HER Education | Stuart McDonald
Working with Trauma
and Women's Health
Build the confidence and clinical tools to help — not hinder — women navigating trauma. A practical, evidence-informed program designed specifically for Exercise Physiologists and allied health clinicians.
You're already seeing these clients.
You just haven't had the right tools.
Most clinicians working in women's health will encounter clients with a history of trauma — whether or not it's ever named in the consult. Dysregulated nervous systems, avoidance, dissociation, hypervigilance and emotional complexity don't wait for a formal trauma diagnosis before showing up in your sessions.
The problem isn't that you lack compassion. It's that the training available in our industry either doesn't exist, only teaches you to identify trauma without any practical skills to respond, or sits so far outside the scope of exercise physiology that it creates more uncertainty than confidence.
This program was built to close that gap. Stuart McDonald spent years working with women managing complex health issues and trauma simultaneously, searching for training that actually fit the EP scope. When he couldn't find it, he built it — drawing on neuroscience, embodied cognition, and direct clinical application. What you learn here is firmly within your scope and immediately usable in practice.
"It's not about becoming a trauma therapist. It's about using what you already do — exercise physiology — in a way that actively supports recovery rather than inadvertently working against it."
Clinical outcomes from this program
Understand Trauma Physiology
Develop a working understanding of the physiological and neurological basis of trauma — including interoception, predictive coding, and how the body encodes traumatic experience.
Clarify Your Scope
Know with confidence exactly where trauma-informed exercise physiology sits within your professional scope, and what boundaries define safe, effective practice.
Recognise Clinical Presentations
Identify hypervigilance, avoidance, and dissociation as they present in session, and understand what each means for how you structure and deliver exercise.
Apply Practical Tools
Use specific, evidence-informed techniques grounded in embodied cognition to support clients with trauma — practically, within your EP sessions.
Work with the Whole Person
Integrate an understanding of client values, longings, and strivings into how you prescribe exercise, so your sessions align with what matters most to your client.
Intersect Trauma + Women's Health
Understand how traumatic experience intersects with common women's health presentations, and adapt your clinical approach accordingly.
Stuart McDonald
Exercise Physiologist | Enactive Psychotherapist | 25+ Years Experience
Stuart McDonald is an Exercise Physiologist whose work sits at the intersection of body, belief, and healing. His personal history with complex chronic illness and injury drove him to go well beyond standard clinical training — not out of academic curiosity, but because he needed to find what actually helped when conventional approaches fell short.
That search led him across multiple Masters degrees, including a Master of Clinical Exercise Physiology (Rehabilitation), a Master of Arts, and a Master of Theological Studies in which he researched the physiological basis of interoception and emotion as expressed through stress and anxiety. He holds undergraduate studies in Human Biology and Psychology, and has pursued graduate studies in psychology. In 2023 he travelled to Belgium to attend the inaugural Enactive Trauma Therapy conference, where he trained directly with leading researchers in the field.
Stuart integrates neuroscience frameworks — including embodied cognition, predictive coding, and Bayesian inference — with practical exercise physiology to support people with complex presentations. This course emerged directly from his clinical work with women navigating both trauma and significant health conditions simultaneously, filling a gap that existing training simply did not address.
Everything you need to apply this work in practice
4 Recorded Lessons + Bonus
All lessons recorded and available immediately in your student dashboard. Work through them at your own pace, in the order that suits you.
Audio Versions of Every Lesson
Each lesson is available as both video and audio — listen like a podcast while commuting, between clients, or wherever suits your schedule.
Learning Manual
A comprehensive accompanying manual covering all course content. Fully downloadable and yours to keep as a clinical reference after portal access ends.
Real Client Demonstration
The bonus lesson features Stuart working through program concepts with a real client — giving you a direct view of how these tools translate into an actual session.
Certificate of Completion
Upon completing lessons and passing the assessment, you receive a certificate to support your CPD logbook. Approximately 10 CPD points claimable under further education.
Community Access
Lifetime access to the Trauma and Women's Health community group and the HER Education Super Community — connect with fellow students and educators beyond the course.
What you'll work through
Who this program is built for
This is for you if...
This is not for you if...
What clinicians are saying
"I enjoyed learning the theoretical underpinnings of trauma from a physiological perspective and recognising this within practical takeaways — using case studies, stretching and breathwork as tools to take on as an EP."
"The program was a perfect blend of learning from an expert and chatting with a friend. Stuart and Courtenay's delivery is professional but not intimidating, and the content each week left me excited to learn more."
"I thoroughly enjoyed this program. The way it was structured, the content, and the inclusive welcoming environment."
"Thank you Courtenay and Stu for the wonderful program — it was very enjoyable."
Enrol and start today
One-time payment | AUD | Instant access on enrolment
- 4 recorded lessons + bonus client session
- Audio versions of every lesson
- Comprehensive downloadable learning manual
- Assessment + certificate of completion
- ~10 CPD points (further education category)
- 6 months portal access
- Lifetime community group access
Immediate access after purchase. Learning manual and resources downloadable and kept permanently.
Common questions answered
Is this program ESSA accredited?
This program has not yet been formally accredited by ESSA, though accreditation is planned. There are approximately 10 learning hours, which you can claim under the Further Education CPD category at 1 point per learning hour. Upon completing the lessons and passing the assessment, you receive a certificate of completion to use as supporting documentation in your digital logbook.
What additional training does Stuart have in trauma specifically?
Beyond his Master of Clinical Exercise Physiology, Stuart completed further research at Masters level investigating the science of mindfulness and the relationship between the interoceptive nervous system, the construction of emotion, and stress. In 2023 he attended the inaugural Enactive Trauma Therapy conference in Belgium, training directly with leading researchers. He is a paying member of Ellert Nijenhuis' Enactive Trauma eAcademy and holds training in Change Fitness Coaching, StretchFit, Stretch Therapy, and Ontological Coaching.
How long do I have access to the program?
You have 6 months of access to the lesson recordings through your online student portal. All learning manuals and resources are fully downloadable — keep them permanently as clinical references once the portal closes. You also receive lifetime access to the Trauma and Women's Health community group and the HER Education Super Community.
I have no previous experience with trauma. Is this appropriate for me?
Yes. There are no prerequisites for this program. It's designed for clinicians who know trauma plays a significant role in their clients' health but don't yet feel equipped to work within that space. Stuart starts from the foundational principles and builds toward practical application throughout.
I don't currently see trauma clients. Is this relevant to me?
Yes. This program is about working with humans. Every client you see is navigating some level of emotional complexity. This program gives you the insight and tools to understand how emotions drive behaviour, how that intersects with women's health presentations, and how to deliver exceptional clinical care regardless of whether a client identifies as having a trauma history.
Can I access this as soon as I purchase?
Yes. Access is immediate after enrolment. You can begin working through the content the same day at whatever pace suits you.
Start learning today.
The clients you're already seeing deserve a clinician who can meet them fully. This program gives you the framework, the tools, and the confidence to do exactly that — without stepping outside your scope.
Enrol Now — $649