THERAPY
Psychotherapy
As a psychotherapist I support people through challenges by looking into the early life experiences and relationships that may be unconsciously influencing their current feelings and behaviours. Together we are entering into a creative process of unraveling what is alive and real now, and how that may relate back to the past.
Psychotherapy is effective in alleviating mental and emotional pain caused by depression, anxiety or the lasting effects of trauma and childhood stress. It is helpful in the case of loneliness, or emptiness, or when life feels unfulfilling or relationships with others are difficult.
I have a specific interest and passion for working with people who experience crises, or major changes in their lives that bring about a process of transformation. Given the right support, these situations can be an opportunity to become more resourceful, to integrate a stronger sense of self, and to regain a sense of belonging with a greater whole. I also enjoy working with people who have diverse cultural, ethnical and social backgrounds and as an immigrant myself, I relate to the ongoing process of migration.
I use a holistic framework that acknowledges the interconnection between body, mind, soul and spirit. I believe that if we are supported to access our innate strengths and resources we will, over time, move closer to living in alignment with our true nature, which leads to more happiness in life.
According to each clients’ needs and interests, I offer short or long term psychotherapy. I may include techniques of mindfulness, body-awareness, art, and creative movement alongside my professional skills in psychodynamic psychotherapy. I am also trained in DBT (Dialectical behavioral therapy), which offers a variety of tools and life-skills, which can be helpful in certain circumstances.
As an alternative, or an adjunct to Talking therapy I offer SHEN Emotional Release Therapy, a gentle hands-on method of healing old emotional wounds.
I have many years of experience in working with:
trauma and abuse, depression, anxiety, panic, addiction, adolescence, parent-child-relational problems, body-image issues, eating disorder, insomnia, psychosomatic symptoms, terminal illness, grief and loss, separation/divorce, major life changes, immigration/migration, existential crises, issues with identity/sexuality etc
SESSIONS RATES
Sessions are generally 55 minutes long, unless arranged otherwise. Psychotherapy sessions are available for individuals and couples, from 16 yrs onwards.
I offer therapy in English and German.
I am supervised by a senior Psychotherapist, and adhere to the Code of Ethics of the NZ Association of Psychotherapists.
Fees (incl Gst) are on a sliding scale according to income:
$140 to $180 (waged)
$110 to $140 (unwaged)
Public funding is available for people with financial difficulties:
ACC – sensitive claim for sexual abuse
WINZ – subsidy if you are on a benefit
For new clients I offer a free 15min phone consultation to assess your situation and talk about how we can work together.
My practice is based in Central Auckland (Wednesday and Thursday), and on Waiheke Island (Monday and Tuesday). I also offer therapy or initial appointments ONLINE.
Psychotherapy is a doorway to the unconscious...
How Psychotherapy works:
Often we have limited awareness of why we are the way we are. We simply do not know ourselves very well. We are attracted to the wrong things; we react in ways we wish we wouldn’t; we avoid things without really knowing why; and our thoughts, behaviour or feelings get out of control. We run away, panic or become aggressive, we get too close too quickly or we cannot get close at all. There are good reasons for all of this, but often we are unconscious to them.
As a psychotherapist I am trained to help clients to uncover some of what may still be in ‘the unconscious’.
Therapy goes back to our early life experiences and relationships, when our expectations of people were being formed. This enables us to rediscover feelings, thoughts and physical reactions that belong to the past yet affect our current feelings and behaviour. The way this emerges in a relationship with a psychotherapist is called transference.
Many people have been hurt or impacted by bad or shaming experiences in families or other important relationships, especially when they were small and defenceless. Stress in the family can have an ongoing affect. These past experiences then go on to affect our current behaviour and relationships, often without us being aware of it. A person with a depressed mother may joke every time a sad topic comes up. The child who was punished and criticised may expect that from others. Someone who had to take care of a needy parent may automatically try to control others to keep everything safe.
In therapy it becomes clearer how our feelings draw energy from events in the past. Working with a therapist gives us a chance to relive earlier stages of development in order to change our experience in the present. Now we can express our needs without shame, and have the freedom to feel and give expression to a range of emotions, such as sadness or anger.
Psychotherapy works by providing questions, interpretations, or prompts to our own effort to understand and express ourselves. It offers a safe place where we can say whatever comes to mind and we experience being fully accepted. Memories, images, feelings and thoughts that bubble up from the unconscious can be understood and healed.
Psychotherapists are required to have therapy themselves as part of their training. This helps them understand and manage what the client brings.
Psychotherapy is not usually a quick fix. It does not make promises of instant recovery like many so-called ‘self-help’ books. It can take some time, but it is worth it.