GOLD Speakers

Rhea Dempsey, TPTC, CBE, Grad. Dip. Counselling.

• Country: Australia

Biography:

Rhea’s Dempsey’s understanding of birth has been gained over four decades working with pregnant and birthing women, their partners, support people, midwives, doulas and medical practitioners in home and hospital settings.

Rhea has presented locally, nationally and internationally She is recognized as an insightful commentator on the difficulties women, who have a yearning for normal birth, face in navigating contemporary birth culture. She is also respected as one of Australia’s foremost thinkers on the topic of working with pain in childbirth and its connection to normal physiological birth. Her book Birth with Confidence: savvy choices for normal birth, explores these issues and maps out a path to powerful birthing experiences and she is presently working on a new book exploring the deeper emotional and psychological dynamics impacting birthing potential.

Rhea's second book is due out in November, titled Beyond the Birth Plan: Getting real about Pain and Power. Amongst other topics it will be addressing this issue of psychological birth trauma.

She is the mother of three adult daughters, and grandmother of four delicious grandchildren – so far.