Speaker & Educator

Education has been a passion of mine for many years.

In the words of Baruch Spinoza

“The highest activity a human being can attain is learning for understanding because to understand is to be free.”

My Experience

My long-standing experience in education spans from running programs for teens on social justice, to meditation workshops for beginners at the Indigo Project. More recently I joined the faculty at University of Canberra, teaching tertiary level psychotherapy units and courses. I am a regular lecturer at the Australian College of Applied Professions (ACAP), and have previously taught at the Ikon Institute of Australia.

My teaching style is founded upon my ethos of leading by example. I hope that by communicating not only the theoretical content but a “way of being”, students are able to grasp what is possible, learn through lived experience and their observation of accountability.

In my role as educator, I have facilitated courses, developed content and structure, and collaborated with others to run new and established programs. I continue to learn as I teach and enjoy new opportunities to offer my knowledge and skills in a variety of settings.

As a writer and researcher, my work on the mental health challenges faced by Australian actors has been published in On-line Opinion, the e-journal for social and political debate. I have also contributed to articles in The Guardian, Sydney Morning Herald and Harper’s Bazaar, on a range of topics relating to psychology and wellbeing.

RUSSH MAGAZINE interview with Dafna

ONLINE OPINION e-journal article

Suffering in Silence for their art: Australian Actors battle with mental health