About Alison
Alison Keane is a Brisbane clinical psychotherapist, mindfulness meditation teacher and yin yoga instructor. Mindfulness is an important part of Alison’s personal life. She meditates and practises yoga regularly as life-affirming wellbeing practices.
“…in my thirties I realised for the first time that I was in fact a long time anxiety sufferer. What a revelation! I thought everyone experienced tension headaches, late night worrying. I joined a yoga class and at the same time began to meditate. I found that my anxiety started to ease. In 2007 I found out about mindfulness and how it can help stress when I studied this wellbeing practice under the wonderful teaching and direction of Dr Jon Kabat-Zinn. Jon is widely acknowledged for his research-evidenced and thoughtful distillation of eastern mindfulness to support people who have mental or physical stresses in their lives. Jet lag, an unexpected northern Californian snow blizzard outside our venue and not quite knowing what was ahead contributed to my anxiety rising again at Jon’s training. Fortunately, I was in good hands!”
Alison returned to Brisbane to undergo extensive training as a Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) facilitator and MBCT therapist.
She is now one of only five Australian mindfulness teachers accredited with the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine Healthcare and Society(CFM) to teach the MBSR Course. The CFM is involved in setting up global standards in the delivery and teaching of secular mindfulness.
Alison is a psychotherapist with more than 20 years’ experience. She is also trained in guiding private clients in Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT). MBCT is similar to Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction and like MBSR may be helpful in bringing ease to mental stress and chronic pain. You may prefer to see her for a counselling consultation.
Interested in workplace mindfulness for professional development, mindfulness for stress reduction or yoga?
Workplace Leadership Training
After repeated requests in the early days Alison developed workplace mindfulness programs for managers and their workforces. These include teaching ‘hands on’ practical understanding of secular mindfulness as a way of cultivating emotional intelligence, staying calmer under stress, wellbeing and good corporate citizenship.
Alison has presented training for the State Library Queensland (SLQ), Queensland Health, Education Queensland, the Queensland Law Society, Legal Aid Queensland, Triathlon Queensland, Epilepsy Queensland, Brisbane Catholic Education, local law firms, corporate workplaces and organisations in the non-government sector.
Mindfulness Training and Support for Healthcare Clinicians
Alison is also a regular trainer at Lighthouse Resources, a national training and consulting group for the human services sector.
Here she delivers The Mindful Therapist training and Mindful Leadership.
Both of these training events can also be delivered in your own workplace.
Private Mindfulness Meditation and Lifestyle Coaching
Alison teaches private individuals including corporate leaders, work professionals and managers in the understanding and acquisition of on-going and accessible mindfulness practices for wellbeing. Her private clients include politicians, corporate leaders, parents and families, students and teachers.
Award Winning SBS Documentary About Mindfulness
Alison’s Brisbane MBSR course was featured in an award-winning SBS television documentary, The Silent Epidemic. The show highlighted the positive mind-changing mindfulness journey of a young Brisbane woman, Ali Dower.
Keynote Presentations
Alison is a keynote speaker on health and well-being, including the positive impact of meditation and secular mindfulness in people’s lives.
- 2013 – Speaker at Yoga Australia’s national conference, Unity in Diversity.
- 2015 – Presenter at Brisbane’s premier yoga event YogaFest
- 2017 – Keynote address, Mortgage & Finance Association of Australia (MFAA)
Mindfulness Presence in Education
Alison has designed and delivered training for TAFE and Education Queensland teachers and career guidance officers. She continues to mentor principals and other school leaders.
In 2015 Alison travelled to Bhutan and explored education policy emphasis on mindfulness and meditation in schools there.
As well as her own mindfulness courses for the education sector she is also a presenter of the 8-week well-being course Reconnected in Brisbane schools. Reconnected is a program developed by UK-based Mind with Heart.