image credit: pixabay
We want to take the time to introduce you to Andrea who has been writing some amazing blogs for us! Andrea is completing a placement at BodyMatters for the last few months and has quickly become a massive asset to our team! Stay tuned for some more of her amazing writing! In the meantime, meet Andrea!
NICKNAME: Andrea, Andy and mummy by my girls!
QUALIFICATIONS: Bachelor of Science (Honours in Marine Biology), Master of Environmental Science and then I completely changed my career interest and at the moment I am doing my Masters in Counselling and Applied Psychotherapy.
ACHIEVEMENTS: Having moved from Chile 13 years ago and then from zero created a whole new life is definitely something I am proud of. Another important achievement for me has been growing in my own therapy, which has helped me to develop better relationships with others and with myself. And last, the most important achievement is the family I have with Dan (partner), and our daughters Maya and Kala.
WHY DID YOU PURSUE PSYCHOLOGY? I have always been interested in talking to others. As a teenager I could spend hours on the phone (way before texting existed!) with my friends, and I always found super interesting deconstructing the stories we were telling ourselves. Later when I began my own therapeutic journey, I knew deep inside this was what I wanted to do. Maybe I got scared or maybe I was a bit lost as a young adult, but I decided to pursue environmental science and biology instead. After having Maya, I decided to finally listen to my heart and I enrolled in the masters I am now completing.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO WORK AT BODYMATTERS? By the end of my first year of the masters I came across the book Health at Every Size by Linda Bacon. I could certainly say there was a “before and after” in my life after realising there was a new way to understand our bodies. Having experienced myself the painful endless weight cycling generated by dieting, finding health based paradigm and incorporating its principles in therapy was revolutionary and powerful. I knew this was what I wanted to do. It is not easy to find healthcare providers that are weight natural-orientated, but BodyMatters is! I am so grateful to have the opportunity to learn from all the therapists that work here.
YOUR FAVOURITE QUOTE: “We thought of life by analogy with a journey, a pilgrimage, which had a serious purpose at the end, and the thing was to get to that end, success or whatever it is, maybe heaven after you’re dead. But we missed the point the whole way along. It was a musical thing and you were supposed to sing or to dance while the music was being played.”- Alan Watts.
WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN 10 YEARS: Having my own private practice and hopefully living in Tasmania!
FAVOURITE SPORTS OR ACTIVITIES: I love movement in water. For exercise I do aqua aerobics and for fun I love swimming, playing and just being in water.
FAVOURITE HOBBIES OR INTERESTS: I love playing chess, going to music festivals and listening to music.
WHAT IS YOUR SECRET SKILL: I am a DJ in development!
WHO OR WHAT INSPIRES YOU: My husband inspires me in so many ways and has helped me to become a better person. My daughters inspire me every day with their awesomeness. All health based paradigm therapists, researchers, writers, medical practitioners, and advocates, they inspire me with their courage, compassion and vision for a better world for people of all sizes. A special mention to fat activists, they inspire me with their courage and vulnerability.
WHO WERE YOUR CHILDHOOD HEROES: My sister.
3 THINGS YOU WOULD TAKE ON A DESERT ISLAND: Dan, Maya and Kala
WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE INDULGENCE: Having a massage, followed by an outdoor hot tub, followed by chocolate ice cream and red wine.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE MOVIE: This is too hard! as a kid I loved Back to the Future. I loved the italian film Life is Beautiful. I also love thrillers and almost all movies with DiCaprio on it, like The Wolf of Wallstreet, Django Unchained and Inception.
FAVOURITE PLACES TO TRAVEL: Tropical islands.
IF YOU DIDN’T PURSUE PSYCHOLOGY, WHAT OTHER PROFESSION WOULD YOU PURSUE: As a kid I wanted to be an astronomer..but too many maths!
