Counselling for Men

 Mata was born in Rarotonga and raised in New Zealand. She has devoted her earlier life into raising her two children into adulthood.

Now after working on her own personal challenges. Mata is committed to supporting her counselling clients on their own journey of self-discovery and healing.

Mata works principally from the framework of the Person Centred modality while also incorporating techniques from Behavioural Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, and Solution focus in her support of clients with depression, anxiety, anger management, abuse and family issues.

Mata works with a wide range of client across all ages and ethnicities. When she is not working, Mata is focused on her extended family and is an active member of her local Toast Masters Club.

One-on-One Counselling & Couples Counselling

Mike is currently completing his Master of Counselling and has many years of therapeutic practice.
He focuses on Solution Focused Therapy and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy with a foundation built
around person centredness. He has worked in the criminal justice system as well as the alcohol and
drug field and has a passion for sport and health psychology. Outside of work, Mike takes care of his
two children and is a keen triathlete. He loves the outdoors and loves to help all people succeed with
their ambitions.
“I am amazed at the strengths and potential that people have. The best part of my job is seeing
people realise that they have those ingredients and then use them to create the best possible version
of themselves”.

Eugene emigrated from Northern Ireland to New Zealand fourteen years ago, he says, “it was the weather that convinced me”.  Eugene spent much of his working life as a Psychiatric Nurse then retrained to become a counsellor.  He is a real people person who enjoys meeting and talking with a variety of people whether it’s at the Farmers Markets or in the counselling room.

Emerging from his work in Mental Health Eugene has an ongoing passion and curiosity for working with the human condition. Originally, he worked with an Analytical approach to his work, however this has now evolved to embrace the Person-Centered approach developed by Carl Rodgers. Eugene believes the client is the “expert” on themselves. He sees that it is his role to help the client to understand what that means for them.

During his counselling training Eugene undertook his placement hours at the Men’s Centre. Since then, he has counselled in Schools and the Prison and has now returned to the Men’s Centre. In addition, he has worked with the Intellectually Disabled, CYFS, Oranga Tamariki, Drug & Alcohol Services and troubled adolescents. He brings all this experience with him to the counselling room.

Eugene has also experienced his own life issues which include separation after a long-term relationship and a heart attack. He knows what it is like to make major life changes which have included stopping smoking, and diet change.  He is also the proud father of two adult daughters.

Eugene says he is aware that, “today more and more guys are reaching out and   asking for help. Which in my world is unbelievably awesome, so if you are one of them, come to the Canterbury Men’s Centre. We are there for you.”

Phil describes himself as a “60`s child who was born and raised in Christchurch” He I loves camping, fishing, sports and music of any kind.  In his early life Phil was a “tradie”, working in the agricultural sector along with being a stay at home dad.

It was Phil’s own experience of mental health that led him to study and train as counsellor in his late forties. He graduated in Person-Centered Counselling in 2011\12. Initially He worked at the Men`s Centre on a volunteer then left to be a Family counsellor in North Canterbury in 2017. He has now returned to the Men’s Center one day a week (currently).

Phil also operates a private practice in North Canterbury. He says he has an eclectic way of working with people, using tools such as acceptance-commitment therapy, solution focus therapy and Gestalt among others. It is Phil’s belief that no one therapy works for everyone therefore he has a wide range of tools to draw on. He enjoys working with clients living with depression, suicide thoughts, loss and grief, anxiety, relationships issues and more.

Mai i te Kopae ki te Urupu, tatou ako tonu ai.

From the cradle to the grave, we are forever learning.

For the last ten years in New Zealand, I’ve been involved in the Mental Health and AOD sector. This diversity of experiences has consolidated my awareness and learning that life is to be celebrated. As a counsellor, I’m privileged to be a part of that process. So come visit and share your experiences with us and have a laugh, because as a wise man once said “Laughter is the key to heaven”.

I have studied various modalities of counselling and psychotherapy. I am also a certified Neuro Linguistic and Neuro Semantic Practitioner. My experience has enabled me to develop an Integrated Style of counselling, with an Outcome Focused approach, specifically in couples counselling. I have successfully counselled hundreds of couples in their times of conflict.

My core belief is that all relationships have situations, which due to a lack of communication coalesce into ‘Problems’. My focus is to help You’ll identify what each of you wants in your relating to each other and then facilitate Conflict Resolution strategies to enable You’ll to attain your goals.

I also focus on the neuro-psychotherapy of the brain; enabling couples to understand how to change from ‘Reacting’ to ‘Responding’. This helps retrain the brain against thinking and reacting improperly to any negative cognition or triggers that may present in your future. It would be my privilege to accompany you on your journey to peace and love.

One-on-One/ Couples Counselling

I understand our uniqueness of being where often our deeper parts are alienated but through the healing process becoming fully integrated as ‘mind’, ‘body’, and ‘spirit’, a wholeness that brings vibrancy and life. I work with ‘Body Process’ in a Gestalt sense, being curious around the psycho-somatic connection.

I also work with couples specialising in emotionally focused couples therapy (EFT).

One-on-One/ Couples Counselling in Ashburton

She is widely travelled having worked in the UK, Canada and Australia. Her love of travel has also taken her to different parts of Europe and Asia. Petra believes that immersing herself in different cultures has influenced her world view and developed an ability to interact well with peoples of all cultures.

Petra has worked in the social services field for many years this includes working with special needs children in residential care, mental health and at risk families and youth.

The Person Centred modality underpins Petra’s counselling work, however she also utilizes techniques from EFT, Schema Therapy, CBT, SFBT and Narrative Therapy in order to best support the individual needs of her clients.

In her spare time Petra enjoys curling up with a good book, doing yoga, hiking, camping, snowboarding, and enjoying the outdoors.

Noeline brings to her role as Service Manager at the CMC the experienced gained from 12 years as a counsellor. Her formal training focused principally on the Person Centred modality however, she supports her work with some Solution Focus Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Narrative Therapy. “I believes it is important to match the counselling style to suit the client’s individual needs’, says Noeline.

While Noeline coordinates most of our intake work, she also provides counselling to limited numbers of clients.

One-on-One Counselling

 Alice uses a strengths-based narrative approach alongside of a person-centred modality, both of these methods used together can meet the person where they are at, as well as draw on each person’s unique strengths in order to bring them to a place of healing and growth.

One-on-One Counselling

I make digital films, I’m an online marketer, a counsellor, a coach, but most importantly I’m a dad and husband!

I have been married for 23 years and I feel that learning counselling has helped me not only in marriage but in all the other areas of my life.

In counselling, we are often exploring difficult areas of your life and I believe it is important to develop a high degree of trust between us.  I help build a safe therapeutic environment by giving you unconditional positive regard which is just fancy words for  “I’m on your side”.

I specialize in a variety of areas including relationships, family, crisis, suicide, depression, addiction, anxiety, and abortion.

I use a combination of therapy styles, which is often called an eclectic approach, to see what best fits for you.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is one of the most effective methods that exist today and seems a popular choice for many.

So that is a little bit about me and how I work. If you feel like that will work for you then the next step would be to book an appointment.

One-on-One Counselling & Couples Counselling

Growing up in Zambia, Pretty immigrated to New Zealand as a twenty year old. She is now very active in supporting those in the migrant community and expects to do this as a special part of her work at the CMC.

Pretty brings to her counselling work a lifetime of experience which includes raising her four children as a widow. When she has some time for herself you can usually find her curled up with a good book.

One-on-One Counselling

He describes his counselling approach as relational and person-centred. He seeks to come together with his clients in a way that supports them to move closer to being the person they are seeking to be.

One-on-One Counselling

She is has a strong interest in family systems work building on her many years as a Plunket nurse and parenting group  leader. In addition she has a particular strength in working with people struggling with mental health challenges.

She is enjoying her work at the Men’s Centre supporting her clients to be great fathers and partners. Donne works from both a Person Centred and Cognitive perspective aligning with client needs at each session.

One-on-One Counselling

I was awarded an M.Sc. In the Psychology of Human Potential by Liverpool John Moore’s University in 1996 and developed my interest in how we relate to significant people in our lives, so, I followed this training as a relationship counsellor with Relate UK where I worked for 20 years until I moved to Aotearoa.

I have experience with supporting autistic clients and their relationship partners. I an experienced provider of Couple Therapy for Depression with the Tavistock Institute London.

I have 30 years’ experience as a Science teacher in the UK and Sweden and I am a proud grandfather. I offer couple and individual counselling.

One-on-One Counselling

Barry has a varied career which includes working with street kids in Christchurch, the commercial forestry sector, river bank restoration, testing for the New Zealand Aids Foundation and now counselling. My training is in person centred counselling where I walk alongside you through your times of difficulty helping you to better understand yourself. I have three adult children, have been through separation and divorce, and came out later in life. I am a great fan of mens groups where men support men to be better men, co-founded a gay mens group and co-facilitate the Mensline support group held at the Mens centre. My interests seem to be heading toward working with grief and trauma, and helping men through those challenging change times in life.

One-on-One Counselling

Tēnā koe ko Chris taku ingoa. Chris is in his 2nd year at Vision Collage completing his Bachelor in Counselling. As a self-diagnosed adult with ADHD, Chris brings a wealth compassion and understanding to his counselling practice.

A committed father and husband, who with his wife has fostered several children, Chris has an understanding of the difficulties families face, both with the systems within which people work, and the realities of parenting through challenging times. Chris has a long standing compassion and desire to support those who are seeking something more, and has worked in drug and alcohol rehab with young people, as well as a significant period of time overseas living and working with disadvantaged families. The desire to work with men, to build mana and find hope is central to his worldview.  Chris is person centred in his approach to counselling, working with people, and at their speed.

One-on-One Counselling

I am a qualified and experienced counsellor committed to helping individuals and couples overcome the challenges they face and live more fulfilling lives.

As a counsellor, I believe every person has the strength and resilience to overcome difficulties. My role is to provide a safe and supportive space for them to explore their feelings and experiences. I use a person-centred approach, which means I work collaboratively with my clients to understand their unique needs and goals and develop a personalized treatment plan that suits them.

I have extensive experience working with clients on various issues, including depression, anxiety, trauma, addiction, and relationship issues. I use evidence-based therapies, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Mindfulness-Based Therapy, to help my clients develop the skills and insights they need to overcome their difficulties and improve their quality of life.

I offer counselling services for both individual and couples settings. I am committed to creating a safe and supportive environment for all my clients, regardless of their backgrounds or circumstances. I am an ally of the LGBTQ+ community and welcome clients from all walks of life.

If you’re struggling with any of the issues I’ve mentioned or simply feel stuck or overwhelmed in your life, I’m here to help. Please feel free to get in touch with me to schedule a consultation and take the first step towards a happier, healthier you.

One-on-One Counselling & Couples Counselling