Mental Health Ministry/Buddhist Chaplaincy:

It is important to note I am not an expert in this field. To get the best guidance approach a senior monastic in the tradition you follow.

In May 2023 I completed the introduction training for Mental Health Ministry with Rev. Alan Galt through The Mental Health CPE Centre, part of NSW College of Clinical Pastoral Education. And earned the entry level qualification to begin providing chaplaincy in hospitals, hospices, aged-cared facilities, schools and prisons. I decided to continue on to the foundational 400 hour unit CPE1 lead by Rev. Alan Galt, with Krsnangi as my supervisor. And completed this unit at the end of 2023.

Emotional CPR:

In 2023 I completed the 2 day practitioner training in Emotional CPR with Dr Susanne Armstrong. (eCPR) is an educational program designed to teach people to assist others through an emotional crisis by three simple steps:

C = Connecting
P = emPowering and
R = Revitalizing

eCPR was developed with input from a diverse cadre of recognized leaders from across the U.S., who themselves have learned how to recover and grow from emotional crises. They have wisdom by the grace of first- hand experience.

I am waiting for the next stage of training to become available. The organisation has placed it on hold.

Meditation and Buddhist practice experience:

As a means to keep Spiritual Materialism at bay I will refrain from listing how many retreats I have attended. I see benefit in paying homage to the teachers, and teachings that have I have benefited from. Providing links for others to explore their teachings. And so will try my best to do this.

  • I began meditation practice in the Vipassana Meditation community in 2012. I spent approx 9 years under Goenka G’s guidance, attending retreats and daily practice.

  • Approx 2017-now I started attending talks and guided meditations with Bhante Sujato at the Lokanta Vihara, the “Monastery at the End of the World”. Also attending day retreats with Santi Forest Monastery, and short retreats with the former Bhante Akaliko and Venerable Upekkhā. I also benefited from giving time for self-directed practice at both Santi Forest Monestery and Wat Buddha Dhamma.

  • Approx 2020-22 I engaged in Zen practice drawn to the teachings of Kodo Sawaki and Uchiyama Kosho Roshi. I joined the Blue Mountains Zen group led by Jane Andino. And traveled to Japan for november sesshin at Antaiji.

  • At the end of 2022 I committed to one path, the Thai Forest tradition, with Bhante Sujato as my main teacher. Inspired by Muho’s teaching at Antaiji ‘choose your main dish!’.

  • In 2024 I attended retreats with teachers from BSWA; Ajahn Brahm, and Ajahn Brahmali.

    In 2016 for 7 months I studied under the guidance of:

    Master Bae Il Dong:

    • Pansori: A traditional musical storytelling of Korea.

    Formal Education:

  • Western Sydney University 3 units of the discontinued Masters of Education (Social Ecology) 2019-2021:

  • Social Ecology with David Wright

  • Engaging Communities with Professor Brenda Dobia

  • Applied Imagination with Christy Hartlage

    The Miecat Institute (GradDip) 2014-15:

    • Experiential learning: Naturally learning with our sensory based cognition system.

    • Creative Arts Therapy: Art making for therapeutic change.

    Australian Institute of Music BA of Music : Musical Theatre 2009-10:

  • Dance, Drama, Performance Studies, Ensemble, Aural, Critical Studies Film Music, Popular Culture of the Arts: The Twentieth Century to the present, Music Materials and techniques, Keyboard Skills, Major Study Musical Theatre, Music Theatre Performance, Movement, Theatre Performance Foundation Elements, A Survey of the Arts and Entertainment Industry, 20th Century Music, Critical Studies World Music.

    Training:

    With Soul Gen 2021-22:

    • Placed-Based Approaches: addressing community needs and creating systemic change by bringing together efforts across the community and by harnessing the vision, resources, and opportunities of community to work towards shared long-term outcomes.

    • Assets Based Community Development: building on the assets that are found in the community and mobilising individuals, associations, and institutions to come together to realise and develop their strengths.

    With Sascha DuBrul approx 4-6 sessions over 2020:

  • TMAPS transformative mutual aid practices: a set of tools that provide space for building a personal “map” of wellness strategies, resilience practices, unique stories, and community resources.

    With Steven Mayers and Niels Buus 2020 - I attended the introductory training:

    • Open Dialogue: an innovative form of mental health treatment developed in Western Lapland in the 1980s. It involves a consistent family/social network approach to care, in which the primary treatment is carried out through meetings involving the patient together with his or her family members and extended social network. See Flick Grey’s site.

    With Post Growth Institute I attended two approx 3 hour markets/training sessions in 2019/2020:

  • Offers and Needs Market: a method for revealing local wealth, rapidly deepening connections, and regenerating economies.

With IDHA online courses 2019-20:

  • The History of the Mad Movement & Alternatives to Biomedical Approaches

  • Our Struggles Are Intertwined- intersectional analysis and holistic healing

With Presencing Institute 2019:

With The International Bateson Institute: I partially attended a session run by Nora Bateson present a couple of hours and attended a day session with Dean Walsh 2019-unknown:

  • Warm Data Lab: Group processes, which highlight interdependency and generate understanding of systemic patterns for people with no previous exposure to systems theory.

Informal and vital education:

Over the years I’ve had numerous mentors in performance:

Some of those are; Roel Voorbij , Jorge Parente , Tony Osborne, and the late Benni Seidel and though I did not meet her in person the late Kristin Linklater.

  • Performance Practices: Theatre making, Performance Art, Participatory Performance, Musical Theatre, Cabaret, Comedy, Spoken word, Improvisation, Physical Theatre, Psycho-physical Awareness, Musical Performance- scored/un-scored/anything in between.

  • Improvisation: Creating spontaneously with what is available to us. Learning to be highly adaptable and inventive in uncertainty.

I continue to listen to and be guided by First Nations elders and leaders wisdom: