Our Team
Our faculty are practitioners and teachers of Five Element Acupuncture and we love practicing this amazing system of medicine. We believe you will experience this through the teaching we will offer you. We are happy for you to ask as many questions as you need to!
The curriculum at COFEA follows the oral tradition of Classical Five Element Acupuncture. The format is based on a spiral (non-linear) system of learning utilised in Eastern approaches to teaching.
Many modules are cumulative in nature and material that is presented in the first term may be revisited in greater depth later on. Over time, the students are expected to internalise the material, at their current level of competency. In other words if you don’t immediately grasp something the first time around you will have ample repeated opportunities to re-visit the material and ask questions until you become more comfortable with the subject matter and more importantly become more proficient at using your senses to diagnose and treat.
Our training guides students in using and respecting the laws of nature to treat or prevent illness. Emphasis is placed on reawakening and developing natural diagnostic skills: the ability to see, to hear, to ask, and to feel.
Therefore, the College strongly encourages students to grow, not only in academic knowledge and understanding of acupuncture, but also in terms of their own personal development and learning. The aim of the College is to develop skilled diagnosticians and practitioners, not merely agile test-takers.
Declan Rothwell
(B.Sc., Lic.Ac., OMBAcC)
Teacher and Principal
Declan is a Five-Element Acupuncturist practising in Dublin, Ireland and serving as the Principal of COFEA. Declan graduated in 1984 from Trinity College with a B.Sc (Hons). He qualified from the College of Traditional Acupuncture in 1997 with his Lic. Ac. and continued to study with J.R. and J.B. Worsley after graduation. Declan joined the Master Apprentice Programme (MAPtm) run by the Worsleys in 2001; he is a certified Advanced Teacher of Five Element Acupuncture. Declan was on the teaching faculty of the London Institute of Five Element Acupuncture (LIFEA) 2007 to 2010. Declan is also running a busy T’ai Chi School with other teachers in Dublin.
Joop Brouwer
(BA Lic.Ac. MBAcC)
Teacher
After serving in the Royal Netherlands Navy for 7 years, Joop studied Social Sciences and did his dissertation on the treatment of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. He then worked as a counsellor in the Netherlands Health Service. Being able to offer his patients a more holistic form of treatment led him to study Five Element Acupuncture. Joop graduated from The College of Traditional Acupuncture (UK) in 1997 and has been in full time practice since then. Joop has been on the faculty of The School of Five Element Acupuncture in London and served as a Professional Development Lead with the British Acupuncture Council.
Sean O’Neill
(B.Sc., B.A.(Hons), Lic.Ac., M.ACI, OMBAcC, AAC, M.AFEA)
Teacher
Seán O’Neill is a Classical Five Element Acupuncturist whose practice is in Dublin 5, Ireland. Seán graduated in 1986 from Dublin City University with a B.Sc. He qualified from the College of Traditional Acupuncture in 2008 with his Lic. Ac. and B.A.(Hons). Since graduation Seán has continued his study of Classical Five Element Acupuncture attending workshops and courses by recognised leading practitioners including J.B. Worsley, Gerad Kite, Neil Gumenick and Nora Franglen. Seán is a Tai Chi and Qi Gong teacher with the T’ai Chi Foundation (TCF) and helps run and teach at a local branch of the TCF at the Suaimhneas School of T’ai Chi in Dublin. His other interests include chess, photography, astronomy and Feng Shui.
Annette Bagnall
(S.R.N. M.Ac OMBAcC)
Teacher
Annette is a Worsley Five Element Acpuncturist practising in Dublin, Ireland. She studied and graduated with Lic. Ac., Advanced Lic. Ac. & Ac. Master from the College of Traditional Acupuncture. She has been a member of the Master Apprentice Programme (MAPtm) run by J. R. and J. B. Worsley since 1997. She is a Certified Advanced Teacher of Worsley Five-Element Acupuncture and is a member of faculty at ITEA (Institute of Taoist Education & Acupuncture) in Louisville, Colorado (USA). Previously Annette was a guest faculty member at the Institute of Classical Acupuncture in Gainesville in Florida and at the School of Five Element Acupuncture (SOFEA) in London.
Dr. Edgar Mocanu
(MD)
Teacher of Western Medicine
Dr. Mocanu is a Registered Specialist in Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists certified Subspecialist in Reproductive Medicine and Surgery. He is a Consultant at the Rotunda Hospital, Dublin, an Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer with the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and a Fellow of the RCOG. Dr. Mocanu received his MD from Transylvania’s Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy in 1993 and did his residency in Ireland in the three large maternities in Dublin, Coombe Women’s Hospital, Rotunda Hospital and National Maternity Hospital. He received his Reproductive Endocrinology and Surgery training in the Rotunda Hospital (2001-2003) and obtained a Doctor in Medicine degree from Trinity College, Dublin in 2011.
Teresa Redding
(Lic. Ac.)
Teacher
Teresa is a Five Element Acupuncturist, graduating from the School of Five Element Acupuncture (SOFEA) in London in 2007 with Lic.AC.
She has been a member of the British Acupuncture Council since graduating and helps organise and run regular post graduate training seminars with Nora Franglen.
Vanessa Costigan
(Lic. Ac.)
Teacher
Vanessa Costigan studied with and achieved her Lic.Ac. from the College of Five Element Acupuncture. She is a member of the Acupuncture Council of Ireland. She is committed to continued learning attending workshops with J.B. Worsley and Gerad Kite. Her deep love of Tai Chi is what first connected her with Acupuncture, this she teaches both locally and Internationally with the Tai Chi Foundation currently she serves as President. It was her unique experience of treatment which sparked the curiosity to study. Her experience of life changed and a sense of feeling well grew. Vanessa loves to connect with focus on everyone who attends her practice, being present on their journey to wellbeing is humbling.
John Littleton
(LicAc, PGDCE, MAcCI, MAcFPA)
Teacher
John Littleton is a classical five-element acupuncturist who graduated from the College of Five Element Acupuncture (COFEA), Dublin. He has a postgraduate diploma in clinical education. John is a member of the Acupuncture Council of Ireland (of which he is also a Board member) and of the Acupuncture Foundation Professional Association, professional regulatory organisations for the acupuncture profession in Ireland. He regularly attends CPD seminars and workshops offered by Nora Franglen and Guy Caplan at the School of Five Element Acupuncture (SOFEA) in London, by Gerad Kite at Yellow Path in London and by Hilary Skellon at the Institute of Taoist Education and Acupuncture (ITEA), USA. He serves on the editorial committee of The Clinician (the journal of the Association of Acupuncture Clinicians, UK). In addition, John works in higher education leadership and management.
Heather Boland
(Lic. Ac.)
Teacher
Heather Boland is a fully-licensed Classical Five Element Acupuncturist based in the Palms Centre in Gorey, Co. Wexford. She achieved her qualification in 2004 from the School of Five Element Acupuncture, London under the tutelage of Nora Franglan. Five Element Acupuncture has sustained Heather throughout her life since she was 16 years old. She grew up in a business background but found this path so interesting and effective that she decided at an early age to study and begin practice. She has treated patients for various issues such as fertility, mental health etc but always in the context of Five Element treatment protocols and still to this day loves her work in service to her community and the community of Five Element practitioners Heather is a mother to two children and enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking, surfing and film photography. She is honoured and delighted to be part of the Faculty of Teachers and looks forward to assisting and sharing her knowledge and experiences with this wonderful system of medicine.
Aidan Healy
(Lic. Ac.)
Course Administrator
Aidan Healy graduated from the London Institute of Five Element Acupuncture
(LIFEA) with a Lic. Ac.
He is the Course Administrator with the college. He is a teacher with the local
Tai Chi school.
Kseniia Demkiv
Kseniia moved to Ireland from Ukraine in March 2022; since then, she has improved her English and studied Business with Digital Marketing at Marino College, Dublin 1. Kseniia loves working with people and having experienced Five Element Acupuncture treatment , was amazed by its effect and wanted to become part of our Team.
