Meet the Natural Yield Collective team and our partners
Bear, therapy dog in training and co-facilitator
Bear is a full breed Labrador born in August 2020. She loves people and other animals, and has an amazing passion for life. She is always ready for play, loves giving hugs, and will explore anything you want with you.
Bear is still in training but that doesn’t stop her from joining you in your sessions, whether they take place in the bush, in your home, or in our studio. She will even join in on Zoom sessions. The only requirement is that you invite her to be part of it all.
Gramayre Friesian Horses
Our Horse Assisted Programs are led by the Friesian horses of Gramayre Friesian Horse Stud, owned by horse specialists Sharon and Peter.
Gramayre Friesian Horse Stud is located at the foothills of the Otway Ranges, approximately 20 minutes from Lorne, Victoria, Australia.
Sharon and Peter’s hope is to let the majestic and noble Friesian horses heal people, and for the horses to challenge and encourage people to grow and develop new skills and insights.
Our horse assisted therapeutic programs are suitable for all persons aged 14 and over. Smaller children are welcome with their parents.
Our horse assisted organisational programs assist organisations that want to improve their team and employee relationships, communication skills, collaboration and partnership skills, leadership skills, as well as self-care strategies and team culture.
Our team is EAGALA (Equine Assisted Growth And Learning Association) certified.
Marjan
Marjan is a clinical psychologist with more than twenty years experience. She has Masters degrees in Clinical and Forensic Psychology. She has worked in leadership as well as clinical roles and has a passion for service improvement and delivering innovative interventions.
When Marjan is not working you can find her on the beach walking her dogs, hiking in the forest, or on the couch in front of the fire with a good book.
Born in the Netherlands, Marjan arrived in Australia in her early twenties and started her career working as a clinical psychologist in one of Victoria’s prisons. Following this she has worked with clients presenting with a wide range of presentations in both public mental health and alcohol and other drug settings.
Marjan is currently focused on designing, delivering and researching therapeutic and sensory psychotherapy interventions for people who have survived psychological trauma. Marjan is EAGALA (Equine Assisted Growth And Learning Association) certified.
Marjan’s warm, confident and open style of relating to her clients ensures that she creates a safe space for you in your location of choice.
Lise
Lise has worked across a wide range of public and not for profit organisations, predominantly across state government and the health and community services system. She has worked as a clinician, in community development, project management, and up until recently in senior leadership roles.
Lise really enjoys helping people understand themselves in their individual work contexts, and to reconnect with what matters most to them. She thrives on assisting people with developing their leadership capacity in order to make a real difference. Lise is EAGALA certified.
Lise is a calm and attentive listener who can guide people through thoughtful questioning to reach new understanding and insights, to reconnect with their values and vision, and to develop a clear sense of purpose and the skills to put this into practice.
Lise holds a BA in Sociology, a BSW, and a Masters in Applied Science, Organisation Dynamics, from RMIT, where she was trained in the use of Organisational Role Analysis (ORA). Lise is also a certified coach in the Analytic Network Coaching System TM.
When Lise is not working you will find her in her woodworking workshop, outside in the veggie garden, or hiking with her dogs.
Sharon
Sharon has loved horses all her life, and has had a horse or two in her life for over 48 years. Training in Natural Horsemanship for many years, Sharon also has a passion for Liberty, In Hand, Dressage, and Trail Riding, all different ways to train and play with horses. Sharon has further worked in the veterinary industry for 41 years.
Sharon and her partner Peter have owned and operated Gramayre Friesian Horse Stud for over 17 years, breeding Friesian and Knabstrupper horses. Their mission is to share their love for the beautiful horses and expose their majestic and noble qualities. In particular, Sharon hopes that the affectionate and honest nature of her horses can help people recover from psychological trauma. Sharon is EAGALA certified.
Sharon lives on the property of Gramayre Friesian Horse Stud in the foothills of the Otway Ranges, approximately 20 minutes from Lorne, Victoria, Australia. In her spare time Sharon loves to ride and train her Horses, walk her dogs, or you will find her gardening in the beautiful landscape surrounding her home.
Rowena
Rowena is a qualified art therapist, with a Masters degree in Art Therapy. She has also worked as a primary school educator for over fifteen years, teaching in a wide range of educational settings. She is dedicated to providing a therapeutic space which supports individuals to harness their own creativity as a way of processing life’s challenges.
Rowena is a passionate art maker and nature lover and has spent her life finding inspiration from the natural world to access her own capacity to make and create. Rowena has always been drawn to the creative process and believes the greatest gift of creating is the experience that comes from the making, the feeling, the learning, the growing, the healing and the connecting.
Rowena specialises in assisting individuals to find their own way of expressing themselves through art making, regardless of art making experience. Rowena’s gentle, calm and open approach supports individuals in a sensory process which allows for curiosity, self expression and healing.
Rowena provides art therapy to individuals of all ages and life experiences. She is able to tailor art therapy sessions using a wide variety of materials in whatever setting you feel most comfortable, including her art studio in the bush, in nature or in your home.
Greg
Greg is a certified Forest Therapy Guide who is passionate about supporting people to reconnect with nature. By disengaging from devices, clearing the mind of the day to day routines and learning how to slow down, Greg will show you how the natural world can be your healer. Greg’s calm energy and relaxed personality inspires you to tune into your five senses and experience nature in a life changing way.
Greg is a bushman, sculptor and adventurer who lives with his family in the Wombat State Forest In Victoria Australia. Greg’s life journey has taken him deep into forests and deserts, to Sovereign Hill Ballarat to learn harness making skills of yesteryear, and to working with reclaimed materials to create unique sculptures that grace many local gardens. Greg skilfully assists others to focus on, enjoy and benefit from nature’s often unnoticed abundance. His love and appreciation for the environment is infectious, soothing and restorative. Greg’s guided walks are suitable for adults of all ages and abilities.