I am a Clinical Psychologist with a Doctorate in Psychology. I support people to use their potential and become more resilient. What I love about my job is seeing people rise above their circumstances and making the best of who they are.
I have provided evidence based psychological support to adults and students in a wide range of services and organizations over the years, e.g. in private practice, in Adult Mental Health and in Maternal Mental Health services. I was a psychology lecturer at an university for 15 years. During that time I was involved in the training of psychologists, did research and supervised students and colleagues. My special interest is providing psychological support to families during the perinatal period (before and after the birth of a baby(ies).
My passion (and probably my strength!) lies with building a strong therapeutic alliance with my clients. I believe clients need to feel safe enough to explore, address and overcome challenges so that they feel more in control and have more meaningful lives.
One of my friends, Amy, made me a special painting (see below) to portray the work I do. The picture symbolises the unique privilege I have to help people to use natural ingredients (their thoughts, feelings, experiences and abilities) to create ‘healing herbs’ (acknowledgement, encouragement and hope) to create a pleasant aroma (healing, meaning and purpose).
I provide the following psychological services to adults and students:
- Individual therapy
- Couple’s therapy
- Workshops
- Training for professionals
- Supervision
I have vast experience in providing psychological support to people who struggle with an array of psychological challenges ranging from more common mental health challenges to more severe and disabling challenges. I also have clinical experience in working with individuals who have suffered childhood trauma.
I have extensive training in a number of psychological therapies and provide an integrated treatment approach tailored to the individual needs of my clients.
I use a strengths based approach and utilise techniques from:
- Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)
- Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT)
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Schema Therapy
- Gestalt Therapy
- Solution Focused Therapy
- Positive Psychology
- Drawing Therapy
I am a member of the New Zealand Psychology Society and registered with the New Zealand Psychologist Board.
New Beginnings Centre values include Uniqueness, Choice, Potential, Connection, Growth and Respect.
