Where were you raised and early on what inspired your career choice?
I was raised in Singleton, not much early on really inspired me to do what I do today. Although, I remember taking a careers test in high school and my results came back with being best suited for a social worker or counsellor, I remember at the time thinking ‘no way.’ But it turns out that test was quite accurate for me.
When and why did you found the Newcastle Health Collective?
For many years I worked as a hypnotherapist on my own, either at home or in an office building alone.
Some days I remember leaving the office after a day of seeing clients and feeling off balance, so much so that I would think I could physically fall over at any minute. I hated how lonely the career was that I had chosen for myself, but I loved helping people so I kept going.
When a colleague of mine invited me to start our own clinic up together, I jumped at the opportunity, the thought of being able to have a cup of tea with someone in between clients was nurturing to me. After a couple of years together my colleague Tracy Lynch went to start her own health Centre. I knew I loved the sense of community and I was definitely not going back to working alone. That’s when Newcastle Health collective was born.
There is not enough calm and quiet in our life, and unless we make space for it, we will hold that stress in our body and mind.
- Lucy Ellis
What is its mission and how does it operate?
Our mission is to be the Health Mecca of Newcastle, we have over 20 practitioners here that operate independently but also as a collective. We have bi-monthly movie nights, information talks and workshops that are run by our team, as well as their individual client’s sessions they offer to their clientele. We also have a small yoga and Pilates team, and other axillary health professionals hire the workshop space to host their events. We want to educate the public of Newcastle on all the services available to them, to support their best health. We have a weekly podcast that features our practitioners talking about their zone of genius.
You have 20+ practitioners in areas ranging from chiropractic to naturopathy. How easy is it for practitioners to refer clients when there are so many practitioners?
Referrals are easy. As a collective we spend a lot of time with each other, working on projects and goals, but socially too. Everyone shares at least one session with each other so we can all get a feel for what it’s like to be a client of each practitioner, this helps tremendously with referrals and choosing the right practitioner for the right client.
So many factors are to be considered if we are thinking about referral, it’s not just the modality, but also the personality, the area of expertise and the manner in which the practitioner works.
We believe that with the right referral the client can get brilliant results with their health goals, all our practitioners agree that it’s better to work as a team when treating a client so they can be treated in a more holistic way.
That is why we have just launched a service called the collaborative consult. This allows the client to be placed with the right team of practitioner for them and their current needs. We create individual packages for each client and their specific requirements.
What are the most in-demand services?
The services that are more widely known by the community are generally the ones in the most demand; psychology, counselling, beauty, chiropractic and naturopathic, however there are many gems interwoven through the modalities on offer that are less known, but just as effective.
What consultations do you offer as a hypnotherapist?
I offer a range of different consults and programs. I exclusively help women and children with many different issues they might be suffering from.
Broadly put, I help people that are wanting to change the way they feel or behave.
I have one on one consults and also offer a group program for women that helps improve their confidence and happiness meter.
What do women seek your assistance for?
Many for weight loss and confidence. I help them manage anxiety and phobias. I also see people wanting to control their alcohol and emotions. There is such a range of different reasons why someone would come to me. Every day is different.
Self-care is growing as modern day living takes a toll. Are you concerned about the level of stress humans carry?
I’m not so much concerned with the level of stress in our lives, but more concerned with the lack of self-care that takes place to manage the stress. All stress can be managed, and instead of letting it pile up and cause major health concerns, we need to do our bit to release our stress build up.
There is not enough calm and quiet in our life, and unless we make space for it, we will hold that stress in our body and mind. It’s my dream one day that everyone treats their health as a top priority instead of only looking at it when something goes wrong. We can do so much on a day to day basis to support our overall health.
