About us

Our clinic

The Jocelyn Centre for Natural Fertility Management was founded in 1996 by Francesca Naish as a clinic and outreach service to carry out specialised natural therapy treatments & educational programs for reproductive health - which she had originally pioneered and performed in solo practice since 1975.

The Jocelyn Centre is now a thriving multi-discipline team of naturopaths, doctors and other natural health practitioners who work alongside administrative staff to serve a broad community of patients and customers from all over the world. With a range of treatment programs and products - as well as having now trained over 1000 health care professionals from Australia and overseas - 'Natural Fertility Management' has come to describe a modality and is practiced in many other clinics nationally and internationally.

In November 2008, the Jocelyn Centre moved into lovely new premises in the Sydney CBD in response to the need for improved access across all Sydney regions (we're a 2 minute walk from Town Hall train station), to cater for an expanding demand of couples working in the city and to reflect a new era in advanced fertility and health services.

Francesca
Founder & Director of Natural Fertility Management Pty Ltd

Francesca Naish pioneered specialised methods of natural fertility management over 30 years ago as a direct result of searching for better ways to manage her own fertility in a climate where reproductive health was increasingly becoming medicalised instead of being viewed as a natural and healthy part of life.

In addition to her work on contraception and general reproductive health, she pioneered the concept and practice of 'preconception health care' which is now a term in common use throughout both natural and orthodox approaches to fertility and pregnancy.

Due to the demand for this information, Francesca wrote her first best-selling book Natural Fertility and has since co-authored, with Janette Roberts, a further four books including The Natural Way to…Better Babies, Better Pregnancy, Better Birth & Bonding and Better Breastfeeding, with international editions published in several countries.

Francesca remains at the forefront of the field by engaging in continued research and development of the increasingly popular and critical areas of natural fertility management, preconception health care, reproductive health and all associated health modalities. She continues to practice at our Clinic and is a popular lecturer and speaker at colleges, seminars and conferences in Australia and overseas. She also appears frequently on radio, TV and print media and has trained many health practitioners nationally and internationally in Natural Fertility Management.

Philosophy

Our vision at Natural Fertility Management is to create optimal health for ourselves, our children and future generations by making known the specific methods of fertility awareness, nutrition, natural therapies, lifestyle and environmental approaches which lead directly to peak reproductive health, empowered self management of fertility and to the birth of healthy new generations.

These methods call for the practice of healthy lifestyles which furthers our ultimate vision of playing an active and responsible part in the movement toward a sustainable, environmentally friendly and healthy future for this planet and all those living on it now and into the future.

We aim to meet this vision by providing worldwide accessibility to our educational materials, self-help kits, publications and other products, as well as offering specialised and tailored natural therapy treatment programs for women, their partners and families.

"Reproductive Health Care for Every Stage of Your Life"

General Information

Bookings: For your convenience, our naturopaths are available 6 days a week with after-hours consultations on most days.

Please phone (02) 9268 9000 to make an appointment.

Distance Consultations:

We offer treatments via phone to patients unable to attend in person, after at least one face-to-face consultation which is an industry requirement. If treatment continues for more than 6 months, a further face-to-face consultation may be required. Natural remedies can be posted nationally and internationally via secure delivery methods.

Cancellations:

As missed appointments are an inconvenience to both our practitioners and patients they will, without adequate notice, unfortunately incur a late cancellation fee. Please refer to respective appointment types for exact cancellation fees and policies.

Rebates:

Standard Medicare rebates apply for medical consultations only. The Medicare Safety Net may apply for annual family medical expenses. Most private health funds offer partial rebates, though these vary for natural therapy consultations and for natural medicines and supplements.

Net Medical Expenses Tax offset:

Naturopathic consultations and supplements can count towards the tax-deductible medical expenses incurred each year. In order to claim the costs incurred at the Jocelyn Centre, you will need to organise a letterhead referral to your naturopath from a doctor before you attend your first consultation. Health costs over $1500 in a financial year can qualify for a 20% tax deduction.

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Our team

With over 30 years experience, our Director, Francesca Naish, has chosen the top specialist practitioners in the field to ensure our patients receive premium care across facets of our service.

All our staff have extensive academic and practical experience and undertake continued professional development to ensure they are at the forefront in terms of research, knowledge and specialist care. Our practitioners are registered with all professional industry associations such as ATMS, ANTA, NHAA and are members of all major health fund providers.

Our team of committed administrative staff ensure your practitioners are free to focus on quality patient care.

Francesca Naish
DCH, MATMS, MANTA, MNHAA
Founder & Director of Natural Fertility Management Pty Ltd

Francesca Naish pioneered specialised methods of natural fertility management over 30 years ago as a direct result of searching for better ways to manage her own fertility in a climate where reproductive health was increasingly becoming medicalised instead of being viewed as a natural and healthy part of life.

In addition to her work on contraception and general reproductive health, she pioneered the concept and practice of 'preconception health care' which is now a term in common use throughout both natural and orthodox approaches to fertility and pregnancy.

Due to the demand for this information, Francesca wrote her first best-selling book Natural Fertility and has since co-authored, with Janette Roberts, a further four books including The Natural Way to…Better Babies, Better Pregnancy, Better Birth & Bonding and Better Breastfeeding, with international editions published in several countries.

Francesca remains at the forefront of the field by engaging in continued research and development of the increasingly popular and critical areas of natural fertility management, preconception health care, reproductive health and all associated health modalities. She continues to practice at our Clinic and is a popular lecturer and speaker at colleges, seminars and conferences in Australia and overseas. She also appears frequently on radio, TV and print media and has trained many health practitioners nationally and internationally in Natural Fertility Management.

Jacintha Gunasekera
BHSc, ND, MATMS, MNHAA

Jacintha is a highly qualified naturopath, specialising in Natural Fertility Management. With a Bachelor of Health Science (Naturopathy) and postgraduate studies in nutrition, herbal medicine and a range of naturopathic specialties, Jacintha is an experienced practitioner with a wealth of knowledge across all facets of reproductive health. She has been an integral member of The Jocelyn Centre team since 2002.

Jacintha believes in a sensible approach to diet and lifestyle coupled with an enthusiastic attitude to achieving all health and fertility goals. She is experienced and supportive of couples with additional challenges such as recurrent miscarriage and has been able to assist many people achieve their respective health and conception goals.

In addition to her naturopathic practice, she ensures the clinic is at the industry forefront in her role as Dispensary Manager. The clinic dispensary is strategically stocked with products from the respective industry leaders and has a comprehensive range of quality herbal and nutritional products, including the highly-regarded NFM Professional preconception health care range.

Susan Arentz
BHSc(Hons), ND, DipHom, DipBotMed, MATMS

Susan Arentz is a Naturopath, Homoeopath, Herbalist and specialist practitioner in Natural Fertility Management and women's health. She has attained considerable experience both through her work at the Jocelyn Centre and through research at the University of New England. Susan has presented her research findings at government level and has been widely published throughout the health industry.

Susan is a lecturer in Natural Fertility Management and in female reproduction at Nature Care College, Australasian College of Natural Therapies and the University of Western Sydney and was the first Naturopath in Australia to attain an Honours degree in Health Science (Naturopathy).

Susan's mother is a midwife who worked in remote communities. This developed Susan's appreciation of people's inner resources, a respect for their individuality and support of their innate natural healing abilities through the use of natural medicines. Susan also has a keen interest in a comprehensive approach to healing through the use of orthodox and natural remedies.

Dr Kerry Pilcher
MBBS, FPA Cert.

Dr Kerry has been the resident doctor at the Jocelyn Centre since 2004 and has been in practice for over 25 years. She has a keen interest and extensive experience in fertility and, in particular, men and women's reproductive health issues.

Dr Kerry recently visited Nepal with her teenage son who was raising funds for a local medical clinic through his school. They helped renovate the clinic and took basic hygiene products and equipment to assist with medical supplies.

Please note: appointments with Dr Kerry can only be made for current patients of Jocelyn Centre naturopathic practitioners.

Miriam Camara
MHlthSc Chinese Herbs (UTS, Sydney), DipAc (Sydney, 1982), CertAc (Nanjing, China 1982), CertSportsAc (Beijing, China 1988), AACMA, Cert IV.

Miriam is our highly respected, experienced and popular in-house acupuncturist at The Jocelyn Centre who has provided complementary services to our patients for nearly 20 years. She has a special interest and extensive experience in fertility issues and women's health and has been in practice since graduating in 1982. She has also been running a private practice at the Sports Clinic at Sydney University since 1984.

Miriam is also a senior lecturer at the Sydney Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine and has taught acupuncture related subjects for several years at UWS. Many men and women with fertility issues, including those requiring IVF treatment support, have relied on Miriam as an essential part of their treatments and for their overall wellbeing.

Admin Team

Andy Solo
Practice Manager

Jo Morgan
Accounts Manager

Jacintha Gunasekera
Dispensary Manager

Anna Schibeci
Front Office Coordinator

Reception & Dispensary Assistants
Kylie Armstrong
Albion Harrison-Naish
Matthew Harrigan