Practitioner Training

‘The Missing Link’

Integrating somatic therapy approaches for clinical practice and preventing burnout

DATES IN 2025 IN AUSTRALIA & BALI BOOKING QUICKLY

There are two ‘Missing Link’ trainings:


A 20 hour APS approved Level 1 training
and
a 16 hour, Level 2 deep-dive workshop style training

Both levels are facilitated in Australia, over 3 days each, as well as in Bali over 5 or 4 days respectively as a retreat-style training.

Do you feel that there is something missing from your practice?

As Therapists and ‘space holders’, we have often had to ‘soldier on, especially through the pandemic and it’s aftermath, to provide a service for our clients when we ourselves were depleted and exhausted and sometimes towards the edge of (or beyond!) our own ‘Window of Tolerance’.

  • Do you sometimes find that your clients get ‘stuck’ at a certain point in therapy?

  • Do you find yourself working really hard to try get your clients to make changes?

  • Are you feeling exhausted and in need of some nourishment yourself?


This course could be what you’re looking for!

About These Trainings:

Within psychology, the body and even emotion, has tended to be sidelined with a focus on the thinking mind, in line with current cultural values. However, this can result in the shoring up of old, previously necessary, but ultimately limiting, avoidance mechanisms, so that authentic change does not occur, when used exclusively.

It can also lead to ‘stuckness’ in therapy and burn out in professionals who experience the limits of the traditional paradigm, when faced with clients who may have addressed a symptom, and come to ‘understand’ why they feel and behave the ways they do, but still can’t seem to change how they feel, and find themselves in repeating patterns of behaviour and familiar challenges in relationship. 

Developments within the field of trauma therapy and research have begun to place, front and centre, the body, including our nervous system and our emotions, both as a container of trauma, and as a means to heal and re-connect with our ‘true selves’, our truth, our values and our uniqueness. 

Through the integration of somatic approaches in psychological therapy, and learning to listen to the language of the body, deeper and more profound healing and growth can occur within our clients and ourselves.

Face to face trainings offer a safe, nurturing context to really embody these approaches. The courses involve only a small amount of structured, didactic teaching and will not suit those who prefer this way of learning. While there is a ‘teaching’ component, the majority of the focus is on experiential practice, discursive and reflective processes, which support embodying somatic work.

Learning objectives, Level 1:

Upon completion of this training, participants should be able to:

  • recognise the impact of trauma on their clients’ minds, psyche and bodies,

  • implement techniques from established somatic psychology theories and approaches to address their client’s body-mind, 

  • distinguish, through experiential methods, the difference between ‘being with, with compassion’ and ‘fixing’,

  • identify work-related beliefs and attitudes that protect against burn-out

  • utilise somatic exercises to use in therapeutic settings and to develop a more compassionate relationship with our own embodied selves.

Following the Level 1 course:

You will:

  • Be ready to weave somatic tools and principles into your usual clinical practice.

  • Have methods to access the unconscious processes that keep our clients stuck, and to facilitate quickly moving through barriers.

  • Know the science of somatic work; the functioning of our nervous systems, the impact of trauma, and how somatic approaches can address this directly.

  • Be able to use the traditional approaches of top-down processing (mind to body) as well as bottom-up processing (body to mind), so that your practice is holistic and complete.

  • Be freed up to support your clients in a way that gives them agency and self-responsibility.

  • Learn ways of working with dissociation and overwhelm in the therapy room.

  • Have tools to support yourself in your own life and to manage the impact of your work on your own body and mind.

  • Feel part of a growing community of like minded practitioners as this relatively new field expands in Australia, as it has in the USA and Europe.

Level 1 and Level 2

Level 1:

Level 1 is the foundational course.

In this 20 hour in-person course, you will learn how to begin to integrate somatic awareness practices into your usual evidence-based clinical practice, tapping into what is held in the body; trauma, emotion, deep wisdom and the ability to heal and re-discover wholeness.

This course is open to Psychologists, Social Workers, Therapists, Counsellors and anyone working with people in a healing or caring capacity. 

If choosing to learn on retreat, the training is run over 5 mornings of learning, with free time in the afternoons and evenings, and in Australia, over 3 days.

Level 1 is APS CPD Approved for 20 hours.

Level 2:

In this workshop-style training, you will receive 16 hours of CPD, deepening your knowledge of somatic work, to support your clients and address and prevent burnout.

Level 2 affords the opportunity to dive deeper into somatic work, to have more time and space for personal and case discussions and to explore challenges, such as dissociation, the impact of powerful transference and counter transference dynamics.

Research in the field of Epigenetics has shown that much of what we carry and struggle with in our systems and what shapes our perception and subsequent experience, is related to what our parents and ancestors endured and the ways available to them to manage their experience. In Level 2 we explore powerful ways of understanding and healing intergenerational trauma, and what we and/ or our clients may carry within our systems that don’t originate in us.

On retreat, this training is run over 4 mornings and in Australia, over 3 days.

Level 2 is for participants who have completed Level 1 and can be completed immediately (where available) or at a later date and offers 16 hours of CPD.

Where is the training delivered?

‘The Missing Link’ Level 1 and Level 2 are delivered as a face to face training, both in Australia, and in Bali (as a retreat style course)

To view available dates and locations, please head to the Bookings page.

Testimonials From Previous Participants

  • Dr Julian Toh, Consultant Psychiatrist

    This pertains to the Level 1 Somatic Psychotherapy course taught by Kirstie at Gaia Oasis in Bali. No matter how many words I write, it will be too few to capture the amount of experiential and deep learning I received from this course, presented by wise and compassionate facilitators in such a serene, nurturing and natural environment. So true to a felt sense of integrated embodiment of course content, I will say no more other than a wish to express a deeeeeeep gratitude 🙏 to everyone I met and learnt from from the course, and to the resort staff whose warm hospitality was palpable. Any practitioner from any school of practice I feel could benefit greatly from this course, as will their clients and patients.

  • Dr Caitlin Grace, Clinical Psychologist

    The easiest 5 stars imaginable. I arrived at “The Missing Link” with a lot of curiosity and some apprehension, and was safely lead by a wonderful Kirstie (and supported by an equally wonderful Karen) to find ample and rich learning, along with a beautiful connection with the group and with Bali.

    The group, content, structure of the training, facilitators and location (including the beautiful staff of Gaia Oasis) was without fault. Feeling fortunate to have had this experience and gladly encourage any other curious practitioners to dive in.

  • Patsy McSharry, Psychotherapist

    Just completed the ‘Missing Link’ level 1 training in Bali with Kirstie. I found it a very enriching experience. Kirstie is warm, approachable and holds space for all participants in a very gentle, easy manner. She provides a safe psychological space from the outset. She provides participants with in-depth information from a ‘loosely held’ knowledge and expertise in somatic therapy and seamlessly blends such with other modalities and in particular a trauma informed approach and internal family systems therapy. The richness is in the practicing of the guided meditations and the practicing of this powerful approach with fellow participants and the application of these approaches to the self. Kirstie generously shares some of her own insights that she has acquired as she has worked through this approach. It is this application that enhances the learning and the richness of the process leading to credibility and understanding. This particular training took place in a beautiful mountain beach resort in Bali which made the training all the more nurturing and restorative for all of us participants.

  • Victoria, Clinical Psychologist

    I attended Kirstie’s 2 day workshop The Missing Link in October and would highly recommend it to all therapists and psychologists, whether you work with trauma or not.

    It was great to come home after a 2 day professional development workshop feeling inspired and energised about clinical work.The Missing Link balances theory/research with experiential learning.

    Kirstie creates a safe and supportive learning environment to explore different therapeutic processes, ask questions and connect with like-minded peers.

    I have been applying many of the processes directly into my work with clients and found that clients have been very responsive to them.

    The course handbook provided is an invaluable resource, that you can come back to for support beyond the workshop.

  • Nicole, Clinical Psychologist

    The best training ever!!!

  • Becca, Psychologist

    I could not recommend Kirstie's training enough. I came into the training tired and burnt out. As soon as I settled into the training I felt at ease and felt my body relax into the mindfulness experiences that Kirstie offered, I felt engaged, interested and encouraged in the learning and reflective parts of the training.

    Kirstie offers a safe space for reflection and learning she uses her knowledge experiences (and humour) to guide you through the training.

    This is the first training I did not feel drained half way through the day and I think this was due to the whole package this course offers of a nurturing facilitator, nourishing food and a renewed sense that I could use the resources and learnings back in my rooms for myself and my clients.

    Even if some of the components are frameworks that you use I would encourage you to attend and if this is completely new to you and your practice or out your comfort zone I encourage you to attend. If there is one course you get to do this year, this one is the one.

  • Larisa, Psychologist

    I attended The Missing Link workshop facilitated by Kirstie, to deepen and further develop the way I use somatic approaches in my work. I found it be an inspiring training and I would recommend it to anyone wanting to gain an understanding of working with the body in the context of their clinical practice.

    The training was a great balance of theory and practice. It provided a good overview of theory of several psychosomatic approaches and plenty of guided experiential practices and opportunities to practice using psychosomatic exercises with other participants. The experiential component provided a space to tap into our own connection with ourselves and felt nurturing and invigorating. I felt that learning in this way made the knowledge deeply embedded within my own experience and understood in a more profound way.

    I also find that the course booklet was a wonderful resource that helped take the learnings with me and consolidate them in my own work with my clients.

    Kirstie created a safe and nurturing space for learning, exploration and reflection, with her relatable, authentic, and down-to-earth presence.

    I would thoroughly recommend this workshop to those curious about the use of psychosomatic approaches in therapy, and those interested in working in a deep and transformational way with their clients.

  • Pip, Psychologist

    This testimonial was sent to the APS:

    I recently attended this training (The Missing Link - workshop) held in Bali, and have returned completely revitalised, revigorated and excited to engage in clinical work again.

    I wanted to provide feedback directly to the APS who I know approved the training.

    The workshop was comprehensive, thoroughly researched and practically very very useful. I have expanded my repertoire of clinical skills and found it both therapeutically beneficial for me as a human (and ultimately as a psychologist) as well as challenging, informative and enhancing to my clinical practice.

    I wish this had been a whole course in my masters program, but alas. So thrilled to be learning it now - thank you for the opportunity!

  • Michelle, Clinical Social Worker and Psychotherapist

    I was fortunate to attend both Level 1 and 2 of The Missing Link, Somatic Therapy training in Bali with Kirstie. Both were wonderful learning experiences for integrating somatic theory and practice. I find the opportunity to work with my own lived experiences an effective way to learn therapy techniques from 'the inside out' and brings a more authentic application of the theory to my clinical practice.

    The structure of the Level 2 training provided all of this for me and Kirstie facilitated a safe space for experiential application of the theory. The retreat style setting in Bali also allowed for safe integration of my own processing and learning with the opportunity to swim, rest and nourish the body and mind away from the usual distractions of home.

  • Karen, Clinical Social Worker

    I have attended both Level 1 and Level 2 of Kirstie's 'The Missing Link' training in Bali. They were truly exceptional trainings. Kirstie is a wise and wonderful teacher who provides a safe space for learning and reflection and her wealth of experience is shared in an authentic and reflective way.

    Level 2 allowed me to build on skills and knowledge learned in Level 1 and provided the opportunity to deepen my practice, and self-knowledge and to learn methods of working with intergenerational trauma, within myself and with my clients. It was amazing to see the transformation in myself and others with regard to the issues we were focussing on in the experiential exercises!

    Since returning from Level 1 last year and Level 2 this year, I have been able to broaden my practice to include somatic approaches and have found it extremely beneficial – it's been particularly helpful for clients who previously felt ‘stuck’.

    I recommend these trainings to all therapists at any stage of their career – to learn, experience and nurture themselves and to add to their clinical skills, and doing so in the beautiful setting of Bali, with lots of opportunity for nurturing and self-care was amazing!

  • Tracy, Energy Healer and Mindset Coach

    I recently attended "The Missing Link : Integrating Somatic Approaches into clinical practice" with Kirstie in Bali.

    I completed both Level 1 and Level 2 while in Bali. I found the course to be very comprehensive with a beautiful balance of theory and space for practicing and embedding the learning.

    Kirstie is so down to earth, holding such a safe and authentic space for reflection.

    I came home feeling truly inspired and I have been combining tools and practises that I've learned with my clients, with great results.

    I would highly recommend these courses.

  • Michelle, Clinical Social Worker & Family Therapist

    I have experimented with somatic therapy ideas over time, however this training really helped to bring it together for me, and in fact provide ‘the missing link’.

  • Jen, Social Worker

    Kirstie created a safe, warm space for learning that invited participants to engage and learn. This course is a must for working with clients who are stuck and provides the link from brain to body in healing.

  • Sonja, Social Worker

    Attending ‘The Missing Link’ was just what I needed, both professionally and personally.

    It has added some new somatic tools to my toolbox that I can implement into my own clinical practice in a way that is current, evidence-based, and trauma-informed.

    I would recommend this training to anyone wanting to practice different ways of diving deeper into the somatic experience.

  • Eliza, Psychologist

    Wow Kirstie’s Missing Link training truly exceeded my expectations (which were pretty high) and I finished it feeling like I had just been to a wholistic wellness retreat, rather than a didactic training!

    All the material presented is engaging, evidence based, clinically useful and experiential. In working with the body through a somatic approach my learning went beyond the realm of cognitive experience to a deeper, more embodied and reflexive understanding of the mind body connection.

    There is a lot of content covered however it didn't feel onerous at any stage and I didn’t want it to end! The richness of the learning meant that I continued to process it beyond the course completion and continue to do so as I apply it in my clinical practice.

    The only thing that could have improved upon my experience was if I had attended Kirstie’s course when it was held in Bali as that would be a thorough somatic immersion!

Spots sell out quickly when released.

Book your place today

and begin supporting your clients to heal via ‘The Missing Link’.