Counsellors in Bay of Plenty

Areas of specialty

• Adolescents and children
• Anxiety and depression
• Burnout
• Cancer
• Chronic illness
• Grief and loss
• Life and career changes
• Relationship struggles
• Retirement
• Self-esteem and confidence
• Sexual identity
• Work-life balance

Ally lives in Tauranga, Bay of Plenty area. She enjoys working with children, young people, retired or in-between - everyone is welcome!

Counselling people may include talking about medical conditions, cancer, disability, identity, suicidal thoughts. disappointments, grief - anything you wish to talk about!

Therapy types – the modality of EFIT, cognitive behavioural therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, drawing therapy, strengths-based therapy and Te Whare Tapa Whā.

Areas of specialty

• Anxiety and depression
• Interpersonal violence
• Older adults
• Post traumatic stress
• Trauma

Annie is a trauma informed counsellor and supervisor. Annie has considerable experience working with clients who experience post-traumatic stress, anxiety, depression and associated contextual issues.

Annie uses a range of interventions including trauma informed approaches, EMDR, narrative therapy and ACT. She recognises that clients are best served by a collaborative approach that takes into consideration how, biological, psychological and social factors are impacting on day-to-day life. Annie values working with a client strengths and wisdom to enable them to make the changes that they desire.

Areas of specialty

• Abuse and trauma
• Addictions (including pornography)
• Aged care
• Anger and violence
• Anxiety, phobias, panic attacks
• Attachment issues
• Bullying
• Conflict resolution
• Depression
• Eating disorders
• Family issues and parenting - pre- and post-natal, adoption, fostering
• Grief and loss
• Identity and esteem
• Immigration/Cultural change
• LGBTQI
• Physical health and illness
• Relationships - marriage, divorce and separation
• Sexuality/sexual issues
• Spirituality
• Suicidal thoughts and self-harm

With well over 14 years' counselling experience, Brigette works in a holistic manner and is comfortable with cultural differences, using CBT, IDT and narrative therapies.

Areas of specialty

• Anxiety 
• Life adjustments e.g. grief, loss, immigration
• Low mood/depression
• Stress
• Trauma

In today’s fast-paced world, it’s easy to feel disconnected from our inner selves and what truly matters. Sometimes, it is difficult to navigate life’s complexities, leading to stress and uncertainty. Carien combines 30 years of experience in psychology, education, guidance and counselling and offers an integrative scientific approach to support clients from all walks of life who are experiencing emotional difficulties or difficult life circumstances.

Areas of specialty

• Anxiety and depression
• Couples counselling
• Grief and loss
• Trauma

Cheryl is an experienced client-centered and evidence-based practitioner providing counselling to people of all ages. She will integrate various modalities (CBT, narrative therapy, psychodynamic etc.) and strategies into sessions to support therapeutic change in the individuals she works with. Cheryl is also a couples therapist using the emotion-focused therapy model. 

During sessions, Cheryl will work with clients to assist them in building on their strengths to enable them to attain the personal growth they are committed to accomplishing.

Areas of specialty

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

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

• Anger management
• Career development
• Conflict resolution
• Couples counselling 
• Depression and anxiety
• Grief and loss
• Palliative care
• Parenting/parenting through separation
• Sexual problems
• Supervision
• Workplace stress/burnout/compassion fatigue

As a counsellor, Debbie has experience in narrative, attachment, solution focused, motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral theory, acceptance and commitment therapy, 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 and depression
• Burnout
• Cognitive behavioural therapy
• Grief and loss
• Mindfulness
• Narrative therapy
• Sleep management
• Spiritual
• Supervision
• Violence and abuse

Debbie has specialised in EAP counselling for 20 years and brings diverse experience and wisdom to her work.

Areas of specialty

• Cultural oppression
• Grief, loss and transformation
• Managing anger
• Mental wellness – hinengaro ora
• Psychotherapist
• Relationship reconnection
• Supervision
• Whakamōmori, matekitetanga
• Trauma recovery

A registered psychotherapist, Donny provides a safe and confidential space for whānau to explore challenges and limiting patterns of behaviour that no longer serve them. She uses a bicultural, contextualised approach to shine light on what was once hidden, bringing awareness to the source of suffering. This makes way for conscious responses, allowing whānau to become ‘unstuck’, expand, heal and transform. 

An indigenous psychotherapist (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Paoa), Donny advocates for rangatiratanga, enabling whānau to redefine their own mana motuhake with compassion, intention and dignity.

Donny's preference is to work exclusively with Māori, Pasifika or indigenous clients.

Areas of specialty

• Individual work
• Supervision
• Registered ACC sexual abuse counsellor

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

• Anxiety & depression
• Building resilience
• Nutrition for mental health
• Mindfulness

Helen is an experienced mental health nurse and life coach who combines the expertise of many years of nursing and counselling wisdom with the forward focused approach of life coaching.

Her style is intuitive, allowing you to be heard and to find solutions within a safe space.

Helen has a holistic approach to her work, with a deep passion for examining how we live our lives, and how this can impact how we feel - with a special emphasis on lifestyle management of mental health.

Helen is providing online telehealth services only.

Areas of specialty

• Anger management
• Anxiety and depression
• Grief and loss
• Mid-life changes and challenges
• Relationship issues
• Self-esteem and confidence
• Trauma and PTSD
• Women's health and wellbeing

At times life can feel hard and our struggles and challenges may feel too heavy to continue without professional help. Counselling gives you an opportunity to explore these struggles as you are supported and encouraged in a non-judgemental, safe and confidential space, which can help you gain fresh insight and new learnings about yourself and others.

Helen is passionate about helping you to discover what is important to you and to identify the strengths and values that can help to empower you. A quote that she comes back to again and again is that 'counselling is all about possibilities'.

Areas of specialty

• Addictions
• Anxiety and depression
• Couples counselling and family work
• Cultural responsiveness
• Grief and loss
• Mild traumatic brain injury
• Palliative care support for patients and family
• Supervision
• Workload stress

An experienced Māori counsellor and cultural supervisor, Huhana can also assist with the following - governance (understanding best practice, roles and responsibilities), management (contractual obligations and staffing, resourcing), crisis management and improving teamwork participation.

Areas of specialty

• Anxiety and depression
• Domestic violence
• Grief and loss
• Relationships
• Sexuality and sexual identity
• Supervision - individual and group
• Trauma

Irene specialises in trauma therapy using eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR); emotionally focused therapy; and cognitive behavioural therapy when working with clients.

Irene will be utilising the telehealth platform services for some time. 

Areas of specialty

• Alcohol and drug
• Anxiety and depression
• Couples counselling
• Family mediation
• Grief and loss
• Self-confidence
• Supervision
• Parenting
• Work and employment-related issues

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

• Anger issues
• Anxiety and depression
• Life changes
• Relationship issues
• Stress
• Work life balance/burnout

Kaye's main client work is with adults suffering from anxiety and depression. She works with a range of concerns, from alcoholism, workplace issues, relationship struggles, burnout, terminal illness, grief, trauma and sexual abuse. Kaye sees counselling as a journey of self-discovery, while equipping the client with tools to enhance their quality of life and a place to be supported while navigating the road to healing. 

Theoretical frameworks are: narrative therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), strength-based therapy, person-centred therapy.

Areas of specialty

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

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

• Anxiety & depression
• Anger
• Grief & Loss
• Sleep
• Stress
• Trauma

With over 20 years of experience in indigenous healing, I weave together counselling expertise and cultural knowledge to support people on their healing journey. My mahi is deeply grounded in kaupapa māori values and guided by wairuatanga (spirituality). I walk alongside each person, helping them to reconnect, restore balance, and move forward with strength and purpose. Healing is not just of the mind, it is a journey of the whole being: taha hinengaro (mental), taha tinana (physical), taha wairua (spiritual), and taha whānau (family and connectedness).

Areas of specialty

• Couples counselling
• Minority groups
• Supervision
• Trauma
• Registered ACC sensitive claims counsellor

Malcolm began his counsellor training at Waikato University in 1998 after a professional career as a research scientist. His training is in narrative and solution-focused counselling. He has worked extensively with prisoners, families, couples, children, adolescents and university students (pre/post graduate) from different cultures. Malcolm works closely with people's own knowledges to draw out solutions to problems. He sees this as the key to clients successes in moving forward. In a nutshell, Malcolm sees the problem as the problem; the person is never the problem. 

Areas of specialty

• Borderline personality disorder
• Grief and loss
• Self esteem
• Stress, anxiety and anger management
• Supervision

Marlene, a registered Nurse Counsellor, practising in mental health for over 40 years in several countries and in various settings. Through doing a PhD she has specialized in treating clients with anxiety, trauma, grief, difficulty in managing emotions, low self-esteem, depression and adjustment disorders. Marlene’s counselling style is based on a schema therapy, a version of CBT, which examines self-concept, and through identifying and addressing negative self-talk, builds a healthier, realistic self-esteem and helps manage anxiety and stress. The best thing about practicing is seeing the client smile again after a dark time.

Area of specialty

• Addictions
• Anxiety and depression
• Mental health
• Trauma

Maryanne is a mature, professional counsellor with 24 years' experience in supporting and identifying issues which involve many addictive behaviours as well as stress and anxiety-related problems, trauma and everyday struggles in life. She works with a range of models of counselling and together will find the right fit for you.

Areas of specialty

• Addictions
• Anxiety and depression
• Grief and loss
• Stress management

Michelle has been counselling since 2009 and she loves to support people through life’s various challenges to help them gain clarity, direction and hope.

Additionally, Michelle is trained in EMDR therapy and various evidence-based counselling approaches and applies a variety of modalities in her therapy practice. Her eclectic approach to counselling and therapy is made up of and influenced by cognitive behavioural therapy, solution-focused therapy, and acceptance and commitment therapy. She has also done training in FACT therapy, narrative therapy, motivational interviewing, Christian counselling and interactive drawing therapy.

Areas of specialty 

• Anxiety and depression
• Dealing with chronic or terminal illness
• Grief, loss and critical life changes
• Professional supervision
• Self-esteem and confidence
• Stress and burnout
• Trauma
• Workplace and personal relationships

For over 30 years, Pauline’s passion has been to make a positive difference in people’s lives. She has extensive experience in counselling, coaching, and delivering workplace leadership and wellbeing programmes. She gets that life can throw curveballs and be painful at times, and has herself been through the rollercoaster of running businesses, employing staff, raising a bunch of sons and experiencing intense grief and loss. For all the rough times, Pauline knows that life can be good too and that it is a true privilege to work alongside people who are struggling - helping them to find a positive way forward with renewed purpose and confidence.

Pauline also has extensive experience as a professional supervisor for other practitioners, including counsellors, social workers and practitioners in other social service, health and not-for-profit agencies. She coaches leaders and managers in a diverse range of organisations and businesses to equip them with tools to manage staff matters and enhance their own effectiveness.

Areas of specialty

• Abuse and trauma
• Anxiety and depression
• Domestic violence
• Making life changes
• Relationships
• Spiritual being

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 for your experiences. 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

• Family therapist
• Mental health
• Relationships
• 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, strengths-based approach and is trained in evidenced-based models.

Among his specialties is working alongside young people who are displaying complex behaviours that are concerning to those around them and the family/system they are part of.

Areas of specialty

• Adjustment
• Depression and anxiety
• Relationships
• Solution focused therapy
• Trauma

Rianda immigrated to New Zealand in 2008 from South Africa. She is a senior therapist with over 36 years’ experience in counselling. She believes that challenges arise as an opportunity for self-expansion. Valuing a holistic approach seeing people as mind, body and spirit connected to whanau, community, culture and the world.

Rianda brings with her extensive experience and an array of different therapeutic modalities to support her mahi. She utilises solution focused therapy (SFT), eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT), internal family systems (IFS) and other modalities eclectically. She specialises in trauma counselling and has an innate faith in people’s potential to adjust and restore.

• Anxiety and depression
• Couples counselling
• Grief
• Relationships
• Trauma

Rose’s background includes working as a registered nurse for six years, and then as a registered midwife for 10 years. She then retrained as a counsellor 13 years ago. Rose enjoys working with children through to the elderly, in-person or remotely. She works in a number of different modalities to suit the needs of the client and works with all ethnicities and faiths.

Every person lives out of their past but has dreams for their future - Rose enjoys partnering with people to find healing from their past, peace for their present, and hope for their future.

Areas of specialty

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

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

• Anxiety and depression
• Addictions
• Domestic violence
• Eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing
• Grief and loss
• Immigration and employment disputes
• PTSD
• Sexual abuse trauma
• Stress management
• Supervision
• Registered ACC sexual abuse counsellor

Originally from the Netherlands, Sandra came to NZ in 2001. She has always had a fascination with human behaviour and really enjoys supporting people (adults) to understand current behaviour in relation to past events. Her life experiences over the years are very helpful in letting her relate to many of the issues life brings. 

• Grief and loss
• Neurodivergence
• Relationship difficulties
• Stress
• Trauma

Sharon takes a holistic approach to wellbeing and offers a safe and non-judgmental space for people to explore their thoughts, feelings and experiences. 

​Drawing from a range of therapeutic techniques and practices, she works with each individual in a way that suits their unique needs and goals.

Areas of specialty

• Drug and alcohol/addictions (adult and youth)
• Intellectual disabilities
• Management consultancy
• Mental health
• Supervision

Simon has been working in mental health and addictions for over 35 years. He has a Masters degree in narrative therapy from the University of Waikato and achieved his doctorate through the University of Canterbury in 2023. His research focused on competent professional practice. Simon’s areas of interest with counselling are adult and youth mental health and addictions. He has significant experience working with people with disabilities. Simon also offers supervision and management support.

Areas of specialty

• Anxiety
• Changing negative beliefs through CBT
• Family violence
• Neurodiversity
• Stress
• Trauma

Susan is an enthusiastic and self-assured therapist, supervisor, and tutor dedicated to facilitating wellbeing for every individual she works with. Her passion lies in supporting clients on their transformational journeys, empowering them to achieve personal growth and resilience. As a certified suicide intervention practitioner and family violence coordinator, Susan is highly skilled in risk assessment and safety planning.

Susan is a trauma-informed and responsive practitioner. Her approach reflects a deep understanding of the complexities of trauma and a commitment to fostering recovery and resilience.

Susan is passionate about supporting neurodivergent clients. She advocates for, counsels, and supports individuals with ASD, ADHD, and ODD, while also educating teachers, parents, and children about neurodiversity.

Her therapeutic techniques include person-centred counselling, sand-tray therapy, play therapy, CBT, psychotherapy, gestalt therapy, hypnotherapy, and life coaching.

Areas of specialty

• Addictions
• Adults and children
• Clinical psychologist
• Mental health and wellbeing
• Relationships
• Pain and physical injuries 
• Parenting
• Supervision
• Trauma

Veerle has been living and working as a clinical psychologist in the Bay of Plenty since 1999. She has extensive experience in the areas of mental health, physical health, addiction and offending. Her work is grounded in systems theory, clinical psychology and feedback informed treatment. She considers the client as the expert of their lives. She offers non-judgmental and collaborative conversations to help clients making sense of their story. Clients are also given the opportunity to monitor their own progress and provide immediate feedback about the sessions to ensure they receive the most effective intervention.

Areas of specialty

• Anxiety and depression
• Couple relationships
• Grief and loss
• Immigration

Yvette has over 10 years' experience as a counsellor, which means she has many tools for helping people in different situations. She is person-centred and will listen without judgement to provide support and perspective. Yvette is available for both in-person and online sessions.