About
Meet Edwina Kempe
My name is Edwina (fondly known as Eddie) and I am an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker, trauma sensitive yoga facilitator, trainer and counsellor.
I believe that reconnection to the body through movement, breath and yoga can be one of the most empowering tools for people who have experienced trauma, and can ultimately help them on their pathway to healing. I regularly incorporate body and breath work into counselling sessions – an approach known as embodied healing. My hope is to give participants agency in directing their own recovery, and to help yoga and mental health practitioners bring a more trauma-informed approach to their practice, all of which may contribute to healing for both the individual and the collective.
My story
My path to helping individuals began with standing up for people’s rights in the school yard and talking about ending global suffering around the dinner table. This led me to academic study in Peace and Conflict Studies, Community Development and Social Work.
In my work with people and communities who had experienced trauma I began to see a divide between the often chaotic environment of formal social work practice and the desired outcomes for individuals. As I learnt more about Trauma Sensitive Yoga and its researched benefits for treating complex trauma and PTSD, my eyes were opened to a more holistic approach to treatment known as embodied healing, which emphasises connection between mind, body and self, and extends from the individual to the wider community.
This spoke to my fundamental commitment to social justice: by resolving trauma on the personal level we can change the story of the individual and the collective.
I feel privileged now to support individuals – through a safer and integrated approach to treatment – to connect with themselves, their bodies and with others as they guide their own personal healing journey or professional development.
Study and practice
My framework is trauma informed and draws on values of social justice and human rights. With a Masters in Social Work Studies and a Bachelor of Arts in Peace and Conflict Studies (first-class honours in International Relations) my deep commitment to social justice issues underpins all of my work – from supporting participants to feel nurtured in counselling and yoga sessions, to creating an inclusive and respectful space for people of all backgrounds, bodies and identities.
I have worked in the community sector and private practice for 15 years in a range of service environments, including homelessness services, refugee services, health settings, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander services and women's services.
I am a fully qualified yoga teacher specialising in Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY), having completed my 350-hour Level 1 yoga teacher training with Kate Pell and Dan Alder, and 300-hour certification in TCTSY through the Trauma Center at Justice Resource Institute in Brookline, Massachusetts. I am a licensed trainer, mentor and lecturer with the Center for Trauma and Embodiment at Justice Resource Institute and am currently the only TCTSY licensed trainer in Queensland.
Testimonials
“Wonderful opportunity to grow…”
Thank you for the workshop – the time, the effort, the extensive material and the wonderful opportunity to grow towards this light. I found the workshop informative, specific and supportive.
SUZANNE, YOGA TEACHER, SYDNEY
“Profound and affirming…”
Edwina is an affirming, validating, and deeply connected therapist. It is clear from participants’ feedback Edwina has created a caring, safe environment for people of all genders, sexualities and bodies to reconnect with themselves and heal on a deeper level. The benefits of Trauma Sensitive Yoga and movement are well documented, and Edwina’s work is the best kind of proof of how profound and affirming it can be.
MIFF, QC MENTAL HEALTH TEAM LEADER
“Nurturing and calming…”
As a teacher, I found you equally as gentle and welcoming. Your presence was both nurturing and calming which assured me that there was a great level of safety from you and the program, which was important for me in attending.
PARTICIPANT IN 10-WEEK TRAUMA SENSITIVE YOGA PROGRAM, BRISBANE
Acknowledgement of Country
I acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which I live and work – the Jagera, Turrbal and Jinibara peoples – the oldest living culture in the world. I pay my respects to the elders past, present and future and acknowledge that sovereignty has never been ceded in this country. I recognise not only the individual experience of trauma, racism and oppression of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, but also the collective, cultural and inter-generational nature of trauma and the sorrow and shame this casts on this country’s history.
EVERY IDENTITY WELCOME
I welcome people of all backgrounds, experiences, bodies and identities. I acknowledge the systems of oppression that impact the lived experience of LGBTIQI+, disabled people, neurodiverse people, BIPOC people and others. I hope to facilitate a safer space in which you can experience yourself, your body and your needs as equal to those of others without discrimination.
I am a white-bodied human who uses the pronouns she, her, hers, and I am always open to learning how individuals prefer to be acknowledged if that is important to them.
- Edwina