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Welcome to Highlands Centre For Healing
A healing sanctuary held by Soo Woods, her herd, and 106 acres of quiet
Highlands Centre for Healing sits on Gundungurra Country at Moss Vale, in the NSW Southern Highlands.
A place to slow down and reconnect with yourself
People come here for rest, emotional release and reconnection, through time with horses, time on the land, energy work, retreats and quiet places to stay. Soo Woods, the herd and 106 acres of peace-filled country hold the space, and everything moves at the pace your body is ready for.
Welcome, I’m Soo. The big heart behind HCFH.
Founder, Counsellor, Somatic Practitioner, Matriarch & Custodian
For much of my early life, nature and animals were where I found safety and connection. Later, like many of us, when I moved closer to the city, I lost that connection, and spent years living in cycles of stress.
Over the past decades I have immersed myself in trauma-aware practice, in somatic and energy healing, and in nature-based ways of working.
More importantly, I have lived this work: listening to my body, learning to soften and move away from daily survival, letting go of old patterns.
What began as my own way back to myself has slowly become a sanctuary I can offer to others. I am the custodian of this land, the matriarch of the herd, and the person who will meet you on arrival.
- Founder and custodian of Highlands Centre for Healing, Moss Vale NSW
- Registered, qualified counsellor and trauma-trained somatic practitioner
- Reiki practitioner, working alongside the herd
- Member of the International Institute for Complementary Therapists
- A life time of walking with horses, teaching them, being taught by them
Nothing here needs fixing … nobody, nothing is broken
HOW THIS WORK UNFOLDS
My role is not to heal you or fix you. It is to hold a space that feels safe enough for your own healing to happen, at its own pace.
Everything with the horses is ground-based and client-led. You choose how close you come, how long you stay, and what you are ready for.
Many people find us after searching for equine therapy. Equine therapy is a broad label people use for healing work that involves horses. What happens here at HCFH is ground-based and equine-assisted, which means we work alongside the horses rather than on horseback, with body awareness, energy work and presence, rather than a fixed program.
I am a registered, qualified counsellor and trauma-trained somatic practitioner, not a medical specialist. This is holistic, complementary work that sits alongside your medical or psychological care, never in place of it. Nothing here diagnoses, categorises, judges or assesses you.
Pictured: Soo Woods, founder, counsellor and trauma-trained somatic practitioner.
THE HERD
Partners in the work, never tools
Horses read us honestly. Their large hearts and guts help co-regulate our nervous systems, and as natural-born Reiki Masters they offer energy healing simply by being near us. They respond to what is actually happening in your body, not to the story you tell about it.
That honesty is why consent matters on both sides. The horses are free to approach or move away, and so are you. Their welfare shapes how every session runs, including the days when the herd tells us a session needs to be gentler or shorter.
Pictured: A few members of the herd at Eureka Pines, curious and with choices.
Pictured: An autumn morning on the 106 acres at Eureka Pines
THE LAND
106 acres bordering State Forest
Eureka Pines is 106 acres of peace-filled land bordering State Forest/Flora Reserve. Open paddocks, gum forest, wetland and birdsong make a screen-free place to slow right down. The land is part of the work, not a backdrop to it.
For people who want to linger, there are two quiet places to stay on the property: The Stables, and the Gang Gang Hideaway, built in 2024 and named for the endangered Gang Gang cockatoo.
WAYS TO SPEND TIME HERE
Five ways in, all of them gentle
Somatic Equine Therapy, healing with horses
Ground-based, client-led sessions held in the living energy field of the herd. Choice is honoured throughout, and the pace is shaped by what your nervous system is ready for.
Reiki With The Herd
An energy healing session held within the presence of the herd and the surrounding land.
Deeply restful, quietly regulating, and you can lie down, sit or stand.
Nature-based wellness retreats in NSW
Time and space to slow down and reconnect, blending horse-assisted healing with nature walks, breathwork, sound and other gentle practices. Multi-day, for individuals or small groups.
Short Wellness Retreats and Workshops
The opportunity to experience this space and all we offer. Perfect for those who are unable to stay longer. Every event is different, but all combine natural, gentle, healing modalities with horse time, and the chance to slow down. Some are social events, offering you the chance to connect with likeminded others over healthy food.
Corporate and group wellness programs
Somatic connection gatherings, team days and workshops, guided by skilled practitioners on quiet land where nobody has to perform.
Soo is a member of the International Institute for Complementary Therapists
Soo dug deep and it brought up underlying suppressed beliefs. The horses were so comforting and caring with their intuitive presence, I was blown away.
Begin gently
Come and see if it feels right
There is no pressure and nothing to fix. Tell Soo a little about where you are, and you can work out the gentlest way in together.