Faculty for Cancer Program
Chris Adams, MD, Group Facilitator for Parent’s Group, has practiced family medicine for over 25 years and is an assistant clinical faculty member at the University of Washington Medical School. She is a devoted student and practitioner of natural and cross-cultural medicine, interactive guided imagery, mindfulness, yoga, Tai Chi and journey work. She is an integral team member of One Sky Wellness Associates, a holistic healthcare organization that emphasizes the healing power of nature, community and relation-ship. She has been a facilitator at Harmony Hill for many years and teaches medical students about the art of healing.
Gail Baker, Thriving Beyond Cancer facilitator, believes the expressive arts are about awareness and renewal, and that we all have an innate sense of what feels true to us. Our experiences, our stories and our feelings want to be seen and heard. All we have to do is allow them to reveal themselves and let the voices of our souls heal us. By going through several personal illnesses and traumas in her own life, Gail began to look at art as a healing tool rather than a production process. Gail went on to earn a certificate in Creative Expression at The Institute of Transpersonal and an MA in Transpersonal Psychology in Expressive Arts as healing. Since completing her education she has been facilitating expressive arts for healing in Wa
Melode Brewer, RYT, CES, Cancer Program yoga facilitator, has been a dedicated yoga practitioner for years. She continues to expand her knowledge in the Viniyoga tradition and brings these skills to movement classes she facilitates at Harmony Hill. She also offers private sessions and group workshops.shington and Alaska in public schools, galleries, teacher trainings, ADD conferences, and private setting.
Denise Carrico, BFA, teaches yoga for our Cancer Program and also facilitates Wellness Program workshops. Her gentle and approachable personality, along with her passion for nature, art and people, brings a loyal following to her classes and workshop. She has taught yoga nationally and is a certified yoga instructor and member of the Integral Yoga Teachers Association. Denise is the Yoga Teacher in Residence at Harmony Hill, an avid hiker, artist and calligrapher, and teaches publicly for all populations. Her first instructional yoga CD was released in December 2002. She also has produced, with Cancer Lifeline, a CD entitled The Joy of Yoga: The Fine Art of Being, of Breathing, of Healing, released in 2003.
Dhaval Dhru, MD, Cancer Retreat Facilitator, is a retired ENT Surgeon with more than twenty years of experience. He was in private practice in Federal Way, Washington and is currently practicing as consultant and educator of Ayurveda and Yoga at Federal Way Ayurveda and Yoga. Dr. Dhru conducts Ayurvedic retreats/workshops and seminars at various locations nationally as well as internationally including teaching assignments at Ayurvedic Institute, Albuquerque, NM. Dr. Dhru is a certified Yoga teacher approved by Yoga Alliance having undergone yoga teacher’s training at White Lotus Foundation, Santa Barbara, CA and also at The Ayurvedic Institute, Albuquerque NM. He teaches Yoga at Three Trees Yoga in Federal Way. He also provides individual and private Ayurvedic yoga Therapy sessions incorporating Ayurvedic principle so as to come up with appropriate yoga practice for an individual. Dr. Dhru is currently serving on the board of NAMA (National Ayurvedic Medical Association) and on the Standards committee of NAMA.
Lu (Annalu) Farber,MBA, MATS, Cancer Retreat Facilitator. A transition consultant in relationship-centered care systems and interpersonal communications with emphasis in end-of-life communications and accompaniment. Lu is experienced in guiding teams in healthcare, trust and investments, and nonprofit organizations through progressive systemic changes. She is a certified Spiritual Director providing spiritual accompaniment, a process that supports growing into our best selves by providing a safe place to explore, question, discover and deepen our values and beliefs. She is also a contributing author to Living with Dying: A handbook for end-of-life healthcare practitioners, and When the Caring Professional Weeps: emotional and counter-transference responses in end-of-life care.
J Fields, MA, LMFT, Cancer Program facilitator, has studied Tai Ji and Qi Gong for years. He also provides mentoring for new Harmony Hill faculty. His private practice involves movement, meditation, passionate spirituality, expressive art, and poetry. J has journeyed through his own cancer treatment and is most grateful for the doors it opened.
Ronnie Hacken, MA, LMFT, Cancer Program facilitator, is a psychotherapist in private practice in Olympia and is a cancer retreat facilitator. For over 25 years, Ronnie has been co-creating nurturing environments for people to heal, to nourish their innate resilience, and to develop and strengthen their emotional resources to cope with life and find joy in being alive in the moment.
Kathy Heffernan, MA, Cancer Program facilitator, is a spiritual and grief counselor. Both in a Seattle hospital and through her own practice, she empowers clients to access their own healing wisdom. In both her individual and group work, she integrates poetry, guided imagery, body-based focusing, ritual and the creative arts. Her work is informed by over seven years of practice as a hospital chaplain. A Reiki Master Teacher and Practitioner, she teaches this gentle healing art through the Tree of Life Reiki Training Institute, which she created to help bring the healing energy of Reiki into healthcare settings. She feels very grateful to journey with all those who come to Harmony Hill.
Karin Olsen, BA, LMP, Cancer Program massage therapist, graduated from Seattle Massage School in 1995. Karin and her staff teach hand and foot massage classes at the cancer retreats, and also provide massage for other programs and group retreats. She is the owner and operator of Radiance Herbs & Massage in Olympia, and has been a member of the Washington State Massage Board since 2000.
Lynne Walters, RN, LMP, Cancer Program facilitator, is a holistic nurse and massage therapist. She has worked in a variety of nursing fields, including eight years in hospice nursing, and has had her own private practice in holistic massage therapy for 19 years. She has led many workshops and retreats and focuses on helping people become kinder to themselves. Her decades of nursing practice along with her personal journey with chronic pain, have taught her that blessings and gifts can emerge alongside the challenges and difficulties of chronic and life-threatening illnesses. She is the author of KindTouch Massage: Self-Massage for Health and Well-being, an experiential book/CD.
Cobie Whitten, PhD, Cancer Program facilitator, has a doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and is a Psycho-Oncology Consultant for the Providence Regional Cancer System. She co-chairs the Survivorship, Palliative Care and End-of-Life Issues Taskforce of Washington CARES About Cancer. Previously, Dr. Whitten worked for the Washington State Department of Health in the Washington Breast & Cervical Health Program and has taught at Saint Martin's University. Her passion is creating survivorship services for cancer patients and their families at all points along the cancer continuum.
Wellness Program Faculty
Chungliang Al Huang is Founder/President of Living Tao Foundation. He has been called "a master in the arts of living" and "a sage for the modern age." Huang's organic style of Tai Ji is immediately accessible to people of all ages and experience levels. His approach allows students to quickly experience the joys of Tai Ji energy flow along with the deeper sensations of stillness in motion.
Melode Brewer, RYT, CES, has been a dedicated yoga practitioner for years. She continues to expand her knowledge in the Viniyoga tradition and brings these skills to movement classes she facilitates at Harmony Hill. She also offers private sessions and group workshops. In addition to her yoga workshops that are part of Harmony Hill's wellness workshops, Melode facilitates yoga for our cancer retreats.
Denise Carrico, BFA, is a certified Integral Yoga teacher, lives onsite and teaches yoga at our cancer retreats and other workshops. She has been offering classes and leading workshops since 1987. Blending mindfulness meditation and breathing practices with gentle stretching and strength-building poses, her approach offers something for everyone. While encouraging each student to move and breathe at his or her own pace and rhythm, she invites them to cultivate awareness, loving-kindness, and an open mind and heart.
Linda Covert, RN, a founding member of VOICE for Healers in Healthcare and a Cancer Retreat facilitator, has been a pediatric nurse for 39 years. She has focused her practice around helping families through transitions which included hospital, hospice and community care. Linda completed a year-long certificate program through Bastyr University in "Spirituality in Health and Medicine," which has supported her involvement in many cross-cultural healthcare issues. She is a lifelong learner dedicated to helping healthcare professionals renew passion and meaning in their work.
Deanna Minich, PhD, CN, RYT, is a dynamic nutrition educator, yoga practitioner, and author of four books on nutrition and healing. An "out-of-the-box" nutritionist, Dr. Minich sees more to food than just calories and nutrients. Her passion is in guiding people beyond the physical needs of food into understanding how food choices and the experience of eating impact not only the body, but emotions, thoughts, and subtle energy. She teaches that foods and eating provide creative ways that we can access deeper issues related to personal growth. Her approach is unique, as she uses a foundation of science, a sprinkle of spirituality, and a dash of practicality to help you create a meaningful relationship with meals. For more information visit www.foodandspirit.com.
Michele Raven brings over twenty years of experience in garden hardscape and woodworking. Implementing projects using "available" materials such as salvaged, wildcrafted, and found items is her specialty. A gifted designer, Michele created and installed the Harmony Hill garden fences and gates using lumber milled on site. Michele and several of her creative projects were featured on a recent HGTV program filmed at the Hill. Hands-on demonstration, interjected with humor and insight that comes with experience and the hard won knowledge of the self-taught, awaits the "wood" be participant.
Faculty for Health Professional Programs
Gretchen Schodde, ARNP-BC, MN, FNP, is the Founder and Executive Director of Harmony Hill Retreat Center. The mission of Harmony Hill is to improve the quality of life for those affected by cancer, providing support and resources that inspire renewal. Harmony Hill is also a retreat center for groups of all kinds, offering generous hospitality and excellent service in a spectacular natural setting. Gretchen is a founding member of VOICE for Healing in Healthcare and is a certified facilitator and nurse educator. She co-facilitates retreats to the sacred Isle of Iona, Scotland. Gretchen is a Family Nurse Practitioner, a former UW Assistant Professor, and one of the first Nurse Practitioners in the state of Washington, with a lifelong commitment to community health and wellness.
Rosemary Spyhalsky, RN, OCN, HN-BC, is a founding member of VOICE for Healing in Healthcare and is a Holistic Oncology nurse practicing in Olympia, WA. She has been lifted and sustained by finding support as a founding member of VOICE for Healing in Healthcare with others who share a desire for healing in the nursing profession. She is committed to bringing body-mind-spirit care to oncology patients in her role as Nurse Coordinator of Providence Integrative Cancer Care, providing therapeutic yoga, acupuncture, oncology massage and naturopathy, and nutrition services to cancer patients in the setting of a conventional outpatient cancer treatment center in the South Puget Sound area.
Kathlene Tellgren, RN, BS, CEN, HN-BC has worked in a variety of healthcare settings and has over thirty years of nursing practice in trauma and emergency medicine. She currently works as House Supervisor at Jefferson Healthcare Hospital in Port Townsend, Washington. Kathlene is a graduate of the Integrative Healing Arts Program through the Birch Tree Center for Healthcare Transformation and is nationally board certified in holistic nursing. She serves on the board of directors for the Harmony Hill Retreat Center in Union, Washington and co-facilitates retreats to the Isle of Iona, Scotland. She is a founding member of Voice for Healing in Healthcare based in Washington State. Dedicated to healing healthcare, she empowers nurses to remember the heart and spirit of their work and renew a personal commitment to their calling.
Leonie Wolff, RNC, LMT, a founding member of VOICE for Healers in Healthcare and facilitator for "Creating Nursing Community: Your Story as a Healing Path", has facilitated retreats for over 25 years and teaches from her heart with warmth, humor and passion. Leonie is owner of Embracing Wisdom, LLC, a staff nurse in women's health, and an educator with The Chopra Center for Wellbeing. She offers wellness programs, health education and consulting nationally.
Weekly Yoga Faculty
Denise Carrico, BFA, has taught yoga nationally and is a certified yoga instructor and member of the Integral Yoga Teachers Association. Denise is the yoga teacher for Cancer Lifeline in Seattle and teaches publicly for all populations throughout the city. Her first instructional yoga CD was released in December 2002. She also has produced, with Cancer Lifeline, a CD entitled The Joy of Yoga: The Fine Art of Being, of Breathing, of Healing, released in 2003.
Wellness Session Facilitators
Kim Adams, Business/Wellness Session Facilitator, has worked in the field of human potential and personal transformation for over 30 years. In the early years of her career, Kim's focus was in healthcare, where she held a variety of service and management positions in hospital and long term care environments. Kim's current work, as the owner of Heart of the Matter consulting, is with human systems of many kinds, encompassing businesses, non-profits, educational and governmental organizations. Her great depth of experience in individual transformation combines synergistically with human system transformation to produce change that inspires individuals and groups to reach their own greatest potential. This expresses itself in the forms of reaching concrete, measurable goals, greater functionality and profitability and personal satisfaction and fulfillment.
Jo Ann Fjellman, Business/Wellness Session Facilitator, is a consultant committed to developing facilitation programs that generate meaningful dialogue, Jo Ann is most interested in building learning environments that shift and expand individual and collective thinking. Jo Ann's background includes youth group-work, facilitation, training, public speaking, sales and marketing. With a Fine Arts Degree from University of Oregon, a certificate in Youth & Community Work from Ulster University, a Training Specialist certificate from UW Extensions and graduate certificates from Pacific Integral in Generation Transformational Change and KORE Leadership in Women's Integral Leadership, Jo Ann is a life-long student who loves to explore new ways of thinking and being to sustain people and our planet.
Candi Foon, MS, Business/Wellness Session Facilitator, has over 25 years corporate experience in retail management, sales, and administration; and entrepreneurial teaching experience in business, fitness, health and wellness. She holds an MS in Management from Seattle Antioch University. She is a health and wellness coach, and founding consultant of Integral Wellness Services — offering design, development, delivery, and support of compassion-based wellness approaches. She is a certified yoga teacher, Watsu and Reiki practitioner, with a spiritual practice of over 30 years. She offers private sessions and group workshops drawing from a variety of disciplines to enhance health and wellbeing from a whole-person (physical, emotional, cognitive and spiritual) whole-system view. She provides a gentle, caring, supportive, safe environment with special attention to individual needs. As a partner of the Sunyata Group, she is an experienced convener, host and facilitator. For more information, visit www.sunyatagroup.ws.
Deanna Minich, PhD, CN, RYT, is a dynamic nutrition educator, yoga practitioner, and author of four books on nutrition and healing. An "out-of-the-box" nutritionist, Dr. Minich sees more to food than just calories and nutrients. Her passion is in guiding people beyond the physical needs of food into understanding how food choices and the experience of eating impact not only the body, but emotions, thoughts, and subtle energy. She teaches that foods and eating provide creative ways that we can access deeper issues related to personal growth. Her approach is unique, as she uses a foundation of science, a sprinkle of spirituality, and a dash of practicality to help you create a meaningful relationship with meals. For more information, visit www.foodandspirit.com.