Our Story

End Wise is a not-for-profit organisation committed to advancing the responsible integration of psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) into palliative care. Formed by a dedicated alliance of healthcare professionals and grounded in grassroots community leadership, this initiative emerged from a deeply personal and professional commitment shared by our team, a commitment informed by lived experience, clinical expertise, and dharmic service.

Mission Statement

Our mission is to improve the quality of life for people facing life-limiting illness by advancing compassionate, evidence-based care that alleviates existential distress and its impact on physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual suffering.

We advocate for equitable access to psychedelic therapies, guided by rigorous clinical standards and ethical practices. Our vision is a future where all individuals in palliative care can benefit from the full spectrum of healing modalities, free from stigma, misinformation, and barriers to care.

Our Team

With diverse backgrounds and expertise, our team consists of physicians, therapists, other health professionals and community leaders with a shared commitment to transforming how we experience end of life.

  • B.Pharm, Dip Bot Med, Cert. Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies

    Danielle Shirley is a registered pharmacist, Western herbal medicine practitioner, and holds a certificate in psychedelic-assisted therapies. With a professional background bridging conventional medicine and integrative health, Danielle is known as the “Herbal Pharmacist” for her passion in combining evidence-based pharmacology with nutrition, herbal medicine, and holistic lifestyle approaches to address complex and chronic health conditions.

    Her career purpose is to help individuals achieve healthier, more fulfilling lives through a balanced integration of modern medicine and the ancient wisdom of plant-based therapeutics. She is a strong advocate for bridging these modalities to deliver the best possible health outcomes.

    In recent years, Danielle has specialised in the clinical application of medicinal cannabis, working closely with prescribing doctors to educate, guide dosing, monitor treatment outcomes, and ensure patient access through legal frameworks. Her experience in patient care, practitioner education, and treatment optimisation, positions her valuably in emerging therapeutic fields.

    Her completion of  training in psychedelic-assisted therapies, has ignited a strong commitment to supporting organisations that expand safe, legal, and ethical access to psychedelic medicines to alleviate suffering. Danielle brings a collaborative mindset, deep clinical knowledge, and an empathetic, patient-focused approach—qualities that make her a valuable contributor to strategic growth in this evolving field.

  • BBSc.(Psychology), Grad Dip. Org Psych, Grad Dip Social Science (Gestalt Therapy), Cert. Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy

    Jackie is a qualified psychologist and relational psychotherapist, and an organisational consultant. Having worked for over 15 years in private practice, Jackie has worked with individuals and groups across the full gamut of human experience, from life until death. With experience in business, executive coaching, careers, relationships & families, trauma, mental health challenges, grief and suffering, Jackie’s clients bring a broad spectrum of concerns to share and navigate.

    At the beginning of 2020, Jackie had a near death experience and was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease following a traumatic, protracted hospital stay. As a loving wife and mother to 3 sons, this ordeal was both devastating and profound. It gave Jackie a whole new way of making sense of the world. She developed a ‘knowing’ and a deep reverence for, and connection to, the healing power of nature. As part of her post experience recovery, Jackie discovered Psychedelic Assisted Therapy and completed intensive training in the area.

    Since that time Jackie has been a therapist for more than 25 psychedelic dosing sessions as part of several Clinical Trials with Australian National University (ANU). Along with involvement in further psychedelic trials with the university, Jackie is currently working on a Trial at Paratus Clinical with Psilocybin and therapy for cancer patients. Her personal desire is to bring her own experience of existential distress when facing into death, together with her professional experience and organisational knowledge, to make a difference to others.

    Jackie believes that healing occurs in an environment of love and connection and feels compelled to develop the idea that our last chapter on earth can be experienced in ways other than dwelling in fear. She is an advocate for compassion, presence and hope.

  • Justine is a death-positive innovator and trained psychedelic-assisted therapist, who draws inspiration from the quiet power of ritual and the beautiful and messy complex nature of human experience. With more than a decade in end-of-life education, care, and advocacy, she works from the belief that everyone deserves choice, dignity, and genuine agency as they approach death.

    Her career began in the clinical setting, grounded in a Bachelor of Applied Science (Physiotherapy) from the University of Sydney and palliative care experience at St. Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney. She has since deepened her practice through death-doula training in both the USA and Australia with respected leaders in the field.

    Justine’s approach is shaped equally by personal experience—the slow, premature loss of her father profoundly influencing her relationship with death, alongside her ongoing commitment to Buddhist practice.

    Committed to reshaping the cultural conversation around death, Justine encourages earlier, braver, and more informed dialogue, helping individuals, families, and organisations engage openly with dying and create end-of-life experiences that honour autonomy, connection, and peace.

  • Shanae O’Leary is a Registered Psychologist and Clinical Psychology Registrar. In her clinical work, she supports clients in navigating the effects of trauma, whether arising from childhood experiences or post-traumatic stress. She is particularly interested in how trauma can shape identity, relationships and emotional regulation and works with clients to process these experiences in a way that honours their pace and readiness. Using evidence-based approaches such as trauma-informed CBT, schema therapy and somatic-based therapies including mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), Shanae supports clients in developing insight, reconnecting with their inner strengths and restoring balance between body and mind.

    As part of her Master of Clinical Psychology, Shanae’s research thesis evaluated the potential of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy to alleviate existential distress among cancer patients. Through a systematic review of the literature, Shanae was drawn to psilocybin’s therapeutic effectiveness in addressing existential distress. Drawing on her research and clinical work, Shanae is committed to contributing to the evolving field of psychedelic therapy through her involvement in our recent TGA application to expand psilocybin’s medical use toward end-of-life care.

  • Dr. Lauren Macdonald is a psychiatry doctor, psychedelic therapy guide and group facilitator dedicated to bridging science and spirituality in service of whole-person healing and flourishing. She integrates Western medicine, psychotherapy, and traditional healing approaches to support individuals in reconnecting with themselves, others, and the natural world.

    As a clinical trial doctor and psychedelic therapist at The Centre for Psychedelic Research, Imperial College London, Lauren contributed to pioneering studies exploring psilocybin-assisted therapy for anorexia nervosa and fibromyalgia, and DMT for treatment-resistant depression. Alongside her clinical work, she facilitates group retreats and leads experiential training to advance the safe and ethical practice of psychedelic-assisted therapy. She is particularly passionate about the transformative power of the group model, recognising the depth of relational healing that can unfold within a supportive container and an ongoing community of care.

    With a background in psychology and medicine, Lauren has trained in holistic and somatic modalities, including mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), yoga, Compassionate Inquiry, and the MAPS MDMA-assisted therapy training. Her work is further informed by Earth-based wisdom traditions, blending scientific rigor with the wisdom of traditional healing practices.

  • Dr. Trees, a Goori (Dhanggati) woman and GP, is a dedicated healthcare professional, often serving as the sole doctor in remote areas of Western Australia and the Northern Territory, particularly within Aboriginal communities and on islands. With over thirty years of health experience, she teaches locally and internationally, specialising in Indigenous health and cultures, emphasizing the importance of Indigenous knowledge for humanity’s future.

    Dr. Trees initially trained in Traditional Chinese Medicine as an acupuncturist before pursuing science. She was the first Indigenous Honours graduate from the University of Sydney School of Medicine

    Currently working in hospital- and community-based palliative care, she is a graduate in Psychedelic Assisted Therapy, and teaches on the subject.

    A former advocate for LGBTQ+ rights at the United Nations, she was a foundation member of the Australian Indigenous Doctors Association and the Indigenous GP Training Network. Dr. Trees continues to champion Indigenous values within educational systems.

    Beyond her medical career, she excels as an award-winning novelist in Magical Realism and Speculative Fiction.

  • Scott is a somatic facilitator with over 10 years’ experience, integrating techniques and ideas from bodywork, breathwork, somatic therapies and Buddhist meditation to support growth and healing for individuals and groups.

    He co-founded Breath Medicine with Trudi Hayes, with the intention of creating a cohesive methodology for journeying with the breath that feels deeply safe and empowers participants to explore their relationship with the breath and use it to access and integrate expanded states of consciousness for growth and healing.

    In addition to his work as a facilitator, he has over 15 years’ experience in education. He developed and runs Australia’s largest training program for psychedelic-assisted therapy.