About Us
About the Life Institute of Family Education and its Presenters
LIFE was founded by Dr Julie Rosengren to provide parents, teachers and carers in the workplace and community with learning and support in the psychology of cultivating healthy family relationships and raising emotionally healthy children.
LIFE has been delivering parenting, caring and working programs to corporate, community and educational forums since 1999 and consulting on family issues since 1994.
LIFE's consultants have developed and conducted a wide range of innovative educational programs for corporates, governments and the general public for two decades in Australasia and Europe.
Sydney based
Dr Julie Rosengren
Dr Julie Rosengren is Founder and Managing Director of LIFE. She is an Education Consultant with 20 years experience in researching, writing, training and coaching. She has worked across a range of industries including financial services, banking, law, construction, engineering ,mining, retail, health, government, recruitment and many more. She is the mother of three children, and is from a family of 11. She also speaks Thai and some Chinese and Japanese, and has had extensive experience working in Asia. Julie developed the 'parenting', 'caring' and 'working' seminars based on her doctoral research in emotional intelligence, her experience as a mother and aunt to over 45 nephews and nieces, and her love for children’s stories, activities and play.
Professional Qualifications:
BA (Sydney), G. Dip. Education (Murdoch), MSc. Management (Oxford), Ed. D (Murdoch)
Rebekka Tuqiri
Rebekka Tuqiri is a Registered Psychologist working in private practice and at the Health Psychology Unit at the Royal North Shore Hospital, NSW. She works with adolescents and adults and runs cognitive behaviour therapy groups focusing on stress, anxiety, depression, anger, and self-esteem. She is a mother and given this new role has now turned her interest to supporting parents in the challenges of parenthood.
Professional Qualifications:
Bachelor of Psychology (Hons) (QUT)
Danielle Buckley
Danielle is a Coaching psychologist with a passion for helping individuals be their best self. Danielle has experience in both private and practice and organisational settings. As a Registered Psychologist, Danielle holds a Masters in Applied Science and Pscyhology of Coaching, Bachelors Degree in Psychology and a Graduate Diploma in Psychology. Danielle's expertise is working with adults in both a coaching and clinical setting in prevention and treatment of stress, depression and anxiety. With a passion for cognitive behavioural therapy and positive psychology, Danielle combines these methodologies to get everyday people thinking differently and living their best life.
Professional Qualifications:
BA Psych., GDip Psyc.h, M App. Psych. (Coaching)
Donna Pettigrew
Donna Pettigrew is a Registered Nurse with over 20 years experience. Whilst working in a variety of medical fields, her specialties are geriatrics, cardiothoracic (medical and surgery), cardiac rehabilitation and health promotion. Donna's passion is for people to age well, with choice and respect. For the past 4 years she has managed a large aged care facility in Chatswood, Sydney. Donna is married to Andrew, and they have four children. Her work and large extended family, has provided her with vast health and relationships experience.
Professional Qualifications:
Registered Nurse (QLD, NSW) Cert. C.T.
Tracy Tresidder
Tracy Tresidder is a professionally certified executive, family and life coach with the International Coach Federation. Australasia and was named the 2009 NSW ICF Coach of the Year. She is also anauthor, lecturer, trainer and facilitator in the areas of Workplace Learning, Leadership Training, Event Management, Health Education and Life Skills. She has a wealth of knowledge and communicative skills acquired through her background in teaching Physical Education, Health and Personal Development to both adults and childrenacross the public and private sectors. Tracy is also the mother of two young adult boys. Her doctoral thesis is on the positive changes that occur in parent/teen relationships due to participants’ engagement in a parent coaching program.
Professional Qualifications:
B.Ed (Wollongong) M.Ed (Syd Uni) Prof.Dev Cert in Coaching Practice (Syd. Uni)
Judyth Wiley
Judyth has been coaching business executives since 2004, assisting them with work/life balance, leadership development, resolving conflict, managing people, improving motivation and performance.
27 years of business experience, including senior roles in multinational Direct Marketing Agencies and consulting to hundreds of businesses, gives Judyth a depth of practical experience, sound strategic ability, and understanding of people. Judyth has a BA in Law & Sociology, is a certified NLP Practitioner, and is informed by MBTI, Decision Dynamics Decision Making Styles & Career Model, and Positive Psychology.
Professional Qualifications:
Bachelor of Arts (Macq), NLP Practitioner.
Sue Saxon
Sue Saxon is an artist, art educator and curator. She has exhibited widely in Australia and overseas and been the recipient of scholarhips and residencies in New York, Paris and Budapest. Sue brings a wealth of knowledge and experise in art making, art history and programming to the LIFE team, developed in roles including Visual Arts Co-ordinator for Sydney Festival and across Youth and Public programming in the Education Department of the Museum of Contemporary Art.
Professional Qualifications:
Bachelor or Art Education (COFA, UNSW); Graduate Diploma of Visual Studies, Painting major (COFA, UNSW) Masters of Visual Arts (Current at Sydney Univeristy)
Nadine Helmi
Nadine Helmi is a playwright and theatre director specialising on shows for children and young people. A graduate of the University of Heidelberg she worked as a theatre director in Germany before following her partner to Australia, where she founded The Surf ’n’ Theatre Company for Young People. She firmly believes that life theatre is the most effective and pleasurable medium to help children understand their place in the world and deal with important issues at the heart of our complex modern environment.
Her plays have been professionally produced in Germany and Australia, where her theatre company has become a resident at the Seymour Centre. Her extensive body of work include the hugely popular Time Traveller series commissioned by the Historic Houses Trust. She has a 12 year old son, who has been an invaluable source for her writing.
Professional qualifications:
MA German and Roman Literature and Language /University of Heidelberg/Germany
Peter O’Brien
Peter is a registered psychologist with over 10 years relevant psychological experience in Australia and overseas. He has developed expertise from various professional settings including organisational psychology, the New South Wales Courts, and occupational rehabilitation. He has further refined his therapeutic techniques in three specialist clinics which were psychiatric, trauma, and is now pain. Peter also has expertise in training and development traveling both regionally and Eastern states. He understands the importance of individual workplaces have different need requirements and can deliver accordingly.
Qualifications:
B. Soc. Sci (Psych), Post Grad Dip (Psych), Dip Psych Prac.
Adelaide based
Rita Princi
Rita Princi is a Registered Psychologist working in a private practice in North Adelaide, SA. She works with children, adolescents and adults individually, as well as running self-esteem groups for children and parents, and parenting programs for ante-natal and post-natal groups. She conducts workshops on children’s issues for teacher and parent groups, provides counselling as part of Employee Assistance Programs and intellectual, academic and career guidance assessments. Rita is the mother of two adult sons.
Professional Qualifications:
B Psych Hons (Flinders), M Psych Clin (Flinders)
Brisbane based
Kathleen Ellerman-Bull
Kathleen has worked with children and young people and parents throughout her professional life.This has included study and work with indigenous families as well as working with clients from a large range of different cultures.
Kathleen is a member of two APS Colleges: Counselling Psychology and Health Psychology. She has worked as a psychologist with young offenders, as Director of Student services at University of Southern queensland for 16 years and was Director of Counselling Services for Kids Helpline and Parentline. She also held the position of Manager of Clinical Practice for BoysTown Services.
Professional Qualifications:
BA (Dist), M.Litt., M App. Psych., MAPS Psychologist
Diane Neve
Diane Neve is a Registered Organisational Psychologist who has specialised in the area of Training and Development for over 20 years. Diane has two daughters and her experiences as a mum have helped her consolidate and transform the psychological theory she has worked with into a clear understanding of the challenges that parents face in day to day life.
Professional Qualifications:
BA hons (UQ), GDip (USQ)
Melbourne based
Annette Mutimer
Annette Mutimer is a Registered Psychologist working in private practice in the northern suburbs of Melbourne. She specialises in working with children and adolescents and visits schools regularly to assist with behaviour management. Annette’s PhD thesis is looking at resilience and young children. Annette is married with two children.
Professional Qualifications:
BEd (Melb), Grad Dip Spec. Ed. (Melb), Post Grad Dip Psych (Monash), M Psych (RMIT)
Heidi Hibberd
Heidi Hibberd (LIFE’s Artist) is an illustrator and art director who has worked in magazines, advertising and graphic design. She has sold and published many paintings and designs. Heidi and her husband Pete won the Fairfax, Young Creative Award and represented Australia at the Cannes Advertising Festival in 2004. Heidi has received many more awards for her extraordinary and contemporary work. She is also an award winning musician, song writer and singer and has released an album, Stars and Streetlights. She is from a large family of 9 children, and she and and her husband, Pete, have two sons named Sol and Jarrah.
UK based
Susanne Jacobs MBA, CIPD, FCMI
Susanne started her career working within a small accountancy practice learning the tools of the trade before moving to KPMG. In her position there Susanne had responsibility for the UK Infrastructure operations team and strategy and was UK Head of People for Infrastructure.
Susanne led major firm wide, national and international highly successful change programs, implementing leading edge solutions that saved hundreds of thousands of pounds. Her work directly supported KPMG to achieve a number of awards in recognition of their investment in people, including attaining the Sunday Times best big company to work for, for four consecutive years.
Her work supports organisations to shape and enhance their people and business strategy, bringing in positive and successful change with a key focus on achieving and delivering significant ROI. Susanne also works closely with the CIPD advising on their communication planning and delivery.
Professional Qualifications:
MBA (Edinburgh), Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute, Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development, Post grad cert in Frontline Leadership and Management Principles (Edinburgh), Post grad cert in International Business (Edinburgh)
Dr Sheena Males
Sheena trained in London as a medical doctor and works as a General Practitioner in private practice. As a mother of four girls, Sheena knows first-hand the challenges and joys of parenting. Fortunately, her medical background and additional training in Solution-Focused Therapy, Non Violent Communication and Appreciative Inquiry have equipped her well, allowing her to provide unique insights in her work with parents. Sheena has worked in Australia as well as the UK, and lives in London.
Professional Qualifications:
MB,BS (London), MRCGP (London)