As a child, Cas spent her time nurturing things on the farm, loving life, and helping. When she was around nine, driving past Pentridge Prison, she recalled asking her mother, "What was in there?". Her mother replied, "Bad people", and Cas responded, "I'm going to help them one day". And true to her word, she spent many years working with offenders in prisons and those out on parole. She dedicated the majority of her adult working career to the helping professions.
Cas left school and home early and then got married. Children were always going to be part of her life; even when she was young, she wanted to have children and be a good mother. She had three children and returned to school and learning when she was eighteen and continuously studied right up to her cancer diagnosis in 2016 when she also received an invitation to complete her doctoral degree, which she was deeply saddened that she was unable to accept and complete.
Her first role in the helping profession involved behavioural therapy and working with people with head injuries. She accredited much of her what appeared to be intuitive abilities to this early training. Cas worked with people with drug and alcohol problems for over 20 years, where she worked in and out of the prison system. She went on to study, practice, and teach hypnotherapy. She was proud to be a trained and qualified Clinical Supervisor assisting, guiding and empowering other therapists to continue to grow and develop.
Cas completed her Masters in Counselling with straight HDs. She was invited into the Monash University Golden Key Society. She was awarded not one but two Deans Awards – Academic Excellence and Academic Achievement – and then nominated by Monash for the Australian Counselling Association Award of Excellence.
Cas also taught at Victoria University and was a public speaker, published author, program developer, and a successful business person. In addition to her bachelor's degrees, she also obtained a Graduate Diploma, five other Diplomas and many Certificates in various helping fields.
Basically, she was passionate and dedicated to helping people. Many relay feeling unconditionally supported, empowered, energised and ready to face any life challenge after time spent with Cas. She had a way of making you feel special. Cas was extremely modest and would be delighted to be recognised by her peers and the professions she devoted her life to.
She loved to study and learn new techniques and ways in which she could help guide people to live the life they choose. She considered it one of the gifts of life. These driving desires to help and learn led her to train and teach hypnotherapy. Cas was delighted to be invited to share her knowledge and skills with other therapists by presenting workshops for the AHA in Sydney, Melbourne, and Adelaide. Unfortunately, her diagnosis in 2016 of an extremely aggressive form of cancer and the intense treatment that followed prevented her from continuing to travel and share her knowledge.
Cas was a shining example for those who had dyslexia. While it was a struggle in her early years, she turned it into an amazing talent with the assistance of a mentor in her late teenage years. This empowered her with the ability to absorb large amounts of information in a short period. Even more extraordinary was her ability to retain and recall the information. Many were unaware of this skill, as when you were in her presence, the topic was usually all about "YOU".
Cas' legacy is to help people create meaningful lives through truthful self-reflection, by living according to their truth, beliefs and values and by taking action in the present moment.
With pride and gratitude, I provide this piece to honour the extraordinary life of my wife, Cas and her years of service to hypnotherapy and the helping profession.
Thank you
Information was provided and gathered by Heather Richards.
