“Being a RPN has given me the opportunity to be of service and to be a participant in someone else’s journey.”
Katherine Goudis has been an RPN for 44 years and as an independent practitioner for the past 29 years with certifications in Reflexology, Reiki and Healing Touch. Katherine is also an advanced foot care nurse and her services support many clients with a holistic, collaborative approach to care.
Katherine graduated in 1968 from Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay, Ontario and began her career working with severely challenged children in a nursing home as well as working for an agency that staffed hospitals. As the RPN role expanded, Katherine completed the RNA refresher and medication courses in the early 1980s. A strong believer in continuing education and enhancing the patient experience, she also became certified in reflexology and further expanded her skills to incorporate Reiki, which is a specific type of subtle energy work in which healing is performed by the touch of the practitioner’s hands, into her practice.
In 1992, while working in homecare for the Regional Nursing Services, Katherine was given the opportunity to take an Advance Foot Care course. Foot care was a special area of interest for Katherine as she was regularly providing foot care to her own mother, who suffered with severe rheumatoid arthritis. The course enabled Katherine to become better equipped to provide foot care with enhanced knowledge and skill. This experience led her to work for VON in foot care clinics and home foot care. While Katherine enjoyed her role as a foot care specialist,the required travel in this role became a major factor in her decision to become an independent practitioner.
In 1993, Katherine set up a home-based office to provide foot care and energy medicine services. However, her learning did not stop there: she also completed five years of training to attain certification as a Healing Touch practitioner. Healing Touch is a complimentary therapy that makes the provider and client equal partners in restoring harmony and balance to the energy system, allowing the client to support the self-healing process. It compliments traditional health care treatment and is used extensively in many settings in the nursing profession.
Katherine learned this complementary therapy in Colorado directly from the course founder. Her education included a year of mentorship with a certified practitioner. Katherine received certification in 1996 through the American Holistic Nurse Association, and must recertify every five years to maintain her certification. In Canada, Katherine served on the Board of Directors for the Canadian Healing Touch Association from 2005-2008. During that time, a highlight of Katherine’s career was when she was successful in recruiting a distinguished nursing leader to be the keynote speaker for the Healing Touch Conference that she chaired. Participants at the conference were excited to hear Dr. Jean Watson, a nursing theorist, share her nursing knowledge and research as she discussed her theory of human caring and the relevance of healing touch in nursing.
On a personal note, Katherine and her husband George have raised four children and now enjoy their five grandchildren who call Katherine’s work “feeling touch.” They currently share their home with their beloved dog Abbey and cats Solomon and Felix. Katherine is also actively involved in community activities that include teaching Introductory to Healing Touch in a continuing education program, supporting Women’s Spa weekends, Health Fairs, the Candlelighters Simcoe, and the Children’s Wish Foundation. When she takes time for herself she loves walking, cooking, meditation and of course… taking courses which support her growth and well-being. Katherine recently became a Reiki Master/Teacher and has expanded her practice to provide animal therapies.
“For me to be able to create a safe, caring healing environment and provide heart-centred care is a privilege and a blessing.”