Kia ora!, my name is Nicola (most people call me Nic) and I am a fully qualified and provisionally registered (NZAC) Counsellor with a Masters in Counselling from the University of Canterbury. As well as private practice I also work as a Counsellor at Karanga Mai Young Parents College so have a real affinity and connection with children and young people.  As well as a Counsellor I am also a registered Early Childhood Teacher and a Trainer.

 

I have lived in North Canterbury for most of my life and am currently living in Swannanoa with my family (husband and two teenage children) and an assortment of animals. I love being in the outdoors, either on a bike, walking the dogs or in the garden (mainly sitting amongst the weeds!). Some of the values that are meaningful to me are connection, family, humour, curiousity, empathy and growth. 

 

I identify as she/her and endeavor to honour the commitment made to Te Tiriti O Waitangi (The Treaty of Waitangi) in my mahi (work)

The modalities of Counselling that I am trained in are Solution Focused and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, but I draw on other modalities depending on what suits the client.

My counselling is focused on listening to the stories we tell ourselves, acceptance of the things that we can not change, but most importantly, working together to discover the strengths that exist already to help achieve the goals or live within the values that matter most to us.

Relationships are very important to me....I work hard on these through building connection, respect and trust.  My clients have said that I am kind, caring, friendly, non-judgmental and that I can even be funny sometimes!   

 

I look forward to meeting you and working collaboratively on our journey together.

Areas that I specialise:

Young Adults and Children
Anxiety and Depression
Stress and Burnout
Trauma and Loss
Interpersonal and relationship challenges
Identifying and achieving personal goals
Occupational Challenges