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Dr Tjanara Goreng Goreng PhD is the Founder of Aboriginal Women's Business Retreats, Sacred Ceremonials and the First Nations Soul Spirit and Mind Wellness holistic healing practice based in Canberra which provides traditional Ngungkari Medicine sessions, counselling in recovery from dysfunctional families and childhood sexual abuse and trauma recovery.
I'm a Wakka Wakka and Wulli Wulli Traditional Custodian of Central Queensland, a grandmother, mother and at 67 yrs am an Elder in our First Nations traditions.
I am educated as a psychotherapist, social worker and currently studying to register as a psychologist. I am an author and academic with a PhD in sacred leadership theory and how First Nations peoples develop 'sacred leaders'.
I have worked in the USA, Canada, Denmark, Mexico, India, France, UK and Italy as a consultant and conference keynote speaker, facilitating healing workshops and Women's Business Retreats.
Women's Business started as 2 day workshops at Universities around the country for all women to learn about our cultural traditions as women, as part of the process of reconciliation and developed into 1 and 2 day retreats in Queensland in the late 1990's to workshops and Women's Business Retreats for All Women in the ACT and NSW.
I did workshops in Perth, Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra and outside at venues in the bush near Canberra based on requests.
Since then I have been joined by Kerrie Shepherd a Kamilaroi women and Trish Frail a Nyemba Elder both from NSW who come and help faciliate and organise the retreats.
My daughter Arika owns Tukka By the Bush and with her chef partner they provide beautiful bush tucker full catering for our retreats.
We partner with the
Foundation for Indigenous REcovery & Development, Aust. (FIRDA)
which I co-founded in 2000 and our retreats provide income to FIRDAs trauma recovery service
First Nations Therapy Services
which provides free counselling and recovery services for all First Nations peoples.
.
Contact
tjanara@aboriginalwomensbusiness.com
and
nationalconvenor@firda.online
M +61 458239480
Find us on Facebook and Instagram under Aboriginal Women's Business and Foundation for Indigenous Recovery & Development Aust. (FIRDA)
FOUNDER ABORIGINAL WOMEN'S BUSINESS
What is Aboriginal Women's Business
Aboriginal Women's Business relates to all things that affect women and women's biological business including relationships as a partner, wife, mother, grandmother, healer, nurturer and holder of womens knowledge
It includes reproductive, fertility, intimacy business, teaching and developing children through childhood to adulthood, conducting ceremony and teaching business relating to culture, language, dance, song, creativity and carrying on our ancient traditions within our community and family structures.
All our retreats include history yarning, weaving, creating handbands for our final ceremony, engaging in smoking, welcoming and ceremonies relating to facets of womens business. In particular the spiritual, emotional and cultural aspects of women's lives that non-Indigenous women would not know about. These are what you learn about at our retreats.
My memoir
A LONG WAY FROM NO GO
Written with journalist Julie Szego, this is my story of life growing up in western Queensland being sent to Catholic Boarding school where I was abused despite my parents paying for my education at that place. In the book I shine a light on public policy and the political activism I was involved in during the 1970's to the 1990's and my eventual career in academia and the public sector fighting for our rights through education at tertiary institutions. its a reflection on the Royal Commission into Institutional Abuse, my own life and in particular how it is possible to recover from generational trauma, abuse and dependency. .
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