TRAINING, SPEAKING AND WORKSHOPS

I design and deliver evidence-informed training for organisations whose people work with distress, trauma, conflict, emotional demand and complex relationships.

My sessions bring together clinical expertise, adult education and an understanding of how people behave within real workplaces. They are designed to help participants make sense of what is happening, respond more skilfully and leave with practical approaches they can use in their work.

I provide training for government, justice, education, community, professional and corporate audiences across Australia and New Zealand.

My training draws on   years of experience across community mental health, specialist trauma services, gender-based violence,  crisis intervention, employee assistance programs, counselling, clinical supervision and postgraduate counselling education.

This means I understand both the theory and the complicated reality of applying it.

My sessions are thoughtful, practical and highly engaged. Participants are invited to reflect, ask questions and apply ideas to the situations they actually encounter, rather than spending several hours being spoken at beside an increasingly ambitious slide deck.

For employees, managers, HR professionals and other workers who regularly find themselves supporting people experiencing distress.

Sessions may explore:

• recognising signs of distress or crisis
• listening and responding with empathy
• asking helpful questions
• maintaining appropriate boundaries
• recognising and responding to risk
• knowing when and where to refer
• managing the emotional impact of supporting others

Practical training that moves beyond describing trauma and considers what trauma-informed practice requires in everyday interactions, services and systems.

Sessions may include:

• understanding trauma and nervous-system responses
• recognising activation, shutdown and dysregulation
• reducing avoidable harm
• responding without becoming overly controlling or overly permissive
• supporting choice, dignity and agency
• applying trauma-informed principles within organisational constraints

For practitioners, frontline workers, educators, managers and teams exposed to trauma, grief, conflict or cumulative emotional demand.

Sessions may address:

• vicarious trauma, secondary traumatic stress and burnout
• early indicators of cumulative strain
• emotional regulation during demanding work
• boundaries and role clarity
• transition and recovery after difficult work
• reflective practice and collegial support
• organisational responsibilities for sustainable practice

Psychological safety is shaped by more than whether people feel comfortable speaking in meetings. It develops through everyday experiences of power, trust, accountability, conflict and response.

Training may examine:

• what makes relationships and teams feel safe or unsafe
• how leadership responses shape openness
• the effects of power and organisational hierarchy
• responding to mistakes, disagreement and challenge
• relational ruptures and repair
• the difference between safety and the absence of discomfort

Accessible, evidence-informed education about stress, emotion and the nervous system, with practical strategies that participants can adapt to their own needs and working environments.

Sessions may cover:

• how stress affects thinking, behaviour and communication
• recognising individual patterns of activation
• emotional contagion within teams
• practical regulation strategies
• mindfulness for people who do not particularly enjoy meditating
• supporting regulation 

For people who need to remain compassionate while also holding responsibility, limits and professional expectations.

Sessions may explore:

• preparing for difficult conversations
• listening without taking over
• empathy without over-identification
• communicating clear boundaries
• responding to defensiveness or strong emotion
• making thoughtful decisions when no option feels perfect
• maintaining relationships while addressing difficult matters

Past sessions have included:

• HR: The Unintentional Counsellor
• Accidental Counsellor for the Public Sector
• Ways to Feel Better, Now
• Staff Mental Health: What You Need to Know
• Helping the Helpers
• Pandemic Recovery: Managing Stress and Burnout
• Mindfulness for People Who Hate Meditating
• Psychological Safety at Work
• Wellbeing and Vicarious Trauma
• Trauma-Informed Care in a Forensic Environment
• Mental Health and Wellbeing Check-In Series
• keynote presentations for the Association Leaders eXchange, LGNSW HR Conference and more.

Sessions can be delivered as established programs or adapted to a particular workforce, professional group or organisational context.

• Answers for Associations, Community Colleges Australia, Justice Victoria, Department for Infrastructure and Transport SA Government, Department of Justice and Community Safety Victoria, Griffith University, Institute of Public Administration Australia South Australian Division (IPAA SA), Legal Aid Queensland, Local Government NSW Association, MIRVAC, NSW Treasury, Office of the Information Commissioner Queensland, PCYC Ipswich, Records and Information Management Practitioner RIMPA, South Australian Film Corporation, Southern Adelaide Local Health Network, Super Retail Group, Willoughby City Council, and more!

Training can be delivered online or in person, depending on the location and requirements of the organisation.

Formats may include:

• conference and keynote presentations
• interactive webinars
• short professional-development sessions
• half-day and full-day workshops
• facilitated team conversations
• reflective-practice sessions
• tailored training programs delivered across several sessions

I work with organisations to clarify the audience, purpose, risks and desired outcomes before recommending a format.

“This session gave me practical understanding of how we can make a difference.”

“The presenter was seriously good, presenting a difficult and confronting area in a sensible and practical manner.”

“The trainer clearly cares deeply and is very knowledgeable about the subject and this came through in the training.”

Participants can expect training that is:

• evidence-informed without being unnecessarily academic
• practical without oversimplifying complex issues
• engaging and participatory
• attentive to trauma, culture, power and context
• clear about professional roles and boundaries
• grounded in realistic workplace situations
• delivered with warmth, directness and appropriate humour

I take the responsibility of facilitating sensitive material seriously. This includes setting a clear structure, avoiding unnecessary disclosure or exposure, responding carefully to distress and maintaining enough flexibility to work with what arises in the room.

I am a Master’s-qualified counsellor, clinical supervisor, university educator and experienced facilitator.

My professional background includes specialist work in trauma, domestic and family violence, sexual violence, crisis intervention, employee assistance programs, private practice, clinical supervision and postgraduate counselling education.

I bring depth to organisational training while remaining focused on what participants need to understand and do in practice. I am particularly interested in wellbeing, trauma-informed practice, relational safety, power dynamics, professional judgement and the sustainability of people whose work requires them to hold a great deal.

Training can be adapted to your organisation, audience and context.

When enquiring, it is helpful to include:

• the topic or challenge you want the session to address
• who will attend
• the approximate number of participants
• your preferred delivery format
• the proposed date or timeframe
• the length of session you have in mind

It is also completely acceptable to begin with: “We have been asked to organise something on staff wellbeing and are not yet sure what that should involve.” We can work from there!