Do you care for someone at home?

Discover how gentle, intentional touch and massage can support both you and the person you care for.

Whether you have children, support an older partner or parent, or someone living with illness or disability, these workshops, led by Kathrin Schmieder, an experienced massage therapist and owner of unwind & recharge, will introduce you to simple, practical techniques to reduce stress, enhance connection, and improve quality of life.

Workshop 1 | Self-supportive touch for carers

Begin by learning how to care for yourself through mindful, self-soothing touch and massage. You’ll explore the often overlooked sense of touch and its role in wellbeing. In addition, you’ll be guided through simple self-supportive touch and massage exercises that you can easily integrate into daily life to:

You’ll also be introduced to a online resource created for this program, which you can access at home after the workshop to revisit the practices whenever you like.

Online resource | Caring Touch, A Guided Selfcare Practice

This Caring Touch | Guided Selfcare Practice is an invitation to slow down, soften, and gently reconnect with yourself through nurturing touch and mindful presence. It’s intended for moments when you’re seeking calm, grounding, and a deeper sense of inner connection, and offers a simple way to support your body, emotions, and nervous system.

You’ll have access to this guided practice whenever it feels supportive — perhaps after a long day, during a stressful time, or as part of a regular self-care rhythm. Many people find it helpful as a quiet space to pause, listen inward, and be with themselves in a kinder, more compassionate way.

If you’re longing for a gentle, practical resource to help you feel more connected, calm, and held, this practice may be a good fit. After purchasing on-demand access, you’ll receive a link and password that you can use to access the Guided Selfcare Practice whenever you need it.

Building on the first session, or as a stand-alone workshop, this workshop explores how to use gentle, caring touch and massage to support the person you care for. Based on the scientific evidence about the value of slow, gentle, caring touch, you will learn how to apply those insights in your role as a caregiver.

You will be introduced to simple techniques to help you feel more confident offering supportive touch and massage, with a focus on:

Workshop 3 | Caring touch for mum – Simple hand massage class for kids

This gentle, hands-on workshop invites parents to attend with their children and learn a simple hand-massage routine they can enjoy together at home, to offer kindness, calm connection, and empathy. Children will learn about respectful touch in a safe, age-appropriate way, while parents receive a meaningful gift and activity they can share with their children again and again.

To request a workshop for your group or any workshop information

Please contact Kathrin Schmieder 0431 956 958 | kathrin@unwind-recharge.com

We look forward to welcoming you and supporting you in exploring the nourishing potential of touch and massage for yourself and the people close to you.

The full cost for one workshop is typically $80 per person.

Additional information

As touch can be a sensitive topic, we place great importance on respecting your personal space, comfort levels and boundaries at all times. Participation in any practical exercise is always voluntary.

The first Caring Touch workshops

The first Caring Touch workshops were offered to carers in May 2026, thanks to the support of Nillumbik Council at Allwood Neighbourhood House in Hurstbridge, VIC.

Workshop reviews

“Care-giving, in my case for my Alzheimer ‘s-affected mother, is a burnout proposition. The role comes with endless guilt – no matter how much we give our lives over to this person we cherish. Having Kathrin validate this, in the context of clearly explaining the mind-body’s response to sustained stress, opened the possibility of allowing me to admit that I, too, need care. Kathrin demonstrated simple but physiologically targeted self-massage and touch. Practising how to touch my mum to help her find safety in times of anguish was doubly precious, as this touch also confers the love she needs and that I need to stop and remember when frustrations feel relentless. The group was a tender coming-together of women who face the unique challenge of being carers. We now know we have with us always a resource right there at our fingertips. And importantly, we laughed.” – Angela 21/05/26

“Thank you Kathrin for your inspiring Caring Touch workshop. Your covering of touch as care, as well as self-touch, both opened and expanded my understanding and practice of touch. I felt a warmth of atmosphere created through your talks and our group discussions. It inspired the trust of touch. For me, the particular practice of focusing on self-touch, especially over my face, evolved into my calmness and confidence. To end the workshops with giving a hand-touch massage to another participant was perfect!” – Gali 20/05/26

“Dear Kathrin, Thank you so much for organising the Caring Touch workshop. It is one of those things that you do not realise you need until someone offers it to you. As you may remember, at first I was not even sure whether I qualified to attend, and I am so glad that you reassured me that I did. The workshops reminded me of the importance of self-care, taking time for myself, and allowing myself moments of peace, calm, and self-love. They also showed me how touch can be such a beautiful way to express love and care for the people around us – in a way that is both meaningful and grounding, while also helping conserve energy and time. I especially loved how practical the sessions were. I have already started applying many of the exercises in my daily life, and I am sure I will continue using the videos and other materials you provided, including the massage instructions. I also really appreciated the space you chose for the workshops and, as I mentioned before, how thoughtful every detail was – even the little massage balms you shared with us. You made us feel welcome, seen, appreciated, and comfortable throughout the experience. You are such a gifted facilitator. I already knew you were a wonderful therapist, but I had not realised how talented you are at facilitation as well, so it was lovely to discover that side of your work too. I am also very appreciative of the council for supporting this initiative and subsidising the tickets so that such a valuable experience was available at a very symbolic price. It is wonderful that they recognised the importance of sharing your gift with the community.” – Jasmina 19/05/26

“The ‘Caring Touch’ Workshop series, led by Kathrin Schmieder from unwind & recharge – Hurstbridge Healing Space for Women, provided a safe space to learn how to incorporate safe touch as an essential part of human connection and its role in positive health and well-being outcomes. The program, funded in partnership with Nillumbik Shire Council, offered practical ‘Caring Touch’ sequences for those caring for others and resources to support Carers to incorporate a mindful daily practice of self-care. Over the course of two workshops, Kathrin shared an abundance of health-related research from around the world on the power of touch, its value and also the consequences of a lack of human touch and care. The ‘Caring Touch’ practical sequences 1 to 5 were demonstrated with the following guidelines: consent, comfort, mindful presence, touch methods, speed and pressure and safety and risk.  Kathrin’s workshop booklet and video resource Caring Touch (A Guided Practice), have been designed in a thoughtful and empathetic way. Thank you, Kathrin, for developing the ‘Caring Touch’ Workshops and terrific resources. I sincerely hope that you can continue to bring the conversation back into the health sector for individuals receiving care and for anyone involved in caregiving, whether for personal or professional needs.  We are all carers on a human journey!” – Cathrine 19/05/26

“Mum and I both really enjoyed the workshops and found them very calming, welcoming and thoughtfully run. I especially appreciated that the techniques felt practical and accessible to continue using at home afterwards. The grounding exercises and self-massage techniques left me feeling noticeably more relaxed, and I liked that the sessions encouraged slowing down and reconnecting with the body in a gentle, non-judgemental way. You also created such a warm and comfortable atmosphere, which made the workshops feel very safe and restorative. I think programs like this are incredibly valuable for community wellbeing, and I really hope you receive further funding to continue offering them. Thank you again for the care and effort you put into the experience.” – Bethan 19/05/26

“The workshop facilitator, Kathrin, was caring and supportive and created a safe space for people to share their thoughts and experiences. The grounding exercises and the video were mindful and relaxing, and added a sense of mindfulness and calm. I learned about the value and importance of touch through easy-to-follow techniques. The workshop has inspired me to embrace mindful touch in my daily busy life and reflect on the value of the Caring Touch. I recommend this workshop to anyone who is interested in learning about how they can incorporate touch into their lives.” – Amy 19/05/26

“I recently attended a Caring Touch Workshop held by Kathrin Schmieder. We live in stressful and difficult times for many. Women who care for their aged parents, who care for their children who may have disabilities or other serious issues. Women who totally give themselves day in and day out and forget about their own needs. Kathrin, over the two sessions, showed us the importance of human touch and how it can bring comfort, connection, calm, and reassurance to us all. A gentle reminder that this is something we are able to offer to others and to ourselves, the carers. That this simple act of kindness from touch, this act of love and connection can have a profound effect on well-being.” – Lena 18/05/26

“I am leaving today with compassion, connection, inspiration, comfort and confidence, possibility, more knowledge and destressed…” – Group feedback 16/05/26

“Myself and my mum attended one of Kathrin’s Caring Touch Workshops. It was so lovely and relaxing. She gave us some really great self-massage techniques and a grounding meditation video to watch afterwards. I hope these workshops continue in the future.” – Bethan 09/05/26

“Kathrin is a wonderful teacher, highly recommend her workshops.” – S.M 08/05/26

“Thank you for a wonderful session this morning on touch. I enjoyed it so much.” – Joan 02/05/26