journey of enhanced wellbeing in this life. Trained as Counselling Psychologist she has a small private practice, co-facilitates an intensive PTSD group in a private psychiatric hospital and provides supervision to diverse range of allied health clinicians, students and registrars. She lectures at Murdoch, Curtin and Notre Dame Universities. Having studied and practiced psychology for a decade she found much of her worked was reconnecting people with their senses and inner wisdom. SE was the missing link for ‘shift to happen’; SE allowed a gentle move towards a sense of greater mastery, calm and quality of life in her clients. Growing their trust in the innate healing property of the individual’s nervous system. Lou was introduced to SE at Trauma Healing for Kids & Introduction to SE in 2014 with Maggie Kline and completed SEP training in 2017. Lou has linked in to group master classes and group case consultations through SETI webinars with Peter Levine. Attended Building Fluency in SE Language with Twig Wheeler and continues to engage in peer support, case consults and personal sessions. Lou brings a rich blend of knowledge, skill application, life experience and humanity to her practice. She welcomes continued growth and contribution to the SE community.

Miles brings a wealth of experiential knowledge of working with people to SE across several modalities – group facilitation, bodywork and SE practitioner. He is a big believer in learning through experience and is passionate about passing on knowledge in a way that is easy to absorb, understand and embody. In his group work, teaching people to become Ka Huna Bodyworkers, he sees the organism of the group as one entity and thus integrates the principles of SE to the group, as well as individuals within it. He is artful at meeting people where they are, as well as helping them to identify how to move forward in a comfortable and positive way. As a bodyworker, Miles is masterful at weaving SE into his sessions to create a sense of curiosity and expansion within, which promotes a greater of a sense of wellbeing. Miles is playful, witty, bright, sensitive and solidly gentle – he manages to bring all of this into his work so that time spent with him is enjoyable and profoundly liberating.

For the last 13 years Nirupa is teaching Hatha Yoga and Movement Intelligence in her private practice in Mullumbimby, NSW. Nirupa has been involved in the Healing Arts for 30 years with study in various modalities of Healing, Meditation and Reconciliation work. Nirupa has a background of Political Science/ International Relations, Massage Therapy, Hands on Healing, Hatha Yoga, Cleansing, Advaita Non-Dual Meditation, Dance and Somatic Movement.  Born in the Midwest of the United States, Nirupa has travelled and lived in Europe, Asia, Central America, and Israel, immigrating to Australia 15 years ago with her husband and son where she makes her home in the magical Byron Shire of NSW, Australia.  Nirupa has a deep interest and passion for SE and Meditative practices and how these interface with one another helping to create more resilience and integration in daily life. In her Mullumbimby Creek private practice she works with, chronic illnesses and accumulated stress, emerging trauma, pain, anxiety, depression and the whole range of human experiences and expressions. SE has revolutionised her experience of meditation, her classes, and quality of life.    Nirupa loves to study healing and resilience, walk, travel, sing, cook, write and dance Salsa!

Paula first started working with clients in 1999 and has been in Private Practice in Northern Rivers NSW region since 2004. She started her SE training in 2014 and became an SEP in June 2017. Paula works uniquely and intuitively with each individual, combining her clinical psychology skills within a holistic approach. Her warm, sensitive and accepting presence has a way of making people feel comfortable, safe and supported. Paula combines a range of approaches including Interpersonal Neurobiology, neuropsychotherapy, somatically based approaches (which explore the mind-body connection e.g. Somatic Experiencing), Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT), mindfulness and Compassion Focused Therapy. Paula has a particular interest in working with trauma including childhood trauma, medical trauma and other traumatic events (motor vehicle accidents, sexual trauma, etc).

Sonia is a Clinical Psychologist and a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner who currently works in private practice in her beautiful home town of Hervey Bay in Queensland. Sonia has worked across a diverse range of settings and comes with experience in youth work, addictions, and working with families and children. Her current clinical practice utilises a trauma-informed framework in understanding and treating clients with mental health problems. Sonia also works with people who experience chronic health and pain problems such as fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. Sonia uses therapies such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Schema Therapy and EMDR. She also uses trauma informed yoga practices in her clinical work to bring about regulation of the nervous system. Sonia is passionate about helping others manage the impact of trauma and chronic stress using somatic experiencing. She regularly presents on the impact of stress on women’s health in her local area. She is passionate about building the SE community in Queensland and establishing the use of SE within the psychology profession. In her personal life, Sonia resources herself by regular ocean swims, running marathons, mountain bike riding and adventure racing as well as spending time with family and friends.

Linda Stelte is an SE Trauma Institute Faculty Member and a Trauma Counsellor and Educator in Canada. Linda teaches the Beginning and Intermediate levels of SE in Canada and the US. Linda will begin teaching in Australia in 2015. She offers case consultation at all levels of the SE training. Linda was introduced to Somatic Experiencing during her graduate work at the University of Victoria in 1998. Since the completion of her graduate degree in 2000, Linda has applied and integrated SE principles into both her clinical practice and her teaching of the Human Development and Counselling courses at City University and Grant Macewan University in Alberta, Canada where she taught for many years. Since 2014 Linda has been the lead Clinician and teacher in the development of a trauma and attachment home at a residential treatment centre. The children who reside in the treatment Centre have complex early trauma histories combined with various mental health diagnosis. The integration and application of SE principals and interventions has guided the development and formation of this specialised treatment program. Linda has a clinical practice in her home town of St. Alberta, Alberta. For several years she has been contracted to offer clinical support to people who live in an isolated First Nation Community on the West Coast of British Columbia, Canada. Her work with the First Nation Community has profoundly influenced her personal and professional life. In both locations Linda works with people of various ages and cultures. This on-going experience, combined with her experience of learning and teaching SE, has heightened her passion in using SE to support people as they heal from trauma and continues to inform Linda’s private practice, teaching, and personal life.

Tracey has a Somatic Experiencing & Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy practice in Melbourne with a focus on both shock and developmental trauma symptoms. Her passionate interest in the cause and effects of trauma in the body led Tracey to enhance her trauma resolution skills by qualifying as a SE practitioner in 2009. This, plus additional qualifications in Natural Nutrition, Facial Reflexology, Emotional Freedom Technique and Brain Spotting have deepened further her understanding of the holistic nature of complementary healing and the body/mind relationship. SE based courses attended with Dr. Peter Levine include Working with Syndromes, Trauma and Memory, The Polyvagal Theory, Working with Diaphragms, The Eye of the Needle (near death states) and Depression, Aggression, Triumph & Breath. She has also completed both the Touch Skills for Trauma and Somatic Resilience after Early Trauma body-based courses with Kathy Kain, the NARM developmental trauma training with Dr. Larry Heller, the ISP Integrated Somatic Psychotherapy training with Raja Selvam and Aline La Pierre’s Neuro Affective Touch. Tracey is currently undertaking Diane Poole Heller’s DARe Attachment training As well as assisting on all the SE Professional Trainings in Australia, she was previously a tutor assistant on a Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy training. Tracey enjoys sharing her diverse experience and knowledge to support and encourage students throughout the training process.

Catherine has 35-years of experience working as an educator, body worker and life coach. She started out in the field of Early Childhood Development and holds a Montessori credential from the Maria Montessori Teaching Center in San Francisco.  She became a certified life coach in 1979 through Dr. Cherie Carter Scott's MMS training; and trained as a Therapeutic Massage Practitioner in 1991, having a private practice for six years.  Catherine assists in SE trainings in N. California, Australia, S. Korea, Japan, and Istanbul. She is approved to provide all levels of personal sessions and case consults for the trainings. Additionally, she has participated in workshops with Twig Wheeler; Ray Castellino's Womb Surround Process workshops; Eye of the Needle with Peter Levine; Attachment Wound Healing, Pre and Perinatal, and Sexual Embodiment workshops with Ariel Giarretto in Northern California and Greece; and Base Bodywork and Somatic Education with Dave Berger. Catherine has a private practice in N. California where her primary focus is working with children and adults in all forms of trauma.Catherine has been

Angela believes that we each have the innate ability to return to our authentic selves as we slowly re-connect to our body and move through survival patterns. This belief drives Angela’s passion in collaborating with you to discover what the right kind of conditions are needed for you to move into your own sense of authenticity and aliveness. Angela’s genuine presence and sensitivity supports creating a safe space for you to start letting go of survival mode and try out a new way of being. Angela is a Registered Psychotherapist. Angela has her private practice in Guelph, Canada where she supports individuals recovering from trauma through Somatic Experiencing, attachment therapy, Nature therapy, and expressive arts. Before launching private practice, Angela worked with various population including, young mothers and survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. Angela considers herself an inner and outer explorer.  She has a love for exploring the outdoors as much as exploring people's inner landscapes.  Bringing her passions together, she has created outdoor therapy groups guided by SE principles. She is passionate to support the restoration of herself, others and the natural world, and see how essential each of these pieces are.  Instead of referring herself as a trauma specialist, she calls herself a life supporter and continues to be amazed at the wonders of being alive. 

Colleen lives in Saskatoon Sk, Canada and is a Registered Social Worker. She has a master’s degree where she focused on hospice/palliative care and end of life. Her early career began in Early Childhood Development. She has worked in health care as a Mental Health Counselor as well as in Cancer Care supporting new diagnosis, palliative care and pediatrics/family care. Colleen is also a Trauma Informed Yoga Teacher and enjoys a side gig consulting with a production company as an associate director. She loves expression, movement and creativity and appreciates how SE foster healing by honouring one’s own life energy. Colleen is currently in private practice and enjoys the opportunity this provides her, to be of service to others while nurturing her own art of living. Her practice focuses primarily on Women’s Health, Cancer Care (adult and pediatric), Medical Trauma & Family Development and Adjustments.

Noel works as a psychologist and psychotherapist in full-time private practice and enjoys working with individuals and couples as well as providing supervision to allied and mental health professionals.  He has worked extensively in a wide variety of counselling and psychological services since 1995, including family counselling, drug and alcohol, sexual assault, problematic gambling, mental health and the men’s behavioural change fields. Most recently he worked for the Department of human services in Youth justice as a Senior Psychologist for 4 years.  Since 2001, Noel has been a teacher and faculty member of Gestalt Therapy Australia. Having been trained and mentored as an equine psychotherapist Noel also co-facilitates and runs an Equine Psychotherapy training program with his wife in Daylesford, Victoria. Noel has a special interest in working with shock and developmental traumas, addictions and shame dynamics, integrating SE, relational Gestalt therapy, self-compassion and non-dual spiritual approaches into his psychotherapy practice. He has been an ongoing student of the Diamond Approach since 2003, a western psycho-spiritual school that integrates mindfulness, western depth psychology, Sufism and Buddhist approaches to personal and spiritual development.

Terri is a Certified Canadian Counsellor who enjoys working in private practice. Terri works collaboratively with her clients to develop a way of working together that feels safe and comfortable. In order to do that, Terri accesses an eclectic group of modalities (Mindfulness, Self-Compassion, CBT etc.) to help inform their work together. As well, she incorporates the Somatic Experiencing (SE) model into all of the work that I do. Although her clients arrive in counselling with a multitude of life struggles, Terri has specialities in the areas of trauma, grief and anxiety related disorders including Hoarding Disorder. Terri educates professionals, facilitates groups, provides one on one counselling and also works with families. Terri shares that “This is my first time in Australia!! I am so excited to be a part of the SE journey with the Melbourne Cohort!!”. Certified

Based in beautiful environment of East Gippsland, Vikki has worked for the past twenty years as psychologist. Along side a private practice, she has worked in hospital, community and educational settings as a researcher, child & adolescent mental health clinician and school psychologist.  Vikki has a passionate interest in working with people across the lifespan helping them seek a deeper understanding and awareness. She helps people with a range of mental health conditions including, depression and anxiety disorders, complex trauma and chronic pain conditions. In the search for safe trauma-informed clinical approaches, Vikki was introduced to Somatic Experiencing in 2011. Finding SE has been a way to finally work with the mind and the body in a way that makes sense at a deep level and can profoundly help people move on from the hold the past has had on them.  

Wendy initially worked with adolescents as an outdoor education teacher & expedition leader. With organisations, such as the World Health Organisation, she led groups in Nepal, British Guyana, The Solomon Islands and Australia. She also worked in residential schools as the outdoor education teacher. Her main interest in this process was the personal development of each individual and the individuals working together in difficult circumstances, whilst helping others. In 1999 Wendy returned to University to complete her postgraduate studies in Clinical Psychology, whilst at the same time studying Buddhism and attending many retreats. Through this time she combined her interests by working with children/adolescents with life threatening illness, utilising the outdoors and meditation alongside psychological principles. In 2006 Wendy was with a Not for Profit organisation helping people with anxiety, depression and tranquiliser addiction. Wendy now brings this wide experience to her own Melbourne based private practice where she works with individuals and runs groups for mindfulness, relaxation & mindfulness and compassion. Wendy also works with Deakin University lecturing, running trainings and supervising the post graduate students. Wendy came to Somatic Experiencing looking for a way to work with difficult feelings in a manageable way, and found this practice to be highly beneficial for both herself, the people she supervises and her clients.

Yarn has worked for over 20 years in public health and works from a human rights framework. She currently works in a teaching and supervision role in creative art therapy at MIECAT as well as running a small private practice. Her career began as a health worker at the Kirketon Road Center in 1994; one of the first needle exchanges and primary health centres established in Australia. Enjoying the complexity, rawness and challenge of the work, Yarn re-trained in social work and has since worked primarily with adults contending with difficult life circumstances such as: homelessness, addiction, developmental trauma, enduring mental illness, sexual assault and family violence. Over the last 8 years Yarn worked as Drug and Alcohol Counsellor in St Kilda. Yarn also holds a Masters in Creative and Experiential Arts Therapy. She has an abiding interest in embodiment, collaboration, and the potential of the arts to express the things we find the most difficult. She has a particular interest in social justice and outreach work to support people who might otherwise be excluded from services. Yarn incorporates touch in her practice. She trained with Kathy Kain in Canada with Touch Skills and also with Kathy and Steve Tyrell in Somatic Resilience and Regulation. Yarn trained with Maggie Kline and Berns Galloway in the first Australian Somatic Experiencing training. She is grateful for the personal and professional benefits and finds SE enriches interconnection. She is passionate about contributing to the SE community in Australia.

I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and psychotherapist in private practice in San Francisco, California. Somatic Experiencing is one of my primary modalities I use to help my clients, most of whom come to me for trauma healing. Other trainings/modalities that inform my work: Attachment Mastery (w/Diane Poole-Heller), Somatic Resilience and Regulation Touch Skills (w/Kathy Kain and Stephen Terrell), Neuro-Affective Touch Skills (w/Aline La Pierre), Advanced Cognitive Behavioural Therapy training, Mindfulness Meditation (practitioner and educator), Pre and Perinatal Psychology (Ariel Giarretto and on-going student with APPPAH). In addition to my private practice, I have have been a part-time clinical supervisor in various settings. My supervisory experience includes adoption work, school-based counselling, working with incarcerated parents, and trauma healing for survivors of sexual assault. I enjoy helping others learn the gentle and profound work of Somatic Experiencing.

Amanda holds a masters degree in Counselling and applied Psychotherapy, which is embedded in the SE approach. Having a keen interest in early developmental phases, Amanda trained in SRR touch with Steve Terrell and Kathy Kain. Studied Developmental Movement Patterns with Ruella Frank in New York, PACT level 1 for couples with Stan Tatkin. Then more recently resisdential level 1 & 2 intensives  with Myrna Martin in Canada for Pre and Perinatal pyschology.  Amanda sees clients in private practice in Sydney.

Anna is an experienced Counsellor and Gestalt Psychotherapist who works in private practice 3 days a week. Anna’s work has a strong focus on gaining a psychobiological understanding of developmental and attachment patterns. Anna invites clients to collaborate in co-creating optimal therapeutic conditions, it is in the safety of the relationship an opportunity presents to re-negotiate unmet attachment and developmental needs. Anna also works one day a week as a Clinical Supervisor with the Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency. Anna’s primary role is to support practitioners to be reflective in their work and to develop solid self-care plans to avoid vicarious trauma and burnout from sector work. Anna is passionate about restoring self-determination and supporting healing processes within Aboriginal community. Anna has also attended the Eye of the Needle master class with Peter Levine and Trauma through a Child’s Eyes with Maggie Kline.

Deborah has over 30 years of experience as a psychologist and began her professional career in the APS, before establishing herself in private practice in Canberra.  Her Masters research focused on secondary traumatisation and burnout in psychologists working with traumatised clients.   Deborah works with a range of government agencies, as well as the private sector, and she has developed a reputation for working with people who have been traumatised while working in international deployments.  Her approach encompasses the body, brain and mind and she has found Somatic Experiencing to be a transformative part of her work for clients and for herself.  Somatic Experiencing provides a path for deep healing, integration and personal mastery for clients, in a collaborative therapeutic relationship.   As part of her professional and personal self-care, Deborah has been practising mindfulness meditation for over 25 years and has a deep interest in the BuddhaDharma. More recently, Deborah has moved to the beautiful Mornington Peninsula to follow her passion in edible gardening and to set up a private practice with a focus on Somatic Experiencing and mindfulness.

Donna uses Somatic Experiencing® (SE), mindfulness, Non-violent Communication (NVC) and Organic Intelligence® (OI), to help people use the body’s innate biological wisdom to negotiate the stress and trauma of life’s challenges and to attain more vitality, presence, and a sense of thriving. She practiced daily meditation as a student resident at Hosshin-ji - San Francisco Beginner’s Mind Zen Center for 4 ½ years. She is a graduate of Bay Area NVC’s Leadership Program and its Immersion Program, and has served on NVC training teams in the US, Africa and Thailand. Donna often supports LGBTQQ and others persevering through the trauma of racial, gender, colonial and/or cultural marginalisation and oppression in the dominant culture. Her experience includes suicide prevention counselling on a crises line and teaching MBSR and SE to highly at-risk youth and mental health professionals in a locked hospital facility. By days she works at Genentech – a world-leading biotech company specialising in cancer medicines – which enables her to see SE clients on a sliding scale. Donna has an MA from Stanford University in Documentary Film and Video Production and a BA in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Southern California, where she was a member of its national champion basketball team. She loves travel, culinary arts and is an avid fan of MasterChef Australia. Head down; Bum up!

From a Physiotherapy background, Lisa has been using the Feldenkrais Method for over 20 years to help people develop awareness about how they move, think, feel and sense themselves. She sees clients of all ages with a broad range of movement issues, including post-injury, neurological conditions, performance improvement, etc. She has worked in hospital, rehab centre and community health settings. Currently she runs a busy solo practice in Bayside Melbourne. Her particular focus has been helping clients with chronic pain, which is what brought her to SE. SE has deepened and broadened her work with these clients, enabling them to address trauma, which is always a component of the chronic pain experience. She works with clients individually, in group classes and in workshops. As a Feldenkrais Assistant Trainer, she is part of the training team for new practitioners, as well as running Advanced Trainings for experienced practitioners. Supporting students in a collaborative learning environment is an aspect of her work that she finds stimulating and satisfying.

Moniquea is a Somatic Psychotherapist who has worked in the field of mental health, addictions and trauma for over 15 years. She is a passionate social entrepreneur and visionary change maker. With a priority placed on establishing a safe and trusting therapeutic relationship Moniquea has a natural strength for creating new ways of doing things and helping others tap into the subtleties and wisdom of their body. After a major life event, Moniquea moved on from a successful management career in marketing and accounts for some of Australia’s leading companies into the mental health sector. Moniquea qualified in Somatic Psychotherapy from the Australian Institute of Core (Bio) Energetics in 2006 and was first introduced to Somatic Experiencing during her final training year. Having always believed that the mind and body are intrinsically connected to our overall health and well being she continues to expand her knowledge and practice in the body mind space, taking a keen interest in early developmental phases and attachment theory as way to resolving deeply held patterns and distress. After seeing a gap and need in the mental health sector for reform, she has established her own social enterprise and charity to establishing a therapeutic community for people affected by mental ill health and trauma. Moniquea sees clients in private practice on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria.

Neal is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with a thriving private practice in California. He started his career as a Massage Therapist in 1979, and quickly added a certificate in Rolfing in 1980. In 1983 he first studied with Peter Levine, and again in 1988-89. He received his MFT license in 1991 and SEP in 2010. He is a certified Master NARM practitioner. He participated in numerous workshops with Ray Castellino and attends Peter Levine’s Master Classes.

Neal is a committed SE assistant. He has done independent research on the changes in ‘quality of life’ as SE students go through the three year training process which was published in a peer reviewed journal.

Neal’s favorite area of focus in his practice is on relationships, with couples, individuals and within individuals. He has found that facilitating trauma healing, both shock and developmental, helps the person to re-establish connection with others and self and so is effective in healing relationships

Neal had a full career as an Electrical Engineer, loves woodworking, metalworking, landscaping, home re-modeling, video editing, writing, and many other hands-on hobbies. He has done over 15 years of spiritual study with Edgar Cayce’s Association for Research and Enlightenment. He has been with his wife, Ginny (also an SEP) for over 44 years, and has two daughters, and three grandchildren.

Phyllis works within her private practice and at community agency where she provides psychotherapy for individuals; the highly acclaimed ‘Tuning Into Teens’ parenting program developed by Melbourne University; individual and group psycho-educational/psychotherapeutic and mindfulness programs for youth; individual and group supervision for counsellors.     Phyllis orients counselling staff toward self-care and enhancing client well-being which contributes to supporting motivation and nurture of the counsellor’s development. Her psychotherapeutic approach is grounded in relational philosophy and informed by Somatic Experiencing, Gestalt, Mindfulness and Psychodynamic ideas and practices. Phyllis has a particular-interest in working with youth and families, supporting them to better understand each other and feel strong and connected in relationship. Phyllis has worked within community agencies, high schools, youth resource centres, the Partners in Recovery (PIR) program for Neami National, Victorian Aids Council (VAC), Mind Australia, is an NDIS service provider and an educator for ACAP (Australian College of Applied Psychology). Phyllis has a Master of Counselling, an Advanced Diploma in Gestalt Therapy and is a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner.

A Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP) and Bodyworker, Sally offers a unique blend of trauma based therapies in her body oriented practice including SEP, Sensorimotor Art Therapy, NLP and Bodywork. Sally aims to provide a somatic, sensory and embodied experience holding space for her clients with a real warmth, presence and attunement where her clients feel safe and supported allowing them go deeply very quickly and tap into their body’s own innate wisdom and intelligence to heal from trauma. Initially from a corporate background, Sally’s passion now is to help people live a more embodied and full life, living their true nature and being more connected within themselves and with others. Her areas of work interest are in developmental trauma, sexual abuse and early attachment. Sally also volunteers in SE trauma work and training in Nepal for survivors of Sex Trafficking.

Stacy is a licensed psychotherapist from the San Francisco Bay Area. She has a private practice specialising in trauma: shock, relational trauma, medical, and developmental trauma. She works with children, teens, and adults. Stacy also offers equine-facilitated neuro-relational sessions. This work is primarily offered to psychotherapists and others in helping professions. She teaches clients to expand their internal and external awareness, co-regulation through non-verbal communication, tracking physiological states, increasing capacity for social-engagement and genuine relationship with self and others. Stacy is an approved training assistant, session provider, and consultation provider through Somatic Experiencing, EQUUSOMA: Equine-Facilitated Trauma Recovery. Stacy’s work has been greatly influenced by her passion for horses and love for nature. She’s been integrating natural horsemanship, somatic experiencing, and neurobiology since 2009. The process of integrating different bodies of knowledge has greatly enhanced her understanding of working, with the mind, body and spirit. Her areas of focus include tracking skills, working in resonance, developing felt-sense communication and awareness, co-regulation, attachment in relationships, and the delicate balance of the art and science of somatic therapy—ultimately helping people rediscover their capability, aliveness, and connection to self and others. In addition to assisting SE classes, she has completed Raja Selvam’s Integral Somatic Psychology (ISP), and Larry Heller’s NeruoAffectiveRelationalModel (NARM).

Tania is an Art Psychotherapist and SEP with training in SE Touch Skills, modules 1 & 2 and online webinars in the Attachment and Trauma Mastery program by Diane Poole Heller. Her private practice in Melbourne offers individual consultations for children, adults and couples who seek therapy for change, repair and regulation in their life.  Art therapy is available for self exploration working with the Expressive Therapy Continuum, the Clayfield, Guided Drawing, Sand-tray and Dream exploration in conjunction with SE principles and SE touch. Workshops on offer from her studio are, Drawing for Regulation, Expressive Play with Collage, Art as Process and trauma informed Mindfulness and Tai Chi classes. Since completing ‘Trauma Through a Child’s Eyes,’ with Maggie Kline, she facilitates SE groups for children who have experienced family violence to help children increase their body awareness and access healthy self protective and defence responses to recovery from shock trauma. Tania also works as a clinical Art therapist and SEP in Mental Health and Drug and Alcohol within a hospital setting where she runs Art psychotherapy groups to increase patients' capacity to embody an experience of safety and the authentic Self. Over the past 10 years Tania has worked in the Family Violence sector where she initiated the Children’s Therapeutic Program using art therapy and has had the opportunity to co-facilitate the Peek-a-boo program, which was designed for mothers and their babies to repair attachment ruptures caused by family violence. Tania has also worked with war veterans, sex offenders and refugees.