Renée Sharpe, R.Ac
Registered acupuncturist, community worker, and Somatic Experiencing trainee level 3. Kjipuktuk / Halifax, NS
Renée is very interested in collective care.
Practicing acupuncture and somatic experiencing has been a beautiful way for her to connect and provide health care in ways that honour people’s desire to feel seen, connected, and supported.
Through community collaborations, private practice, and her role as the Care Coordinator for the Managed Alcohol and Safe Supply harm reduction program with the North End Community Health Centre, Renée has been honoured to learn with y’all in the collective desire for safe, accessible, and affordable health care for everyone, with no one left behind.
It’s been a wild ride to get here, and Renée is so thankful for the support of her mentors. Rory Holwerda allowed her to shadow him in his clinic and taste his herbal formulas for two years, in exchange for coffee and donuts. Ali Jopp hired Renée for her first job as an acupuncturist, supporting her to offer sliding scale prices with accessibility in mind, and continues to offer mentorship four years later. And Henry Claflin supported Renée through a very challenging college experience with additional study sessions and encouraging talks about community acupuncture being the right path for her, while providing an ongoing learning space for her and so many other acupuncturists who value continued education with integrity and style. He also hired her to teach Ethics for Acupuncturists — cue Shania Twain’s “Looks Like We Made It.”
Renée would also like to thank her mom for hitchhiking to Halifax while pregnant with her, with no money and a desire to give birth under safer circumstances. Though they were flown back to Newfoundland soon after, Renée is proud to be back in Halifax 44 years later — honouring her mom’s journey towards safety and care by offering that same tenacity through acupuncture and Somatic Experiencing, in service of community healing and joy.
With gratitude for the cultural traditions of acupuncture and Somatic Experiencing, Renée looks forward to growing alongside her community with care and humility.
Ways to find Renée