About Us
Catherine Overend Owner/Director
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Ko Aorangi te maunga
Ko Waimakariri te awa Ko ngati Pakeha te iwi Ko Otautahi toku Kainga Ko Catherine Overend ahau. I have been working as a therapist now for over 20 years. My experience ranges from working with individuals from 11 years upwards, and families. I have had extensive experience working with people who present with a wide range of problems from various cultural backgrounds both in NZ and the UK. I have a belief in all my client’s abilities and have faith in their ability to reach their true potential. |
Shirley Craig
Counsellor
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Ko Aorangi te maunga
Ko Oreti te awa Ko Awatua te waka Ko Waikiwi te marae Ko Kotirani te iwi Ko Craig te hapu Ko Shirley Craig toku ingoa I have been working in counselling since 2003. My counselling training is Solution Focused Therapy. My teaching background is in Special Education. I enjoy working with people of all ages and backgrounds who present with a range of needs including: abuse, anxiety, depression and trauma. I am priviledged to support you in navigating your life's challneges in your pursuit of wellbeing and happiness. |
Ian Wood
Counsellor
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I strive to create a supportive, transparent and dynamic environment where all my clients can feel comfortable within the therapeutic environment. I strive to help all clients establish positive communication
skills and stronger relationships.. I seek to provide a safe and supportive environment where clients can explore and address feelings of hurt or anger and develop goals that will instil hope to move them toward healing and reconnection. I am trained in EMDR for use with traumatic memory. I will work with you as a whole person Physically (Tinana), Mentally and Emotionally (Hinengaro), Significant relationships (Whanau) and Spirit (Wairua). |
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I have been working as a counsellor since 2006 and am loving the work ever since. I enjoy working with individuals of all ages and gender and I have a growing interest in working with couples.
I hold Bachelor in Counselling for Person –Centered Therapy and am a practitioner for Emotinally Focused Couple Therapy. The more I do this work, the more I realise how important the reliable human connection is. I am registered with NZAC as a full member (MNZAC) and also belong to International and New Zealand group for Emotionally Focused Coupele Therapy (ICEEFT, NZCEFT). |
Fumiko Wakeham
Counsellor
Counsellor
- Bachelor in Counselling
(Person Centered Therapy) - MNZCEFT
- MICEEFT
- MNZAC
Sandra Porter
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I qualified in South Africa in 1983 as a Social Worker. I then spent many years working in non-government organisations but mainly in the Mental Health field as this is where my interest and passion lay. I felt that it was important to advocate for those who were subjected to discrimination but who were unable to speak for themselves. After spending many years working in the NGO sector and rising to the rank of Manager in the Mental Health organisation I was working for, I decided to enter Private Practice. I worked for a number of years counselling adults and young people who were mentally ill.
I also have experience counselling within the corporate sector. Within this capacity, I was engaged in working with a broad range of problems such as trauma, loss and couple and relationship difficulties. I was then elected into the position of Chairperson of Social Workers in Private Practice for the Greater Johannesburg area. This is a large nationwide organisation providing support for the many social workers choosing to enter private practice in South Africa. In 2011, I immigrated with my family to New Zealand. Since moving here I have worked at CDHB with young people who experienced moderate to severe mental illness, two NGOs namely Relationships Aotearoa and Christchurch City Mission, and in Private Practive. I have expanded my horizons to embrace working on contract providing counselling within the Sensitive Claims area of ACC. I work in this capacity under the umbrella of the Braided Therapies Team. |
Chrissie Martyn
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I have over 20 years experience in Mental Health. My passion for this work keeps growing with the many ways I work alongside clients from a wide range of presentations.
Through conversation in a safe and supportive environment clients gain insight and understanding into themselves, discovering why they continue to get the same results and learning new skills to make changes in relation to issues and challenges they face in everyday life. My joy comes from walking alongside clients, discovering with them and seeing positive and healthy changes that impact positively on all levels. I work with individuals age 18 onwards. My background is Gestalt Psychotherapy, CBT, ACT, IPT, and Holistic Therapy in a person centred therapeutic role. |
Mike Bancroft
Counsellor, Supervisor, Trainer
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I work in a holistic way, focusing on clients’ needs and working with the changes, challenges and struggles in people's lives. I frequently work with individuals who have a number of interrelated issues, be they abuse, trauma, addiction, depression, loss, stress, relationships, life transitions, or anxiety.
A foundation of the work I do is building a safe, respectful and supportive environment and relationship. I work with adults of all ages and backgrounds, in both individual and couple counselling. |
Steve Brown
Counsellor, Supervisor, Trainer
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I aim to help people into greater wholeness, find strength and reach their full potential. In counselling I will help you to explore life and help bring new perspectives to make changes towards gaining a strong sense of self and awareness especially in relationships.
Trauma is an area where I enjoy working with clients to help clients gain their power back and gain healing in their lives. I use many counselling approaches including Person-Centred, Narrative Therapy, and Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy. I work well with adults, couples and children in a creative style. My counselling work involves assisting people with trauma, sexual abuse, depression, anxiety, addictions, stress, grief, couples and relationships. |
Shelley Johnson
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For a number of years I have worked with clients for whom trauma has been a major factor in their lives. More recently I have been working with ACC to support clients through sexual trauma and abuse.
I work from a client centred, solution focused approach and use CBT, ACT and Motivational Interviewing to assist clients to achieve their goals. I am passionate about taking a holistic approach to my therapy through empathy and genuine support. |
Richard Hamilton
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I have worked in the fields of Mental Health and Addiction for over 11 years and have provided support, counselling, guidance and empowerment for a diverse range of individuals.
My previous roles have provided me with the knowledge and experience of a range of diagnoses and presentations and my life-experience gives me the understanding of ‘real life’ concerns and challenges. I therefore want you to feel heard, understood and supported in all interactions. Along with my Batchelor of Social Work I have trained in Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Dialectic Behaviour Therapy (DBT). I have extensive knowledge of Compassionate Mind Training and Non-Violent Communication. With this training I can give insight and guidance into issues of relationship concerns, loss and grief, isolation, life changes, communication challenges, anxiety, trauma and abuse and addiction issues. |
Alison Jagger
RSW, Supervisor, Trainer, Life coach
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I believe that it is important to ensure that all areas of a person’s journey must include a well-rounded support system, which attends to physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual beliefs that will uplift wellbeing in a holistic manner.
My passion is to make a safe and healthy welcoming environment to ensure positive connections and healing. I have a vast experience of working with people of all ages in a range of different settings. I am also trained in using alternative healing modalities which support trauma, anxiety, abuse, and depression. My main area of work is with females from 16 years and upwards. |
Bonnie Tainui
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Kia ora koutou
Ko Tuhua te maunga Ko Arahura te awa Ko Tākitimu te waka Ko Ngāi Tahu te iwi Ko Ngāi Tūāhuriri raua ko Ngāti WaeWae te hapū Nō Waikari ahau Ko Bonnie Tainui tōku ingoa Nō reira ka nui te mihi kia koutou katoa Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa Kia ora, My name is Bonnie and I am a Registered Social Worker as well as an ACC Counsellor and a New Zealand Approved Celebrant. In my practice I seek to provide an environment that is safe, supportive and one that embraces manaakitanga. I have a very strengths-based approach with an emphasis around self-care, wellbeing, and personal development. I want you to get the most out of our time together, therefore I like to provide you with wrap around support by understanding you as a whole person. I enjoy working with females, Māori and adults. |
Jo Stewart
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I am an experienced Social Worker and Counsellor with a special interest in chronic health, trauma, and grief. Under ACC ISSC, I am only accepting Social Work referrals, and love doing behavioural activation work; connecting people back into the things they used to once enjoy. In my social work role, I can also assist people navigating different services such as WINZ, health care.
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Rachelle Pickering
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I enjoy working with adults and couples and I am passionate about working within the
community. I have a holistic and humanistic approach to counselling in which I honour both the mind body connection, and each client’s unique individuality and experience. Approaches I work with include Person-Centred Therapy, assisting clients to achieve self-actualisation, becoming the best version of themselves. My gentle approach encompasses Gestalt Therapy, working in the here and now to support the process of working through our unhealed parts and into wholeness. I use tools from CBT, ACT, EFT, Inner child healing work and mindfulness-based interventions. |
Susan Smith
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I am a qualified, registered, social worker with 19 years experience working in the community.
I graduated with a National Diploma of Social Work in 2003, from ARA Institute Canterbury. In 2005 I registered with the Social Work Registration Board (SWRB), I currently hold a Practicing Certificate. I am a long-term member of the Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers (ANZASW). My skills include: Engaging with individuals, families, and groups of people across Christchurch. I am committed to providing a safe and transparent service to my clients, supporting this through collaboration with referrers, regular supervision, and professional development. My experience includes a range of social work roles in the NGO sector; providing psychosocial education on trauma for parents and foster parents (either in the home or in group-work), triage and brokering roles as Right Service Right Time coordinator, assessments and intervention work for Oranga Tamariki, and CDHB contracts. I have worked with interpreters to provide services to parents in the deaf community as well as immigrants/refugees who do not speak English. In family work the main themes continue to be: sexual abuse survival, unresolved emotional issues from the past, mental health, addiction, and family violence. I am an approved ACC ISSC Social worker and began working with ACC clients in September 2020. My passion is to work with individuals and their support systems to make the change they want. |
Ruby Sadat
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I am a Master of Counselling graduate from the University of Canterbury. With a background in social work, Early Childhood, and community service.
I believe every individual is unique and their voices, stories, and experiences matter, therefore people deserve to be heard and understood. I aim to provide a safe,supportive, and welcoming environment to ensure positive connections and recovery. I have been working in the field of Mental Health for 8 years and have provided support for a diverse range of individuals and age groups. I use a range of counselling approaches and therapeutic models tailored for clients’ individual needs and preferences for the most effective progress towards healing and development such as Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), Person-Centred, Narrative therapy, Trauma therapy, Grief therapy and couple’s therapy. I believe that my background and life-experience personally and professionally give me the ability to connect with people from many diverse backgrounds and cultures, with the compassion and professionalism they deserve. |
Raesha Ismail
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Ko Aoraki te maunga
Ko Waimakariri te awa Ko Inia te iwi Ko Yusuf Ismail toku matua Ko Sara Ismail toku whaea No Otautahi ahau Ko Raesha Ismail toku ingoa Maru nam Raesha Ismail chae Assalamailakum No reira, no reira tena katoa katoa I have a background in Pre Service Teacher Training and Primary School Teaching. I completed my training in the year 2000 at the University of Canterbury with a Bachelor of Education and a Graduate Diploma of Teaching and Learning from the Christchurch College of Education. I graduated with a Master of Counselling with Distinction in December 2020. I am a self- employed educator and counsellor. My contract work has been with the Ministry of Education Ethnic Migrant Learning Communities Hub, The University of Canterbury, Canterbury Men's Centre, Petersgate Counselling Centre and I also have my own private practice where I work with local and international clients. As a NZ born Gujarati Muslim, I am able to support clients from other cultural backgrounds with compassion and understanding. I am trained in Solution Focused Therapy and I integrate my practice with the psychotherapy Internal Family Systems. I have established my own unique way of counselling that aligns with trauma-informed care, bicultural and cross-cultural solution focused integration. I have a passion for culturally responsive counselling. I specialise in pornography addition, sexual trauma and betrayal trauma due to internet infidelity. I counsel clients who have been exposed to risk and harm due to pornography addiction and other unwanted sexual behaviours. Overall holistic health and well-being is a significant part of my work. |
Tom Sykes (he/him/his)
Counsellor
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Kia ora,
My name is Tom, and I am a registered counsellor. I use collaborative approaches to working with others, and I believe relationship is key to effective counselling. My primary approaches are Solution Focused and ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy). I have a previous background in mental health and intellectual disability nursing, with over twenty years working for health authorities in a variety of roles. I decided to retrain as a counsellor in order to move towards working with others on a more equitable basis, and move away from the restrictions of large organisations. In addition to counselling I also work in an educator role. When I am not working I am generally relaxing with my partner, two young children, two cats and three chickens… |
Lee Risby
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Ko Irwell te Awa,
No Manchester, Ingarangi ahau. Kei te noho au ki Otautahi inaianei. Ko Lee Risby toku ingoa, No reira tena koutou, tena koutou, tena tatou katoa. Kia Ora, my name is Lee Risby, and I am originally from Manchester, UK. I have lived in Christchurch for almost 13 years. I am a practising social worker, predominantly with children/young people and chronically homeless people. I have experience working with trauma, sexual harm, addiction, and mental health. I work from a Rogerian, client-centred position and make use of a variety of holistic models to improve not just presenting issues but overall wellbeing. |
Aimee Pomare
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Kia ora, my name is Aimee Pomare, pronouns- she/her. I whakapapa to Kai Tahu and Ngati Mutunga iwi. I am a social worker/counsellor, and my therapy room is in Riccarton, Christchurch.
I have worked in team leadership and case management in Adult Specialist Mental Health Services (Te Whatu Ora), as well as counselling/therapy roles. My passion is people, equality, positively empowering clients at all levels of recovery to embrace their potential, and advocacy for those segregated, harmed or discriminated against in society. My qualifications including Joint Honours degree in Psychology and Sociology/Anthropology, a master’s degree in social work applied, and Post-graduate papers in both Mental Health and Addictions, and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. Additionally, my many years working mental health services and my positive, intuitive, and empathetic nature enable me to engage and support clients in an authentic, knowledgeable, and collaborative way. I work with clients with serious mental health illness, including personality disorders, Complex PTSD, Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia, anxiety disorders and depression, as well as clients with adjustment disorder, ADHD, ASD, the rainbow community, Māori, and people of many other ethnicities and complexities. I am a member of Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Work, and I am a fully registered with the Social Workers Registration Board. |
