Counsellors in Bay of Plenty

Areas of specialty:

• Relationships
• Stress and anxiety
• Grief and loss
• Addictions
• Issues of Faith
• Coping with change

Carole walks alongside individuals and couples in their times of difficulty and stress to bring encouragement, support and hope using a person-centred approach & drawing on many models & theories including ACT, CBT and Strengths-Based approaches.

Areas of Specialty:

• Grief and loss
• Family violence
• Women and children
• Parenting
• Depression and anxiety
• Trauma

Debbie's intention is to work with a person-centred approach alongside people to develop a greater understanding of themselves and plan towards their preferred way of being.

Areas of Specialty:

• Counselling individuals, couples and family
• Parenting / Parenting through separation
• Sexual problems
• Anger Management
• Career development
• Trauma
• Grief and Loss
• Palliative Care
• Workplace stress / burnout / compassion fatigue
• Conflict resolution
• Depression and Anxiety

As a counsellor Debbie has experience / expertise in Narrative; Attachment; Solution focused; Motivational interviewing; CBT; ACT; Person Centred; Strengths based and Emotionally Focused therapy. Debbie matches her approach to the client’s needs and what they wish to achieve.

Areas of specialty:

• Anxiety
• Trauma
• Depression
• Stress and conflict management
• Sleep management
• Relationship issues

Gina has worked in the Bay of Plenty area for the past nine years with a range of clinically based problems including anxiety, trauma, disturbed sleep and chronic pain. She has a particular interest in working with people from diverse cultures.

Areas of Specialty

• ACC sexual abuse
• Supervision
• Individual work

Glen has been a counsellor and Clinical Leader for Relationships Aotearoa for over 25 years. She has taken an active role with NZAC and is currently a member of the Ethics team. Glen has a private counselling practice in Thames.

Areas of Specialty:

• Relationship and Couples Therapy
• Work / employment related issues
• Alcohol & Drug
• Teenagers and Parenting
• Family Mediation
• Individual issues
• Grief
• Anxiety and Depression
• Self confidence
• Communication

Jenny is passionate about working with relationships and couples. She believes people can learn to make positive changes in their lives, that couples can learn to love again, youth can be supported to make healthy choices and families can move forward to feel  secure, connected and loved.

Areas of specialty:

• Anxiety
• Stress
• Depression
• Grief
• Domestic violence
• Sexual abuse

Judy enjoys working with the above issues using cognitive behavioural therapy, narrative, drawing therapy and strength based approaches.

Areas of Specialty:

• Trauma
• Grief
• Relationships

Kathryn works predominantly with adults.  Kathryn’s principle modality is Narrative Therapy, and she uses a number of Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT) processes. She is also in the process of training in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).

Areas of Specialty:

• Work and employment issues
• Leadership development
• Relationship issues
• Mild to moderate mental health
• Working with suicidal thinking
• Youth, development through adolescence

Experienced counsellor focused upon helping people change through meaningful interpretation of lived experiences.

Areas of Specialty:

• Anxiety and Depression
• Family issues
• Relationship
• Sexuality, gender issues (LBGT)
• Suicide ideation
• Career change
• Bullying

Neil has worked in teaching and counselling for many years, predominantly the later, both in schools and private practice. He also offers clinical supervision.  Neil is comfortable with individuals and groups, using an eclectic style, adaptable for the needs of specific clients. He liaises when necessary with other agencies should the need arise and has regular professional supervision.

Areas of Specialty:

• Domestic violence
• Abuse and Trauma
• Anxiety and Depression
• Making life changes
• Relationships
• Spiritual abuse

With well over 12 years counselling experience Penny understands the value of needing a space that provides an environment for you to speak freely and to receive validation of what you are experiencing. It is Penny's hope to bring this privacy of thought into a therapeutic context to unravel and explore truth and feeling.

Areas of Specialty:

• Supervision
• Grief and Loss
• Trauma and Abuse
• Anxiety and Depression
• Self Esteem and Identity Issues
• Stress and Workplace Issues
• Parenting, Familyand Couples Relationships
• Communication and Conflict Resolution
• Intimacy and Sexual Relationships
• Sexual Issues including Pornography Addiction

Peter completed his counselling degree in 2005 and since then, has amassed a great deal of experience working with individual and couple issues. He has facilitated numerous seminars on stress & burnout, and has provided personal support for staff across a wide range of work situations. Peter has also undertaken training in and worked with grief & loss, trauma & abuse, and self-esteem & identity issues.

Peter has a particular interest in couples, families and relational issues and has run a large number of Couples Courses. Particular areas of interest include communication & conflict resolution, finding a common purpose, trust & intimacy, the sexual relationship & sexual issues.

Areas of specialty:

• Relationships
• Mental Health
• Family Therapist
• Supervision

Phillip has been practising in the field of Family Therapy for 20 years. He enjoys working with all the systems around the client and uses an eclectic approach of methods-depending on situation. He has a solution focused, strength based approach and is trained in evidenced based models.

Working alongside complex behaviours in young people, displaying behaviours that are concerning to those around them and the family/system that which they are part of is among his specialities.

Areas of Specialty:

• Trauma
• Empowerment
• Life Adjustments and transitions
• Sexuality/gender, spirituality
• Depression
• Grief
• Anxiety
• Victims and perpetrators of violence (sexual and/or family)

Sandra has worked with a wide variety of people from diverse cultural backgrounds in various capacities over the past 38 years.  She is committed and enjoys supporting people in their personal and professional life journeys to help fulfil their sense of purpose, relationships, and wellbeing in life.

Areas of specialty

• Mental health
• Addictions (adult and youth)
• Intellectual disabilities
• Sexuality and sexual identity

Simon has been a practising social worker for 25 years, He has a Masters degree in narrative therapy. His counselling focuses mainly on adult and youth mental health and addictions and with people who have an intellectual disability. He is in the process of completing his Doctorate.

Simon offers supervision and is a DAPAANZ accredited supervisor.

Areas of specialty:

• Relationship
• Grief and loss
• Anxiety and Depression
• Bullying
• Sexual abuse and trauma – ACC registered

Steve works predominately in a post structuralist paradigm, exploring the stories of your life to understand and dismantle problems and explore what is going on for you in a safe, confidential, non judgemental way.

Areas of Specialty:

• Attachment Issues
• Neglect
• Trauma
• Violence
• Abuse
• Anxiety and depression
• Family therapy and Couples counselling

Sue registered as a psychologist in 1999, and clinical psychologist in 2006.  Individual counselling with adults and children, couples counselling, family therapy.

Areas of Specialty:

• Drug and Alcohol
• Mental Health
• Adults and Children
• Trauma

Veerle has over 21 years of counselling experience, specialising in Alcohol and Drug services. Veerle now works mainly in Mental Health Services (adults and children).