About

B.A, Dip. Remedial Massage, Module 4 Oncology Massage, Qualified Lymphoedema practitioner (Casley–Smith), Cert 4 Training & Assessment.

Over 20 years’ experience as a therapist & teacher Oncology massage facilitator in Australia, USA, Spain & Argentina Founded the Oncology Massage service at the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre at the Austin Hospital.

A remedial therapist since 1997, Kate is now recognised as one of the leaders in the massage community for her lymphatic and oncology work. She was accredited with the Epworth hospital (neurological, oncology wards and drug & alcohol rehab), The Melbourne Clinic, and qualified with the highest level of training in lymphatic therapy, registering with the Australasian Lymphology Association.

In 2012 Kate assisted the delivery of the first Oncology Massage modules at the Olivia Newton-John Cancer, Research & Wellness Centre at the Austin Hospital in Heidelberg. The success of this program led to Kate’s position as the first salaried Oncology Massage Therapist at the Centre in 2012. Two more therapists were employed in 2013 and the service has continued ever since. In 2015, Kate co-authored the Cancer Council Handbook on Massage & Cancer, and continued her role as the Victoria Coordinator for Oncology Massage Training.

Right from the beginning, she was interested in working in a medical setting with chronic pain and lifelong diseases. Kate says she “likes to work physically and connect with people”, and that she is interested in the complexity of the specialised work in these areas. Kate has presented at conferences nationally, including the Australian Association of Massage Therapists (now Massage & Myotherapy Australia), and at the Oncology Massage Conference in Canberra.

She has also conducted in-service education sessions with organisations including the Cancer Council and the Prostate Cancer Support Group of Victoria. Representing Australia, Kate has spoken at the Society for Oncology Massage in Minneapolis USA in 2016 on the Australian hospital advancements in oncology massage and current research. More recently she led the facilitation of Oncology Massage in Spain and Argentina, training the trainers to deliver the program, and is now running Oncology Massage Global, delivering Oncology Massage to English speakers across the globe.

As a massage therapist, Kate feels privileged to help people who are suffering from complex problems associated with their disease process. She aims to ‘hold the space’ for them to facilitate a sense of release; physically, emotionally and/or spiritually.