Maggie O'Shea

Maggie is a Relationship Therapist and Mental Health Social Worker working part-time in private practice in Castlemaine, while also teaching in the Masters of Counselling at Swinburne University and Relationships Australia Victoria, and offering practice-based programs in groups. She loves to create unique retreats for individuals and couples in beautiful natural settings, integrating her understandings and skills from decades of providing individual, relationship, and group-work, to bring to life and make practical the theory and training programs that have been most transformative for herself and others.

Maggie is a long-term mindfulness practitioner and registered teacher of evidence-based trainings, such as the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction and Mindful Self Compassion programs, and is also a certified Yoga teacher and Brené Brown Daring Way facilitator. From this foundation, and also fitting with the current neuroscience and relationship theory, her retreats start with the understanding that being human is challenging, not just because of the external stresses in our lives, but because we’re wired for love AND threat. If we ‘set and forget’ on auto-pilot, things don’t tend to work out well, especially in our closest relationships. Instead, it’s possible to learn how to befriend the nervous system and actually ‘practice’ what it is that helps us live and love fully and well.

Maggie is offering two retreats at Sangsurya in 2026: Relationship Renew for Couples, and the Brené Brown-inspired Wholehearted Living for individuals. Both retreats include: Six Workshops; daily guided yoga and morning movement; guided Nidra and rest; group or solo walks in nature; delicious meals; workshop materials; and time to relax around the pool.