My Story

+ Qualifications

I registered as a psychologist from Waikato University in 2013, and moved from Hamilton to Whangarei at the beginning of 2014, where I have been working in both Te Kahu Toi (the Ministry of Education’s Intensive Wraparound Service) and privately, including as an approved ACC Sensitive Claims provider. During this time, I have learned a great deal about the impact of trauma on the brain, body and spirit, in particular the way in which Adverse Childhood Experiences (known as ACE’s) can negatively affect development, with subsequent impacts evident throughout the lifespan. I have undertaken extensive training in learning various therapeutic modalities that can support recovery from trauma and reconnection with oneself.

In 2020, I became the first person in Aotearoa certified in Dyadic Developmental Practice, a framework for helping people to understand themselves better based on their histories and the resulting patterns of behaviour that may have become problematic in their lives. We all have a story, some with more adversity than others, but we can all benefit from knowing ourselves better, so I am passionate about guiding people in this process of self-discovery and change. I focus on compassionately listening to each person’s story and working together to bring greater awareness to the underlying factors that are keeping them stuck in undesired, automatic ways of living. We shine light on the darkness so that it can be transmuted into a sense of empowerment and vitality by moving from automatic to conscious living and experiencing a greater quality of life. Together we re-establish the connection with the core essence of oneself, fostering a realignment with the soul and allowing one’s inner light to shine.

Alongside this, I also work with parents/caregivers and their children, helping to strengthen connections and build more secure attachment relationships. We focus on exploring the underlying factors contributing to challenging behaviour and implementing relational and co-regulatory approaches to manage the many struggles that arise in parenting. I am a mother of a teenage son and daughter so have first-hand experience of these challenges and have found that what I have learned in my role as a psychologist has really supported me in my role as a parent. I am therefore keen to try and support other parents in the same way.

I also work extensively in the education setting, with a focus on supporting schools in trauma-informed practice so that those children who have already suffered adversity in their lives have positive schooling experiences, supporting them on a positive life trajectory. I also support other services in implementing trauma-informed practice, as well as provide supervision for other practitioners. I am therefore passionate about working with individuals, families, schools and other community services to support people on their healing journey, using evidence-based practices to work holistically, integrating mind, body and soul.