Psychotherapy & Counselling
Online and in-person counselling across the Coromandel and throughout New Zealand, supporting you through life's changes with grace and balance.
Get in touchIn 1995 I completed a Masters in Applied Science in Social Ecology at Western Sydney University, researching Death and Dying, followed in 2013 by a Masters in Counselling and Applied Psychotherapy at the Jansen Newman Institute, Sydney. Before these studies I spent 30 years in Bodywork, Deep Tissue, Therapeutic and Remedial Massage, and practised Oriental Medicine in the form of Shiatsu and related modalities.
I worked for six years with an organisation in Sydney providing psychotherapy and counselling to clients from underprivileged and ethnically diverse backgrounds, and now work in private practice from three locations across the Coromandel.
There is only one thing I know with clarity — all things change. This fundamental law has shaped every decision I have made, and has become a guiding principle in my work and personal life. My goal is to accept with grace whatever is coming, and be grateful for whatever has passed. In my work I strive to support those facing life's difficulties with this in mind.
Abraham Maslow wrote that in any given moment we have two options: to step forward into growth, or step back into safety. As we grow used to change flowing through our lives, we begin to understand the importance of balance — the body and mind moving between health and sickness, safety and risk, abundance and loss. Sometimes we need support to explore and shift the parts of our lives that have fallen out of balance. My intention, as a therapist, is to meet clients wherever they are in their own journey.
What informs my therapy practice — a foundation drawn from nature, grief, spirit, ritual and stillness.
I have a deep love and appreciation of nature, and find solace there especially in periods of turmoil. Drawing on my studies in Eco Psychology, I support clients through Nature Deficit Disorder, ecological grief, and climate-change-induced anxiety and depression.
My studies in Social Ecology and Death and Dying, a personal near-death experience, and five years of Jungian therapy have deepened my appreciation of grief and loss, and underpin my approach to working with others who have experienced loss in all its forms.
Having participated for some years in Shamanic Journey work, I offer sessions for those wishing to explore a more spiritual, nature-based connection to life — gentle, exploratory journeys that invite deeper intuitive messages to emerge.
Having lived and worked in a community for many years, I recognise the need for connection through every stage of life — marriage, raising children, working life, ageing and dying. I offer women's groups, community conflict resolution, coming-of-age rituals, and work as a marriage and funeral celebrant.
Mindfulness is a simple but powerful tool, learnable regardless of age, creed or belief. It lets us watch our minds without judgement, easing entrenched patterns, anxiety and depression, and restoring positive thought patterns from a negative bias.
I am available by appointment during the week, and will see clients who are working by special arrangement on Saturdays. Each session runs 55 minutes, and can be held face to face or via phone, Zoom, Skype or FaceTime.
Please let me know in advance if you have Covid-19 or any other transmissible condition — sessions are always available online.
To make an appointment, reach out by phone or email, or send a message using the form.