What some of Monique’s clients have said…

“Thank you so much for your time, wisdom and experience last night. You have such a warm and engaging presence. Thank you also for your expertise and passion. I have no doubt that the counselling profession, and all participants from last night, have taken away new insights, possibilities and shifts in their understanding of what it is to begin to develop the lens of Cultural Intelligence. The essential personal work required to do so is what you lead for our webinar and that is the essence of what counsellors all need to work as effectively reflective practitioners. It’s a delight to have worked with you Monique. I look forward to our paths crossing again (I have no doubt that they will!) and thank you again on behalf of the College of Counselling Leadership Group and of PACFA.”

— F. Griffith psychotherapy & Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA)

“I have had the privilege of having Monique Toohey present on cultural competence to my first-year clinical psychology masters students for the past four years at Cairnmillar Institute. Monique is always professional, passionate, well prepared, approachable and relates well to a broad range of students in the cohort. She has a wealth of experience and knowledge related to cultural competence and clinical practice with diverse clients. Student feedback has been consistently positive. Monique is a great facilitator and provides engaging content when she presents to groups. Monique’s contribution has been an important part of the clinical masters program as she opens clinicians to the importance of cultural awareness in their practice and sets the stage for them to continue their learning in this area throughout their careers. I highly recommend Monique as a trainer. ”

— B. Saunders, Coordinator Clinical Psychology Masters Program; Cairnmillar Institute.

“The highly engaging, informative and refreshingly robust sessions included Intercultural competence, Inter-group relations, Community engagement and working with the Muslim community. As well as excellent session content, the facilitator invited participants to “leave political correctness at the door”, capturing our honest, candid questions in written form at the end of the first day and exploring them in an engaging Q&A session towards the close of the second day.

— J. Ormonde Department of Social Services; Multicultural Affairs

“Thank you so much for the wealth (and depth) of information you and your colleague presented last term (Cultural Competence Training: Working Effectively with Muslim Families). It has helped immensely in filling in gaps in my understanding and I continually think about your wise words as I work with my beautiful children here at St Mark’s.”

— - M. Rizza (St Mark’s Primary School)”

“Multiculturalism is a mind without a body. Monique’s highly interactive intercultural workshop is that missing body. It provides hands-on guidance on how we should think about different cultures and how we can apply the new found knowledge. We ran the workshop for our year long intensive leadership program and the participants rated it among the best of the program.”

— U. Batchelor CEO, Institute of Believe Achieve & Inspire LTd

Monique delivered a very insightful presentation to our multicultural youth group and staff, informed by her work with victims of family violence. We were able to reflect on how we establish and maintain boundaries in our relationships. Our young people were given an opportunity to reflect on their own boundary ‘difficulties’, and discuss if they may have a tendency to transgress other people’s boundaries or be vulnerable to others transgressing their own boundaries.

In terms of prevention and awareness of violence on the individual level, this was an incredibly valuable experience for our group members. The discussions that we have been able to have since have been enhanced with the concepts, language and insights we were introduced to by Monique. I would hope that Monique’s presentation was available to everyone, supporting them to have safe and fulfilling relationships and healthy boundaries in general.

Rachel Wood – Banksia Gardens Community Centre.

In my role I have seen hundreds of conferences and I can safely say that Monique’s ability to make a project come together with participants from around the country is remarkable. Monique’s skills are both experienced and innate, as is her ability to present to an audience when needed. As a matter of fact Monique is a great security blanket for any conference because she is so versatile. She can step in and rescue any situation.

Her experience means that she has a keen sense of what elements of an event needs the most attention. I am constantly amazed at how well she works her project budgets and the relationships she builds. She has many strong and unique networks which she utilises very well.

— M. Dobson High performance advisor

Monique was the keynote speaker for 2024 International Women’s Day that welcomed representatives from Victoria Police’s Command the most senior levels of the organisations, WoCN and Women in Policing Local committees. Monique’s presentation on cultural intelligence was eye-opening and thought-provoking. Her presentation style was commended as holding the space with composure and compassion that saw her humour and incredible wisdom shine through and weaved in the relevance of CQ into our strategic environment.

Maha Sukkar APM | Senior Sergeant -Victoria Police

Monique facilitated an empowering session on ‘Leading with Cultural Intelligence’ that understood the intersecting aspects of gender (women), race and ethnicity in leadership, providing tools to channel and understand cultural strengths in the workplace. Monique conducted a training session during the Symposium’s theme of Can you see me? Exploring Unconscious Bias in the Workplace.

It was held during the International Day of the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and Harmony Day during the Women of Colour Symposium for women of colour in Victoria Police for network members.

Member feedback informed of the appreciation of the culturally safe and confidential space key to WoCN’s for members that was created during Monique’s session.

One activity that stood out was the unpacking of reasons why it can be hard to describe our own character strengths, and why confidence can be difficult to achieve as women of colour.

Monique expertly guided network members to understand the role of cultural intelligence and the potential impacts on a person’s leadership journey in areas such as approaches to conflict, understanding power structures and role expectations.

The Victoria Police WoCN’s objective is to see women of colour represented at all levels of the organisation.

Monique’s attendance at our events has helped us carry out our mission by presenting to the most senior levels of our organisation and to our incredible WoCN members.

Her ability to create a bespoke presentation on cultural intelligence to meet the needs of our WoCN members and the most senior levels of the organisation that has helped to move the needle on representation within our organisation. With sincere gratitude and thanks, her breadth of experience and compassionate delivery has empowered WoCN members and prompted new conversations in leadership.

Maha Sukkar APM | Senior Sergeant Victoria Police

Coming soon

— Ayman Islam General manager; Centre for Muslim wellbeing (CMW)