I’m an online/in-person health and fitness coach who wants the best for their clients. I realized communication was where most coaches were falling down; their approach wasn’t client-centered. I attended one of Stav’s motivational interviewing courses and found it very helpful. She was really professional, kind, and encouraging. After the course, I reached out to Stav to help me further improve my skills. She role-played ambivalent clients and challenged me in the right ways, which has helped me massively. The best health professionals are normally great communicators, and I’m confident Stav can help you get the best out of your clients and excel in your job. I can’t recommend her enough.

I just wanted to take the time today to reach out and express my gratitude for the MI training that you provided as part of the BKBM study. Integrating MI into my practice (and my daily life, apparently now without even realising it!) has truly transformed the way I practice as a dietitian, and I cannot thank you enough! I have started receiving some incredibly positive feedback from patients recently, and much of it I put down to significant changes in the way I now approach dietetic practice thanks to MI training.

Stavroula is an engaging and passionate educator. Her motivational interviewing session for oral health professionals had a focus on the practical application, and was tailored to the specific interests and needs of our casual educators. From the participants’ feedback it is evident that Stavroula carefully prepares her sessions. Presentations and theory are broken up with activities and videos to keep the participants engaged. She takes the participants’ experience into consideration. Stav delivered a full day session and the participants left the session feeling empowered to continue developing their motivational interviewing skills. Stavroula has a professional, friendly and approachable manner. The participants highly appreciated her training. I definitely would recommend her Motivational Interviewing training sessions.

I am a chronic disease project officer and registered Nurse. I was working on a project that included chronic disease prevention and smoking cessation, and invited Stav from Health & Wellbeing Training Consultants to train our staff in smoking cessation. Stav’s presentation was outstanding. She presented up to date knowledge and was highly motivating to improve our clients’ wellbeing and complete smoking cessation. The presentation was easy to follow and Stav understood and tailored the information to the groups’ questions. As Stav was highly motivating, it enabled myself to have the power to talk to clients about smoking cessation. She gave us the information required to have the difficult conversation regarding smoking cessation with our clients and the impact it has on their health and wellbeing. I would highly recommend using Stav and her organisation for smoking cessation training.

Stav has been working with our team on Integrated Care Communities of Practice events as the MC on a regular basis. Attendees come from General Practice, Hospitals, Community Health, Social Services, Councils and more, and usually consist of panel discussions. Stav has been dependable and thorough from preparation through to “chairing” the events.  Stav is able to positively engage with both panellists and attendees and maintain the flow of conversation. We have received positive feedback for each event from attendees. Stav is able to adapt during the events depending on the audience conversation whilst keeping to the allocated times. I would highly recommend Stav.

I am a specialist anaesthetist working at a large quaternary hospital in Perth's southern corridor. We manage a diverse range of presentations including obstetrics, major cancer surgery and transplantation. Stav Zandes and Ingrid Plueckhahn facilitated a two day smoking cessation training course at our hospital in Perth, as part of the ground work for the creation of a perioperative smoking cessation clinic. We had a wide range of attendees (pharmacists; junior doctors and consultants; and nurses from several clinical areas). Stav and Ingrid really nailed it - the course content was relevant, evidence based and comprehensive, while their presentation style was enthusiastic and engaging. Feedback was uniformly positive from the attendees. I strongly feel that the course has given us an excellent base from which to start our own journey - the enthusiasm from the attendees has delivered a huge boost to our programme and there's a real sense of... Read More

Stav from Health & Wellbeing Training Consultants presented a bespoke two-day training workshop on motivational interviewing, and a half day follow-up reflection workshop for us as part of our preparation for a new clinical trial. The trial required allied health practitioners to deliver motivational interviewing-based consultations via videoconferencing. Stav was always organised, efficient, professional and accommodating and we are very happy with the teaching she provided. The participants were also very positive in their feedback saying that they would definitely be changing their practice and how enjoyable they found the workshops. Dr Thorlene Egerton Centre for Health Exercise & Sports Medicine | Department of Physiotherapy, The University of Melbourne.

Stav's training was so informative, professional and well-paced. We have a very challenging and unique client group, and Stav tailored her training specifically to our clients, and had evidence based answers preempted for questions she thought she would receive. The training took into account our professional backgrounds, and therefore was well paced, didn't cover information that we already knew, and gave plenty of tools, strategies and skills to support the evidence based research presented on smoking cessation. Stav was a great person to conduct our training and we would definitely have her back here to complete other trainings in the future.

Over the last few months I have been working closely with Stavroula to facilitate motivational interviewing for our nurses here at Bupa Wellness. As Bupa’s purpose is to help our customers live longer, healthier, happier lives, behaviour change is an essential ingredient in ensuring the best possible outcomes for our participants in their health checks. Stavroula has been excellent in delivering both an online recorded webinar and a face-to-face training session on motivational interviewing with our team of nurses. The training delivered was engaging, energetic, and most importantly the content really hit the mark with our staff. All the techniques discussed were exactly what our nurses needed to weave motivational interviewing into their daily conversations with clients. Following the presentation, I feel confident that our staff are now equipped to have behaviour change conversations with clients in an effective manner. I would recommended Stavroula to any organisation looking to improve... Read More

Stavroula Zandes presented a 3 hour workshop as well as 2 x 1 ½ hour presentations for our delegates at the recent Dental Hygienists Association of Australia’s Symposium in Adelaide, October 2017. Verbal feedback from workshop attendees highlighted how Stav’s methods of motivational interviewing can be easily and immediately applied in the clinical setting. Stav was rated as “excellent” by 100% of attendees regarding the overall training during the workshop. Comments include “Flowed well with easy to understand concepts”, “Stav is very engaging and knowledgeable”, “Easily relatable points of discussion. Videos and role play helped/supported understanding”. All participants rated the training as either “extremely useful” or “very useful” with one commenting that it had “relevance to both professional and personal life”. Delegates emerged from Stav’s two plenary sessions energised and motivated. One delegate has reported using Stav’s recommendations the week following the presentation. The patient praised and thanked for her... Read More

As part of our annual “Remedy Together Day” we had Stavroula Zandes present to us on the topic of Motivational Interviewing. Remedy Healthcare has a huge focus on professional development for our Allied Health team members. We work in both the community and aged care setting and treat clients with varying levels of independence. Our clinicians are often faced with clients who are unmotivated and in the past we would often tell them why they need to do what we are suggesting; obviously this has been unsuccessful and this topic on MI gave us a whole new perspective how to handle difficult clients. Stavroula had a fantastic interactive session and provided handouts for us to keep. She developed a specific case scenario related to our target population and referred to this throughout her presentation which made it so easy to understand. Following the presentation our team had significantly more confidence... Read More

The Victoria Parade Surgery Centre organised Stavroula Zandes from Health & Wellbeing Training Consultants to come out and present two stress management workshops for our staff.  The sessions were professionally presented, and provided participants with very useful strategies about dealing with stress in our busy lives at work and at home. The staff from both sessions came away with very positive feedback about the content.  I attended the second workshop and was very impressed with the content, and also Stav’s style of presentation which kept everyone listening for the whole session. I would highly recommend Stavroula Zandes from Health & Wellbeing Training Consultants and her presentations to staff within the health industry setting.  Overall the training presentations were very beneficial for our staff, and Stavroula was a fantastic vibrant presenter.

As an Education Improvement Leader for South Eastern Region of Victoria, part of my role is to coordinate and support schools who implement the School Wide Positive Behaviour (SWPBS) framework in their schools through targeted professional learning. Educators particularly value establishing and maintaining positive relationships with the whole school community, and this is often through conversations both difficult and celebratory. I saw real value in training the SWPBS school leaders in Motivational Interviewing. Being able to recognise the change process and understanding what motivates individuals towards change will enable SWPBS school leaders to confidently support colleagues, students and families. The quality of the presentation by Stavroula and Gen was excellent. The pace was appropriate, interaction was encouraged and supported, and the participants were able to practise the skills in a safe and non-threatening environment. The room was energised and positive. The workshop was so successful, participants advised me that they... Read More

After hearing a lot of positive recommendations about Stav and her training and education sessions, I arranged for Stav to present at our two Life! program professional development days in March 2017.  The audience were all health professionals who deliver Life!, a type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke prevention program. Stav’s presentation on relapse management provided new and insightful ways to help participants make change to their healthy eating, physical activity and other healthy lifestyle behaviours. Overall, the Life! team and I were extremely happy with Stav’s enthusiasm, knowledge and professionalism. Her presentation was engaging, relevant and the feedback we received from our workforce was overwhelmingly positive. I would strongly encourage anyone who is looking for speakers in the health and wellbeing sector to consider Stav. “Stav’s presentation was the highlight of the day.  She was fantastic.  I took a large amount of information from her, both for my... Read More

We were very privileged to have Stavroula Zandes, training consultant and Director from Health & Wellbeing Training Consultants as a guest speaker on the topic of Motivational Interviewing at our annual planning day. The Health Independence Program is staffed by a mix of Allied Health and Nursing staff who work with clients looking to improve their health through various means of rehabilitation in an effort to maintain their independence.  When working with this client group the clinicians are often faced with people who have been doing the same thing for a long time and often find themselves stuck in a situation that is not conducive to good health outcomes. Stavroula with her great enthusiasm and humour was able to lead the team through the process of motivational interviewing through great knowledge of the issue and a wide range of information.  Stavroula worked through the psychological aspects of where a client... Read More

Stav and I co-facilitate LiveLighter’s "Talking to patients about weight loss" training sessions. Stav designed much of the content and was enthusiastic and knowledgeable from the beginning. Since we commenced delivering the training sessions, Stav’s enthusiasm hasn’t wavered. She presents exciting, energetic sessions consistently at all times of the day and participant feedback is always very positive. I look forward to continue working with Stav in the future to build the training program and increase health professionals’ confidence to talk about weight loss with their clients.

Clinicians at bloom hearing specialists loved their training sessions on motivational interviewing with Stavroula. They were very impressed with her ability to research our specific area of interest – hearing. She was available to attend a range of activities we held including a pre-conference event and interstate workshops. She managed to fit a lot of information into a day of training, but clinicians did not feel rushed and enjoyed the pace of the day. Stav’s infectious enthusiasm for training comes across in all of her conversations with participants, and clinicians left her sessions feeling energised and engaged, and keen to put into practise some of their new found skills. One of the major benefits of Stav’s training was that she provided resources, phrases and clinically applicable techniques to clinicians who felt that they now had the appropriate tools to implement the training immediately. These tools ensure we can maintain our... Read More

We were very pleased to have Stavroula Zandes, training consultant and director from Health & Wellbeing Training Consultants as a guest speaker on the topic of ‘Smoking Cessation’, at one of our scheduled CPD events for our organisation. Dental professionals are faced with patients on a daily basis who smoke. It is one of our main priorities to improve health via cessation advice, hence, we were all looking forward to having an expert on the subject speak at our CPD event. Over the course of her presentation, Stavroula gave a wide range of information about current statistics and figures, how to bring up the topic of cessation with patients, the physiological aspects of addiction and much more. A lot of the information was very eye opening. After the presentation, we felt equipped to tackle the problem of smoking with our patients, and help our patients achieve a smokefree life. Whilst... Read More

I am a health professional with a background in critical care nursing, project management and chronic disease service management. I was privileged to have Stavroula Zandes work with my metropolitan health service in partnership from 2009 till 2012. Stav (in her role as Cessation Settings Manager for Quit Victoria), assisted us to set up smoking cessation services, as well as provide support for our organisation going smokefree. Stav was able to see what we were aiming to achieve, including our broader work to address the harm from smoking in the wider local community through partnerships to promote de-normalization and smoke free spaces. The expertise Stav holds was freely shared with us during her membership of our smoking strategy steering committee. I always received very positive feedback from smoking cessation educator training that Stav and her staff delivered to our staff and local stakeholders. Stav has both a very professional demeanour... Read More

Stav and I first met many years ago while working respectively in the health sector. We reconnected a few years ago and through our conversations it became apparent that she would be an ideal presenter for an upcoming Monash Women’s Business Network event looking at work-life balance. The timing was incredible – as was Stav’s presentation; she is still fondly remembered as one of the best, engaging and practical presenters the network has had. Stav’s presentations skills impressed me so much I asked if she would be interested in teaching with me at Monash University which she now does.  Stav provides both lectures and tutorials for undergraduate health science subjects. She always receives glowing feedback from students who describe her as engaging, passionate, helpful and approachable. Stav is an outstanding, engaging  presenter who ignites a passion for the content she presents with any audience. Stav is also a joy to... Read More

Inner South Community Health is an organisation which has taken a proactive approach to smoking cessation by addressing smoking with some of the most vulnerable groups in the community. Stav Zandes was recently invited to train a diverse group of staff which has further strengthened and extended the smoking cessation delivery to a population of  disadvantaged smokers. Stav holds a lovely sense of enthusiasm for her work which teams up well with her practical and engaging approach as a trainer. Subsequently, confidence and enthusiasm are developed in the participants as the natural outcome. Stav blends her many years’ experience from working at Quit Victoria with some illuminating anecdotal material which resonates as valuable resources to motivate clients. The training has been a catalyst for developing more sustainable support networks within the organisation in dealing with complex smoking cessation client work, and has also provided further opportunities for clients to engage... Read More

Thank you for your presentation titled ‘Work Life Balance’ to the Women’s Business Network on Wednesday 8 October 2014. Your presentation on learning how to balance your life to achieve quality outcomes was very relevant to the audience and well received. In particular, the audience appreciated the interactive style of your presentation outlining the benefits of achieving a good work/life balance, the costs of a poor work/life balance and the practical strategies to achieve a healthy work/life balance. Feedback following the event was that the format, content and delivery of your PowerPoint presentation were excellent. Accordingly we would like you to present again in the future on another relevant topic and will be in contact with you. Please do not hesitate to contact me on 9518 3454 to further discuss this. Yours sincerely

Health & Wellbeing Training Consultants delivered training in a culturally appropriate and safe way. Many staff mentioned the positive outcomes of being involved, and how training helped staff to connect with each other which fostered a great team environment. Stav was approachable and not judgemental in her approach. I would not hesitate to recommend H&WTC to other organisations.

The “Learning to live life with good health and wellbeing” workshop facilitated by Stav Zandes was received with much enthusiasm and positivity by the participants in the Soul~Sista’s Living Strong program. This program is designed to support Aboriginal women in the southern metropolitan region of Melbourne to achieve and maintain their healthy lifestyle goals in the areas of physical activity, nutrition and weight loss. Running this workshop at the onset of the program as a motivational support for women to achieve their goals has become paramount, helping them to understand how personal habits and lifestyle choices actually contribute towards health outcomes. Stav’s workshop demonstrated and encouraged women, in a safe, non-threatening, supportive and culturally appropriate environment to identify their health needs in a holistic context. Women on the day left the workshop feeling motivated, supported and encouraged to make healthier choices without feeling overwhelmed. I can highly recommend this workshop... Read More

I am a dental practitioner who is enthusiastic about preventing tobacco smoking in the community. I have worked with Stav over many years during her educational role with Quit Victoria. Stav, like me, is passionate about encouraging and assisting others to kick the habit of smoking. I have found the enormous effort that Stav puts into her work and the understanding that she brings to this area of health promotion to be outstanding. I recommend Stav, the techniques and skills she brings to the area together with her ability to work successfully and collaboratively, to people and organisations who have a variety of needs and aspirations

From a personal perspective the 2 day Quit Educator training that Stavroula Zandes and her colleague Elizabeth Holloway provided was excellent.  At all times their presentations were professional, and the topics were kept interesting and to the point, while also allowing for appropriate discussions.  Overall Stav made the two day course a pleasure to attend.

As the Smoking Cessation Support Nurse Co-ordinator (Advanced Practice) within an acute Cancer Care hospital, I had the professional pleasure to work closely for several years, with Stavroula Zandes in her role as the Cessation Settings Manager at Quit Victoria. Stav enabled staff within my organisation access to excellent education which she facilitated and conducted, and as such developed a team of Smoking Cessation professionals within our organisation who are able to provide expert support for cancer patients to quit smoking.  Notwithstanding, I also was employed by Quit Victoria to conduct sessional training for health professionals with Stav, and as such was able to experience firsthand, the exceptional quality of Stav’s training, professional behaviours, knowledge and skilled application as she facilitated the education sessions. Since 2002, when the Smoking Cessation Support program was initiated in our hospital, Quit Victoria became a key stakeholder in assisting access to advice, information and... Read More

The Salvation Army’s Community Reintegration Program (CRP) supports adults recovering from homelessness and drug dependency. With Stav’s support, knowledge and training expertise, CRP practitioners have been skilled to deliver a smoking cessation program to a group of highly marginalised people who would not normally have access to smoking cessation support. Stav engaged with the specific needs of our client group and provided training that was highly relevant and beneficial to the program. We have valued Stav’s commitment to providing high quality training that has directly impacted the health and wellbeing of many clients who access our program.

Both my colleague Caitlyn Wilson and I had the pleasure of meeting Stavroula Zandes at the end of 2011 when she was Quit Victoria’s Training Manager. We attended Quit’s 2 day Educator training as Work Health representatives from Incolink.  Incolink administers industry funds and provides information and support to employer and employee members in the building and construction industry throughout Victoria. We were immediately impressed by Stav’s passion for tobacco control, her in-depth knowledge of the subject as well as her professional and approachable nature.  She displayed excellent training skills and was a dynamic presenter. She engaged and established rapport with the whole group very quickly through her facilitation of active learning consisting of open discussions, quizzes and role plays where we felt safe to participate, without judgement. Our smoking cessation project was in partnership with WorkHealth to deliver health checks in the commercial construction industry. As part of this... Read More

A key focus in my retail consulting business is the development of Health Solutions – in terms of merchandising, marketing and customer engagement. As an ex and very heavy smoker, I was particularly interested in the Quit Smoking category and how to help pharmacy customers quit. I did 3 things: Attended Stavroula’s program as a Quit counselor around 2003; Developed 2 categories within my FeelGood Guide program on Smoking in 2003 (in concert with The Pharmacy Guild of Australia) and later in 2006; Developed an intensive counseling program using several different strategies to help quit – called No Need to Smoke in 2008 (both of the last 2 have been purchased by Terry White Chemists) As part of these developments, I attempted to use the appropriate Australian anti smoking bodies, but none had the quality, passion and commitment of Victoria. From my point of view that was entirely due to... Read More

We sincerely thank Stav from Health & Wellbeing Training for coming to our school in the western suburbs of Melbourne. All students and staff thoroughly enjoyed having Stav talk with us about the health risks of smoking and information about tobacco. It was fantastic how Stav spoke of peer group pressure with the students and brain stormed with them how to say no when offered cigarettes. What we really loved, was how Stav tapped into the students’ strengths and made them feel empowered and showed them that THEY themselves have the power to refuse cigarettes. She showed them that they are in control of their own lives. The prizes were very motivational for the students also. They were well received. The new and updated information offered about cigarettes were quite shocking to the students. The highlight was when Stav told us that there are no longer 4000 poisons in each... Read More

Our staff completed smoking cessation training with Stavroula and as a result, we have successfully delivered a number of smoking cessation programs to our clients who have a mental illness. In a number of cases, we have been able to help clients reduce their smoking with a view to quitting in the future. Some of our clients have quit successfully and we have helped them maintain their achievements. We have also been able to adapt our smoking cessation services to successfully assist people from CALD backgrounds to help them work towards and achieve a smokefree life. As a training facilitator, Stav is very professional and personable which is imperative for good learning and understanding. Our staff found training with Stav to be engaging and supportive with very useful tools and techniques to be able to confidently deliver sessions independently. As a result of attending Stav’s training, we have been able... Read More