Dr Maura Kenny - Founding Director
MBChB, MRCPsych, FRANZCP
Maura is a Consultant Psychiatrist and a long-term meditator within the Insight Meditation tradition. She is the Coordinator of the Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) Programs at the Centre for the Treatment of Anxiety & Depression in SA Health, and specialises in the areas of Stress, Mood and Anxiety disorders. She has conducted research in these areas, and has used mindfulness approaches in clinical, organisational and workplace settings. Maura is interested in the well being of the medical profession in particular, and developed the 6 week mindful self care course for healthcare professionals.
Maura was central in the establishment of MTI and we wish to honour her contribution - especially her rigour, humour and deep care for students, participants and the world more generally.
Timothea Goddard
BA, Dip Psych (ANZAP) Workplace Trainer, Cert V, Yoga Teacher (YA500H)
Timothea Goddard (Tim) has been practicing yoga and meditation (in the Vipassana tradition) since her early twenties, having also spent some years practicing Zen and Aikido. She sees meditation as a pragmatic way of inviting people into recognizing their own basic goodness - in terms of clarity, courage and wisdom – and how to bring this goodness into the world. She is acknowledged as a pioneer in bringing Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and associated programs to Australia over the past 16 years. She has worked in private practice for 35 years as a developmental psychotherapist having trained in humanistic, psychodynamic, body-based and systemic ways of exploring challenges in life and relationships. Her latest forays into learning has been in Internal Family Systems, trauma sensitive yoga teacher training and Clean Language.
She is founding director of Openground – an Australia-wide network of clinicians and teachers offering MBSR and related mindfulness programs, workshops and retreats, and of the Mindfulness Training Institute – Australia and New Zealand – a not-for-profit which offers teacher training and Vipassana retreats.
Nadav Avny
New Zealand Psychologists Board #90-04410
UK Council for Psychotherapy Registered Psychotherapist (UKCP reg.) #07159199
Nadav is a certified teacher and approved supervisor of MBSR and MBCT. He is Co-Director of the Mindfulness Training Institute: Australia & New Zealand.
Nadav’s clinical psychology training was psychodynamic. He later completed training in Integrative Psychotherapy (focusing on Gestalt and Existential Psychotherapy), and he has been a UK Council for Psychotherapy Registered Psychotherapist (UKCP reg.) since 2007. Over the years, Nadav developed knowledge also in other therapeutic modalities, including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Family Therapy.
In Nadav’s most recent role of nine years in the public health system, as a Consultant Clinical Psychologist at the Adult Acute Mental Health Inpatient Unit, Auckland City Hospital, he founded and led a mindfulness project that involves a sustainable implementation of Mindfulness at the Mental Health Services, including MBSR.
Nadav is the Director of Mindfulness Auckland, where he facilitates MBSR, MBCT and Residential Meditation Retreats.
Mary McIntyre
B.A (Bus) Dip. Counselling MACA II , Internal Family Systems 1, Somatic Experiencing (SEP), Cert. Expressive Therapies, Circle of Security Educator
Mary is delighted to bring her care and attention to assisting MTI students as they make their way through pre and post Level 1 training. Her personal meditation practice comes from the Insight tradition. She spent much of her adult life in France and then lived seven years in Sri Lanka before settling in Australia in 2004. Mary is passionate about human change, post-traumatic growth and healing through development of our inner resources. She is based in Brisbane working in private practice as a counsellor/psychotherapist and has a particular interest in somatic psychotherapy.
Regina Gerlach
Regina is a passionate and committed Clinical Psychologist, a certified Mindfulness-Based practitioner, Qualified MSC Teacher and formally trained Mediator.
Regina has been trained by Mark Williams and Zindel Segal (MBCT), Jon Kabat-Zinn (aspects of MBSR and residential retreat), Saki Santorelli (ethics in Mindfulness), James Baraz, Rick Hanson (certified PNT practitioner), Russ Harris (certified ACT therapist), Elisha Goldstein (online Mindfulness training), and Bob Stahl (MBSR/MBCT practicum and retreat), and also trained in Mindful Schools Curriculum.
Regina has instigated and established a University-based mindfulness community at Curtin University in Western Australia. She teaches MBCT and MBSR and has developed several mindfulness-informed programs, i.e., the Mindfulness modules for the ‘My Happiness Project’, a Mindfulness-Based Conflict Response (MBCR) course, and a Mindfulness-Based Stress Management (MBSM) course (also available online), and a Self-Care with Mindfulness Program. She is the developer of the app Mindfulness2Go that is designed to enhance participant’s experience of mindfulness during MBSR, MBCT and similar courses.
Director of Training
Timothea Goddard
BA, Dip Psych (ANZAP) Workplace Trainer, Cert V, Yoga Teacher (YA500H)
Timothea Goddard (Tim) has been practicing yoga and meditation (in the Vipassana tradition) since her early twenties, having also spent some years practicing Zen and Aikido. She sees meditation as a pragmatic way of inviting people into recognizing their own basic goodness - in terms of clarity, courage and wisdom – and how to bring this goodness into the world. She is acknowledged as a pioneer in bringing Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and associated programs to Australia over the past 16 years. She has worked in private practice for 35 years as a developmental psychotherapist having trained in humanistic, psychodynamic, body-based and systemic ways of exploring challenges in life and relationships. Her latest forays into learning has been in Internal Family Systems, trauma sensitive yoga teacher training and Clean Language.
She is founding director of Openground – an Australia-wide network of clinicians and teachers offering MBSR and related mindfulness programs, workshops and retreats, and of the Mindfulness Training Institute – Australia and New Zealand – a not-for-profit which offers teacher training and Vipassana retreats.
Program Advisor
Mary McIntyre
B.A (Bus) Dip. Counselling MACA II , Internal Family Systems 1, Somatic Experiencing (SEP), Cert. Expressive Therapies, Circle of Security Educator
Mary is delighted to bring her care and attention to assisting MTI students as they make their way through pre and post Level 1 training. Her personal meditation practice comes from the Insight tradition. She spent much of her adult life in France and then lived seven years in Sri Lanka before settling in Australia in 2004. Mary is passionate about human change, post-traumatic growth and healing through development of our inner resources. She is based in Brisbane working in private practice as a counsellor/psychotherapist and has a particular interest in somatic psychotherapy.
Administration
Caroline Friend
Caroline Friend looks forward to assisting you in all matters relating to administration, registration, communications and finance. Prior to working with MTIA, Caroline was managing director of Rainbow Serpent Pty Ltd which specialised in the sale of Aboriginal art, craft and design. The business was located at Sydney and Brisbane International Airport's and online. Caroline has a regular yoga and meditation practice and is very grateful for being introduced to MBSR and the wonderful community around it.
Teaching Faculty
As the Institute develops and we establish processes of certification, and in response to demand for training, we anticipate that our teaching staff will grow. At the moment, current faculty for the Intensive training will be drawn from the following:
Eva Papadopoulo
Nadav Avny
Timothea Goddard
Study Module Assessor
Nique Murch
B.A. Dip.,Adult Education, Feldenkrais Practitioner, Dip. Mime Mask and Movement, IFS level 1 and 2
Nique has a rich background in adult education teaching movement, improvisation and critical literacies. She has practiced meditation in both Eastern and Western traditions over many years, experiencing first hand how effective ontological approaches can be in the management of stress and pain. She has trained in Mindfulness-based interventions with Openground, the Centre for Mindfulness (University of Massachusetts) and Breathworks in the UK. Nique has been facilitating MBSR since 2006, and tutors with the Mindfulness Training Institute of Australasia. She also works with the Humour Foundation - gleefully practicing radical simplicity as an elder clown with people in group residences.
Certifications Co-ordinator
Regina Gerlach
Regina is a passionate and committed Clinical Psychologist, a certified Mindfulness-Based practitioner, Qualified MSC Teacher and formally trained Mediator.
Regina has been trained by Mark Williams and Zindel Segal (MBCT), Jon Kabat-Zinn (aspects of MBSR and residential retreat), Saki Santorelli (ethics in Mindfulness), James Baraz, Rick Hanson (certified PNT practitioner), Russ Harris (certified ACT therapist), Elisha Goldstein (online Mindfulness training), and Bob Stahl (MBSR/MBCT practicum and retreat), and also trained in Mindful Schools Curriculum.
Regina has instigated and established a University-based mindfulness community at Curtin University in Western Australia. She teaches MBCT and MBSR and has developed several mindfulness-informed programs, i.e., the Mindfulness modules for the ‘My Happiness Project’, a Mindfulness-Based Conflict Response (MBCR) course, and a Mindfulness-Based Stress Management (MBSM) course (also available online), and a Self-Care with Mindfulness Program. She is the developer of the app Mindfulness2Go that is designed to enhance participant’s experience of mindfulness during MBSR, MBCT and similar courses.
Regina is providing peer supervision and training to her colleagues who are trained in Mindfulness; she is a member of the Steering Committee for Mindful Meditation Australia and is member of the mentor team of Eliasha Goldstein's Mindful Living online program.