Helping you to understand yourself
Counselling for Adults
In person sessions
I am available weekdays at my office in Hazeldean Rd, Addington. Please email me to discuss appointment options.
remote sessions
I recommend face to face, kanohi ki te kanohi counselling in order to maximise benefits and to give you value for money. If necessary, as was the case during covid lockdowns, I can provide counselling services via microsoft teams app. Again, please contact me so we can work out a time together.
Visit my contact page to locate my office and make a meeting time with me.
More about my training
ISTDP
My training in ISTDP is a pivotal aspect to my therapy style. Training in ISTDP is based on reviewing of video work with clients with an experienced ISTDP supervisor. My supervisor was Dr Steve Arthey and with his help I was able to refine and adjust my therapy style to meet individual needs. ISTDP is an active and focused form of psychodynamic psychotherapy. It has been shown to be effective in the treatment of anxiety, depression, character disorders and somatisation.ISTDP is a relational, engaged therapy where we work together to identify the ways you relate to and experience your emotions, and the ways in which feelings may be getting blocked, which can lead to a range of symptoms and difficulties such as anxiety, feeling numb/flat or medically unexplained physical symptoms.
Person Centred Counselling
What are the three main components of person-centered therapy?
1. Empathy (the counsellor trying to understand the client's point of view)
2. Congruence (the counsellor being a genuine person)
3. Unconditional positive regard (the counsellor being non-judgemental)
Person centred counselling is sometimes referred to as Rogerian Therapy, thats because a man called Carl Rogers was the founder of this form of therapy. His view differed from the psychodynamic and behavioral approaches in that he suggested that clients would be better helped if they were encouraged to focus on their current subjective understanding rather than on some unconscious motive.
Rogers believed that in order for a client's condition to improve therapists should be warm, genuine and understanding. The starting point of the Rogerian approach to counseling and psychotherapy is best stated by Rogers himself:
"It is that the individual has within himself or herself vast resources for self-understanding, for altering his or her self-concept, attitudes and self-directed behaviour - and that these resources can be tapped if only a definable climate of facilitative psychological attitudes can be provided.".
Therapy and payments
What will our initial meeting look like?
In our initial meeting we will begin to examine the problems you have been experiencing and assessing whether your response to the session indicates if we can work together on those difficulties. The aim is to see if we can identify whether there are any emotional factors contributing to your difficulties, where they come from, the kinds of obstacles you may have in dealing with your problems and whether my style of counselling is going to be useful to you. It is an opportunity for you to assess me and decide if you believe I am the right person to help you.
More on Payment & other things
You can make payment by direct bank transfer. There is no eeftpos machine.
My fee is $138.00 incl GST per hour. If you have economic hardships I do have some flexibility. I will accept KOHA if we've talked about this before beginning therapy. Please let me know if this is something you want to talk through together.
Cancellations policy: If you cancel with more than 24 hours notice, there will be no fee payable. Cancellations on the day will cost $50. If you arrive late I cannot offer a full session as I am likely to have other arrangements and/or clients.
When things go wrong/Complaints
If you leave therapy feeling like there is some divide or distance or discord between us I want you to know that I am willing to talk that through with you at our next session. Sometimes people find it difficult returning to a place of discord and if this is what it feels like for you then I want you to know I am open to talking about it. Sometimes people can get it wrong, without knowing they have got it wrong, and I hope you can find a way to let me know if I have got something wrong so we can work through it together.
If you consider a third party needs to get involved, you can contact my supervisor Dr Martin Dorahy https://www.canterbury.ac.nz/science/contact-us/people/martin-dorahy.html or my professional association and follow their process for making a formal complaint. I am bound by the code of ethics of my professional organisation, and you can click below to read more about that.