Kia ora

My family moved to New Zealand in 2003 to work with the Waikato DHB for a year. Since then, we have made New Zealand home and become Kiwis. Along the way, we spent five years in Queensland, Australia working with Lives Lived Well and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Health Service.

I received my Bachelor's degree in psychology and mental health from Georgia State University. I completed my Master's and Doctoral degrees in clinical psychologist Georgia School of Professional Psychology. I completed my predoctoral internship at the University of Washington, Student Counseling Center in Seattle.  

I am a Senior Clinical Lecturer, National Addiction Centre, University of Otago and an Adjunct Associate Professor, Centre for Applied Psychology, University of Canberra.

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My career has involved working in public and private addiction and mental health services in the USA, Germany, Australia and New Zealand. Since 2022, I have been working in private practice at The Bealey Centre in Christchurch, New Zealand. 

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One of my professional passions is providing Motivational Interviewing training. For over 20 years I have had the pleasure of providing MI training to broad and diverse range of professionals and organisations around the world. I continue to provide in-person and virtual MI training internationally and across time zones. 

 

Along with my co-host Steve Rollnick, for the past four years we have been offering the free quarterly webinar Motivational Interviewing & Beyond. I have been an active member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT) since 2003.

At this point in my career, my clinical interests are working with people who are concerned about the direction their lives are heading. This could involve misuse of alcohol, drugs, gambling, sex and other addictive behaviours. As well as, people struggling with depression, anxiety, mood swings, relationship troubles and questionable decision making are other concerns that can emerge. Therapy can help people gain personal awareness, enhance self acceptance and get unstuck to find new ways to experience life. 

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I also provide comprehensive ADHD/ADD and psychological assessments for adults based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5-TR). 

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My Approach

Three decades of clinical experience has taught no single type of therapy will work for everyone. My approach is an integrative one based on evidence-based and informed therapies. Existential Psychotherapy, Person Centred Counselling, Family Systems, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, and Motivational Interviewing form the foundation of my approach. I am experienced working with a harm minimisation approach with substance use. I also have sound understanding of the 12-Step approach to addiction recovery.

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Here is a helpful article about How to Find the Right Therapist by Dr Peter Attia (2023).