FANZCA

Dr Catherine Olweny, BA(Hons) BMBS FANZCA, Dip Clinical Hypnosis

Dr Catherine Olweny graduated from Flinders University of South Australia in 1999. She then undertook anaesthesia training at Monash Health completing a fellowship in paediatric anaesthesia at the Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne in 2009. Dr Olweny has been a staff anaesthetist at the Royal Children’s Hospital since 2010. Her clinical interests include neuroanaesthesia and the perioperative management of patients with neuromuscular disorders. Dr Olweny is an active member of the Society for Paediatric Anaesthesia in New Zealand and Australia (SPANZA) and is chair of the SPANZA Guidelines and Statements committee and the SPANZA Journal Watch committee.

Dr Olweny developed an interest in hypnosis which saw her travel to Paris to train in the use of hypnosis in anaesthesia and procedural paediatrics. She began incorporating hypnosis into her everyday practice as an anaesthetist in 2017. She has since completed a diploma in clinical hypnosis through the South Australian Society of Hypnosis and has commenced practice as a clinical hypnotherapist specialising in procedural anxiety and preparation (including obstetrics), specific phobia and chronic pain. She has a particular interest in working with children and adolescents with anxiety disorders. Dr Olweny is a member of the Australian Society of Hypnosis (ASH) and the Australian Hypnotherapists Association (AHA)