About TRIA
TRIA seeks to create positive change in our selves, our communities and our planet.
Created by an incredible collaboration of like-minded individuals, TRIA aims to educate and collaborate with those who are interested in a Relational Approach.
FOUNDERS & DIRECTORS
ASHLEIGH POWER
CO-FOUNDER
Ashleigh Power: CO-Founder & Director. (Master GT, Grad Dip Gestalt, Cert Holistic Counselling, Adv Cert Community Welfare) is a Gestalt therapist and Educator with 30 years experience working with individuals, couples and families, groups and organizations.
Ashleigh has substantial clinical experience working with people affected by addictions and mental health presentations. Her previous appointments include a variety of positions in the public and private psychiatric sector and various community based projects including Clinical Manger of South Pacific Private , Coordinator of Therapy programs at Evesham Psychiatric Clinic and Project Manager Lifeline Sydney Personal Counseling Program.
She had held educator positions in both private & university education sectors in the areas of counselling, social work and allied health.
Ashleigh has completed further studies in Somatic therapy and Trauma resolution. She is also an accredited Eco-Therapist and psychedelic integration therapist.
She is available for individual & group sessions and is a PACFA accredited supervisor.
FORREST JAMES
CO-FOUNDER
Forrest James: CO-FOUNDER is a Gestalt therapist, supervisor, educator and organizational consultant. He has twenty years experience as a helping professional in the fields of trauma, relationship and family issues, men’s issues, alcohol and drug dependence, supervision, and management consulting. Forrest has completed extensive studies in Sensorimotor gestalt therapy and various body focused approaches to working with trauma presentations.
FACULTY
GINA O’NEIL
FACULTY
Gina O’Neill: FACULTY, holds a Master of Gestalt therapy and has over 10 years working in a private psychiatric clinical settings treating individuals with various addictions, mood disorders, eating disorders and other trauma-related conditions and 3 years lecturing in higher education. Gina has worked in primary health care as a group therapist, eating disorder program co-ordinator, aftercare co-ordinator and clinical management roles.
She has also held the position of President of CAPA (NSW) for 2 years where she represented the gestalt therapy and counselling profession towards governance and industry recognition.
She is known for her work with childhood trauma and it’s link with adult mental health issues. Gina currently has a private practice, is a higher education educator, and holds consultant clinical supervision and advisory roles both within the NGO and government sectors. Gina is both a registered Gestalt therapist and supervisor with PACFA and CAPA NSW.
As Gina is part NZ Maori her from a multicultural perspective, her interest and increasing areas of speciality is groupwork, cross-cultural and trauma therapy. Gina has a keen interest in the creative arts and plays the piano and designs and makes clothes/objects to satisfy this passion.
DECLAN BRADY
FACULTY
Declan Brady is a qualified Gestalt therapist. He also works in the corporate sector in the area of Leadership Development and
Organisational transformation with over 25 years experience working in the corporate world. He splits his working time between private practice in corporate work.
Declan has also worked as a core faculty member and gestalt therapy trainer and is passionate about supporting people to develop and grow more fully into themselves to lead more purpose and values led lives. He has worked in several rehabilitation centres as a Gestalt therapist helping clients in recovery from addictions and trauma.
He has more recently being specialising in working with trauma using a range of skills acquired through specialised trainings such as Somatic Experiencing, Brain-spotting and Compassionate Focused Therapy.
Declan has been practicing mindfulness meditation for over 25 years. He was previously a qualified senior trainer with the Potential Project who offer Corporate Based Mindfulness Training to organisations looking to enhance performance and well-being in the work setting.
Having two children, Declan also understands the responsibilities, challenges and joys of being a parent.
GREGORY POLL
FACULTY
Gregory Poll graduated from Gestalt Therapy Sydney in 2016, holds a Master of Gestalt therapy & a Diploma of Clinical Hypnotherapy and Resource Therapy. He has experience working in private psychiatric clinical settings treating individuals with various addictions, mood disorders and other trauma – related conditions. Currently, Gregory works as a group therapist running weekly programs for people experiencing childhood trauma related issues.
Gregory also has private practice in Surry Hills seeing individuals and couples who suffer from addictions, anxiety, depression and many relationship difficulties.
Gregory is available to work with individuals, groups and he is a clinical member of PACFA.
MIKE BURNS
FACULTY
Mike Burns holds a master of gestalt therapy and is a Gestalt therapist, counsellor, educator, trainer and group facilitator. He has previously taught counselling to undergraduate students at ACAP and has several years’ experience tutoring master’s students. He has previously worked at South Pacific Private Psychiatric Hospital as a group facilitator for both mental health and addiction recovery.
Mike has worked with Lifeline for over 6 years as a telephone counsellor, supervisor, mentor and trainer with Lifeline Northern Beaches. Mike has worked previously for Blue Knot Foundation as a counsellor and as assistant manager of their national trauma counselling team, as well as on their training team. Mike has worked with people traumatised by motor vehicle accidents and has supported injured workers to return to work.
Mike is a clinical member of PACFA and has a private practice in North Sydney and Balgowlah. He is an avid surfer, loves reading and values quality contact with family and friends.
ROCHELLE OSHLACK
FACULTY
Rochelle Oshlack is a Gestalt Adolescent and Family Therapist registered with PACFA. She holds training and qualifications in Gestalt Therapy, Youth Mental health and Couple and Family Systems Therapy.
Rochelle has worked with young people and young adults for over two decades in various capacities and has also served on the Board of NSW Gay and Lesbian Telephone Counselling Service. She has a regular meditation practise as a long-time student of the Ridwan School’s Diamond Approach and is a mother of three.
Rochelle has a private practise supporting families and young people, in particular trans gender diverse and non-binary people, same sex couples and the LGBTQIA+ communities.
Rochelle is passionate about this institute’s commitment to providing affordable and accessible therapy to those in need through its Community Clinic.
John Butters
Faculty
John Butters
is a Counselling Psychologist with specialist endorsement through AHPRA. He initially worked in psychiatric settings between 1998 and 2008, across a number of clinical populations including drug and alcohol; general psychiatric; trauma and personality disorders.
In 2017, John also completed a Research Masters at Macquarie University in epistemic trust and social learning for trainees of psychotherapy. Between 2002 and the present, John has presented training to clinicians through Think Education, AABCAP, CASPC, Karitane, PDP, PESI, Lifeline, Mandala and other health services. He has a Cert IV in Training and Assessment and presents on a number of topics within the field of mental health. John is the core trainer and assessor for the Diploma of Counselling.
Leena Savolainen
Faculty
Leena has a background in counselling and education, with over 25 years of experience working with individuals and families and groups in a variety of contexts. Leena has a Master of Public Health, a Graduate Diploma in Counselling and Psychotherapy and has recently completed post graduate training in Contemporary Gestalt Therapy. She continues her studies in further deepening her understanding of nature based and somatic therapeutic approaches.
She is also a certified AMI (Association Montessori Internationale) birth to three educator and has an ongoing interest in childhood development and recognises the enduring impact of our early life experiences into our adult relationships. Leena has a particular interest in social-emotional development and communication and has run webinars, workshops and groups for parents and educators in Australia and New Zealand. Leena has been a volunteer counsellor with the Australian Breastfeeding Association for over 10 years supporting parents in the early months of parenthood.
Leena is a current member of PACFA (Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia) and GANZ (Gestalt Australia New Zealand).
Kati Britton
Clinic Coordinator
Kati Britton holds a Bachelor of Social Science (Counselling) and a Post Graduate Diploma of Art & Play Therapy. She is a clinically registered counsellor with PACFA and APPTA. Kati leverages over a decade of diverse therapeutic experience in her practice. From addiction treatment to trauma-focused play therapy.
Kati has been deeply immersed in the field of counselling, initially serving as a counsellor for adults contending with addictions and mental health conditions. Witnessing the profound impact of trauma within this setting, Kati felt compelled to expand her focus to include children, recognising the pivotal role early intervention plays in breaking cycles of harm. Drawing from personal experiences as an adoptive mother, Kati also possesses a unique understanding of trauma and attachment issues, further enhancing her ability to provide compassionate care and specialised support to adoptive families. Beyond her clinical practice, Kati is an accomplished author, with her bestselling book, ‘Navigating Adoption: Desire to Reality.’OFFICE MANAGER
Colleen Godsell AM JP
OFFICE MANAGER
Is an integral part of the TRIA Team to ensure processes and administration runs smoothly.
Colleen has a background in the printing industry as the co founder of Frontline Print which she sold in 2016. In addition to running the company for many years Colleen built a profile in the not for profit sector. Primarily as a Company Director in the fields of Education, Indigenous Tourism and Heritage Conservation.
A local from Mosman and mother of adult children with a new grandchild. Colleen is a life long learner and is committed to adding value and support on the TRIA journey for students and faculty alike.
VISITING FACULTY
MICHAEL REED PHD
VISITING FACULTY
Michael Reed PhD, is a registered psychologist, an accredited clinical social worker, an authorised supervisor with the Psychology Board of Australia and the AASW and a Fellow member of Gestalt Australia and New Zealand (GANZ).
Michael has also been certified as a Gestalt therapist by Gestalt Associates Training Los Angeles (GATLA).
Michael has over 40 years clinical experience of working with individuals, couples, families and groups. Michael has been involved in gestalt therapy training for over 25 years as a Director of Training, a Faculty Member and as a Visiting Trainer with a number of accredited and respected training centres/institutes across Australia and New Zealand.
Michael has run training workshops in Hong Kong, the United States, the Middle East and, most recently, in Japan.
Michael has published in psychology, medical, health, counselling and gestalt therapy journals and books. Michael runs a private psychology / gestalt therapy practice in Crows Nest, Sydney. Michael is committed to promoting contemporary gestalt therapy practice, education and training and its relevance to present day psychological, mental, relational and holistic wellbeing.
When not ‘at work’, Michael enjoys relaxing with his family, playing with his grandchildren, gardening, trying to learn to strum the ukulele and watching sport.
INTERNATIONAL FACULTY
MARK FAIRFIELD
INTERNATIONAL FACULTY (USA)
Mark Fairfield, LCSW, BCD (Board Certified Diplomate in Clinical Social Work), is the Executive Director of The Relational Center. He received a Master of Science in Social Work from Columbia University in 1995. He was the former Clinical Director of Common Ground – The Westside HIV Community Center in Santa Monica, California. Mark has 20 years’ experience in direct practice, program development and administration in community mental health, community organizing and public education. He also consults with other non-profit boards and management teams for strategic planning, leadership development and technical assistance. Mark’s work during the AIDS crisis in the 1990s led him to a revelation about the role of interdependency in human health.
He observed how social movements, with their strong emphasis on collaborative action and systems-thinking, keep people engaged in a common goal and embedded in dense networks of trust and reciprocity that actually make them healthy. So he dedicated his career to designing communication and organizing strategies that help people build and maintain interdependency, improving the conditions of communities and the relationships that constitute them. He continues to publish in books and journals on the subject of confronting individualism in social services and teaches/trains mental health providers and community organizers internationally.
LUCIEN DEMARIS
INTERNATIONAL FACULTY (USA)
Lucien Demaris, MA is a Guild Certified Feldenkrais¨ Practitioner (GCFP) and a California Licensed Acupuncturist (L.Ac.) with a Master’s degree in Traditional Oriental Medicine and Chinese Herbology (MTOM) from Emperor’s College. He is also a Nationally Certified Bodyworker (NCTMB) trained in Myofascial Release, Craniosacral Therapy and Visceral Manipulation. Lucien has been in private practice in West Los Angeles for the last ten years, he served as Director of Wellness at RakSa, and has been teaching movement classes and workshops in California, Mexico and Ecuador since 2007. Lucien grew up in Ecuador deeply connected to the indigenous communities and the mega biodiversity of the land. Inspired by the indigenous devotion to Pachamama (mother earth), as a young adult he found a calling to be a custodian of the Earth.
He began a three-year apprenticeship that began in the Andean highlands with Yachags (healer-shamans) from the Kichwa people, and ended with an eight-month initiation into the mysteries of Ayahuasca in the Amazonian jungle with Uwishins (healer-shamans) from the Shuar people. Upon his return from the forest, he came to Los Angeles to learn from Carlos Castaneda and his associates their teachings of Tensegrity¨. He was engaged in its practice and outreach for 13+ years and served as an Associate Instructor in 2008. While immersed in its practice, Lucien continued studying other embodied healing and therapeutic modalities, and ultimately became fascinated with the conscious movement practice of Feldenkrais¨. He is also a lead trainer in TRC’s Relational Leadership training program.