My therapeutic approach is founded on being responsive to you as a whole person, drawing on your existing strengths and support, and being in tune with your needs and experiences. I believe in the human impulse toward growth and wellness, and don’t believe therapy is about “fixing” you.

My values

Some of my central values are to live and work with kindness, compassion, curiosity and respect. I warmly welcome people from all cultures, backgrounds, identities and orientations. The trust and connection in the relationship between you and me is absolutely central to our therapy.

Working collaboratively

I approach therapy collaboratively and pluralistically. This means I don’t believe there’s one set way or method of counselling that is right for everyone, nor do I believe I have all the answers. I am drawn to warm, embodied, mindful and affirming ways of being in the counselling room. My approach is fully supported by evidence and research, and integrates the body-mind connection. 

What each session looks like depends on where you’re at, what we identify that you’d like to change, and what you need.

I pride myself on my integrity and being a clear communicator. I am honest about my areas of expertise, and I will endeavour to find someone who can help you if I cannot.

Hakomi Mindful Somatic Psychotherapy (Hakomi)

My comprehensive training in Hakomi provides the foundation for the way I work as a therapist. I am a Certified Hakomi Therapist (CHT). Beyond reflective listening or problem-solving, Hakomi is an experiential and body-centred psychotherapy. It is founded on the principle that the body serves as a resource that reflects and stores formative memories, and the core beliefs they have generated.

What this looks like in the counselling room is that as I’m empathically listening to you I might invite you to repeat a gesture or study an involuntary movement to bring your early learning into consciousness. We may also co-create “little experiments” to evoke the feelings that are troubling you so we can better understand what is shaping your reactions, and broaden your capacity to be with them.

Hakomi is a gentle form of therapy that encourages curiosity about our internal experiences so that we may better understand how we operate in the world. This can be enormously useful if we are hoping to shift and change our patterns of behaviour.

For more information see the Hakomi Institute International and the Hakomi Institute New Zealand.

 My areas of expertise

I provide therapeutic support for individuals and groups experiencing difficulties including (though not limited to): 

• trauma including sexual abuse and violence

• anger

• anxiety and depression

• parental overwhelm

• life transitions and adjustments

• sexuality and gender identity exploration

• relationship difficulties including intimate and sexual

• grief, loss and mourning

• religious or spiritual explorations.