Sydney Therapies

Our Practitioners

Sydney Therapies is currently home to the following practitioners:

Pete Malicki - Massage Therapist
Michelle Tabrett - Dietitian
Murray James - Hypnotherapist
Aprile Alexander - Hypnotherapist
Lydia Velnic - Counsellor
Joe Modafferi - EFT Practitioner
Leah Zinn - Homoeopath

Pete MalickiDip Sports Therapies, Cert IV Remedial Massage

Pete has been a professional massage therapist for 9 years. He has worked as a workplace masseur, a chiropractor’s assistant and a clinical therapist. His understanding of the human body comes from his studies and professional experience as well as from years of martial arts, cycling, soccer, running, rock climbing, and also computer work. As a therapist, his approach is to find a long-term solution to existing problems by combining treatments with advice on posture, stretching and lifestyle.

• 9 years professional experience
• Diploma of Sports Therapies; Certificate IV Remedial Massage
• Tutors massage at Hornsby Ku-Ring-Gai Community College
• Swedish Massage, Remedial Massage, Sports Therapies, Workplace Massage
• Senior First Aid certificate
• ATMS member

Rebates are available through the following health funds:

• AHM
• Australian Regional Health Group
• Australian Unity
• CBHS
• Grand United (GU) Health
• HBA
• HCF
• Manchester Unity
• Medibank Private
• NIB
• R & T
• Teachers Federation Health

If you are a member of a health fund which gives rebates for remedial massage and is not listed here, please contact Pete and he will try to join it for you!

Michelle Tabrett B Sc (Dietetics)

Michelle is a Registered Dietitian with the American Dietetics Association. She has a wealth of experience in both public and private health sectors. Michelle has been practising in Sydney over the past year, working with a variety of clients covering all aspects of nutritional assessment and counselling with a specific focus on weight control. She is an eating disorder specialist.

Prior to her move to Australia, Michelle worked as a dietitian in several public health institutions in the USA. Her work as a Community Dietitian involved promoting nutrition for woman, infants and children. Additionally, she spent time working in several specialty clinics, including cardiovascular, oncology and diabetes centres.

Patients with a referral from a doctor are able to receive Medicare rebates from Michelle.

Murray JamesMaster of Applied Science (Social Ecology), BA, RN

Murray is a Specialist Hynotherapist who is passionate about empowering people to improve their health and wellbeing so they have happier lives. He has worked for many years in traditional health systems, seeing clients with poor respiratory and cardiac health affected by smoking, and he is keen to help smokers become non-smokers.

He remains an enthusiastic educator and advocate of Positive Psychology interventions and has studied complementary therapies.

Murray is part of a network of leading specialists using the most effective process available today to quit cigarettes in just 60 minutes, with a success rate of 95.6%. This is a proven system that has worked for thousands of clients.

Aprile AlexanderBA

Aprile Alexander is a Specialist Hypnotherapist. She is a licensed Quit Cigarettes in 60 Minutes (TM) Specialist, and a certified Natural Weight Loss Therapist.

Her mission in life is to help people discover and express their individual magnificance. This is reflected in her strong commitment to helping clients stop smoking, achieve and maintain their ideal weight, and increase their level of health, confidence and overall wellbeing.

As well as being trained in hypnotherapy and NLP, Aprile has a degree in Psychology and has worked as a counsellor and personal development teacher. She has studied Science of Mind, the Silva Method, creative arts, and a range of other healing and personal development modalities.

Lydia VelnicBA Psychology & Sociology, Graduate Dip in Counselling

Lydia is a qualified Psychotherapist / Counsellor and is registered as a Professional Member with the Australian Counselling Association (ACA). Providing a safe and non judgemental enviornment, she works from a holistic framework encompassing different approaches including existential, gestalt, solution focused, CBT,  and family systems.

She encourages clients to reassess, explore and possibly choose to change meanings which they arrived at in the past.  She emphasises that her role is one of guidance and support and encourages clients to come to their own ideals and meanings which they feel are right for them.

Lydia has had extensive experience working in the welfare sector working with complex and high needs clients. She has worked with individuals, couples and children over a vast array of issues including:

• grief and loss
• anxiety and depression
• domestic violence and abuse 
• self esteem and identity 
• addictions 
• relationship and codependence
• isolation problems

Joe ModafferiAdvanced Dip EFT

Joe Modafferi joins Sydney Therapies as our EFT Practitioner.  His approach is both intuitive and informed by his own personal healing and growth, as well as through his professional training. Joe addresses all issues to do with relationships, career, family and personal change and gets to the source of a problem quickly. His insights, alongside EFT, provide clarity to issues that are causing confusion, pain or frustration. His approach gives clients the opportunity for profound transformation.

Joe holds the following qualifications:

• Counselling - Wholistic Medical Centre 
• Group Facilitation - AICA Institute 
• Advanced Diploma EFT - Freedom EFT
• Small Business Management Cert 4 - Tafe 
• Theatre Performance and Practices Diploma - Sydney Institute
• Member International Institute of Complementary Therapists

Leah ZinnAdvanced Dip Homoeopathy

Leah Zinn is a professionally trained and qualified Practitioner of Homoeopathic Medicine, registered with the Australian Register of Homoeopaths, a Professional Member of the Australian Homeopathic Association and The Australian Traditional Medical Society.

As a member of the above professional associations, Leah is bound to a strict code of ethics and practice, ensuring her clients receive the highest level of care. She continually updates her professional education and development to ensure that she always provides the best service possible.

Leah graduated from Nature Care College with an Advanced Diploma of Homoeopathy and is also currently completing a BHltSc (Complementary Medicine) at Charles Sturt University.  In 2008, she was privileged to receive the award for “Best Clinical Skills in Homoeopathic Case Management”, by the Australian Homoeopathic Association.