Psychologists and Counsellors - Therapy ǀ Kidz Therapy

Psychologists & Psychotherapists

Each of our Registered Psychologists and Psychotherapists have a unique combination of skills and experience to help guide your child along their developmental journey.

Hana Xharra Bates

Psychotherapist (NZ reg.)

Hana is a registered child and adolescent psychotherapist. She offers short and long-term therapy for children, teenagers, and their families. Hana works with whanau who are experiencing difficulties with their feelings, difficulties in relationships, and who are displaying challenging or concerning behaviours.

Hana is an empathetic and engaging therapist who offers a reflective and non-judgmental space for young people and their families. She builds a therapeutic relationship with her clients that is supportive, open, and collaborative. Hana uses play, art, and a sand tray as a tool for children to express and process feelings about themselves and their environment.

In her work, Hana emphasises the importance of connection in the parent-child relationship to help with children’s emotional development. Hana’s work with parents is aimed at supporting and developing their understanding of their child, building on their relationship with their children, and getting to know their family dynamics. To add to her work with parents Hana is a certified facilitator of an attachment-based parenting program called Circle of Security.

Hana’s practice is integrative, combining several models such as psychodynamic and relational psychotherapy, dyadic developmental psychotherapy, mentalization and family-based therapeutic modalities. Hana has skills in using cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) tailored to suit each client’s needs.

Hana has worked in child and adolescent mental health public settings for many years and has experience working with a range of presentations and difficulties. However, her areas of therapeutic interest include:

Parent-child dyad
Relationship disturbances
Effects of trauma
Family dysfunction
Identity/ self-image issues
Anxiety and separation anxiety
Childhood depression
Effects of grief and loss
Selective mutism
Gender issues
Adjustment difficulties (due to life changes such as moving countries, moving schools, parent’s separation, etc).

Qualifications & Membership

BA (Psychology and Spanish), GDip in Child Mental Health, Master of Health Science specialising in Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy

Hana is a registered Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist with the Psychotherapists Board of Aotearoa New Zealand (PBANZ), a full member of New Zealand Child and Adolescent Psychotherapists (NZACAP) and a member of Healthy Attachment Australia New Zealand (HAANZ).

Availability

Hana's therapy appointments are held on Thursdays and Fridays during school hours.

Wait list applies

Shelley de Graaf

Psychologist (NZ reg.)

Shelley is an educational and developmental psychologist who has experience working with children, adolescents, and their families in a range of settings. She is a passionate advocate for ensuring that children and young people access the support they need to thrive. Taking a collaborative and client-led approach, Shelley focuses on empowering children and adolescents to build self-esteem, develop resilience, and learn the necessary coping tools to navigate life’s challenges effectively.

Shelley is experienced in providing a range of assessments and therapeutic interventions. She draws from a range of evidence-based practices and therapeutic modalities including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and developmental psychology.

Shelley is available to help support children, adolescents and their families with:

Behavioural challenges:

school refusal
disruptive behaviour
peer relationships/social skills
perfectionism

Emotional dis -regulation:

easily overwhelmed, frequent mood shifts, intense emotional reactions, easily upset

Anxiety

Executive functioning issues:

self-organisation
impulse-control
task initiation

Support plans to support children with:

Dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia etc
ADHD
Autism Spectrum Disorder

Qualifications and Accreditations

PGDipEdDevPsych, MEdPsych (Hons), BTchg (ECE)

Accredited Triple P Stepping Stones provider and Bricks Group Facilitator.

Availability

Shelley is available on Mondays for therapy appointments in New Lynn

Narelle Nichelsen
Counselling Psychologist (NZ reg.)

Narelle works alongside young people, couples, and whānaus to create a safe conversational space. She helps her clients talk about change that enhances the resilience and well-being of both the individual and the family. Narelle draws on a person-centered practice that encourages open communication, and self-reflection and teaches emotional regulation and coping skills in a non-judgemental and supportive environment.

Her counselling expertise draws upon a range of approaches including, motivational interviewing, conflict resolution, solution-focused, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), Acceptance Commitment Therapy, strengths-based, interactive drawing therapy and sand play therapy.

Originally trained as a nurse, Narelle has worked in counselling in Australia and New Zealand since 1996 and is an experienced group facilitator and educator. Narelle enjoys coaching parents to break stuck patterns in family dynamics. She is also an expert at providing skills and an understanding that assists families in building resilience and support.

Narelle is available to help support children, adolescents and their families with:

gaming and other addictions
compulsive type behaviours
mood disturbances (e.g. anxiety and depression)
sand play therapy
grief and loss
attachment issues
parent coaching to break stuck patterns
family dynamic counselling
Graded Exposure Therapy for anxiety and phobias

Availability - appointments available

Narelle offers appointments on the following days:

Tuesdays - Kidz Therapy. Morningside
Wednesdays- Kidz Therapy, Mt Wellington
Thursdays - Kidz Therapy, Mt Wellington
Saturdays - Kidz Therapy. Morningside

Hetti Macindoe

Psychologist (NZ reg.)

Hetti is a registered counselling psychologist with a background in family therapy.

She enjoys working with individuals and families to help them make behavioural changes, increase emotional awareness, and improve their relationships and family dynamics. Hetti aims to create a balance where people feel both supported and challenged to make the necessary changes to achieve their therapeutic goals.

In her work, she draws from a range of evidence-based practices and therapeutic modalities, including CBT, Family Systems Therapy, ACT and developmental psychology.

Hetti likes to take a holistic perspective to understand client’s presenting problems. This means she aims to understand contributing factors from various aspects of life.

Hetti is trained in Triple P Positive Parenting levels 4 and 5 and has many years of experience working with a multi-systemic therapy model, aiming to reduce problematic behaviours.

Hetti’s areas of therapeutic interest include:

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Exposure and Responsive Prevention
Personal growth/reflection
Behaviour change including substance use
Familial/Relationship dynamics – including blended families
Parenting support
Identity exploration
Attachment and trauma

Availability

Hetti is available for therapy sessions during school hours on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.- 1 appointment available

Helen Shadbolt

Psychologist (NZ reg.)

Helen is a Registered Psychologist who has experience working with children, adolescents and their families in community, child and adolescent mental health, and care and protection settings. Helen worked previously as an Early Childhood Teacher for over five years. She has a passion for establishing a welcoming, warm and child-led environment for children, adolescents and their families to share their stories, and partner with them to enhance their child’s well-being.

She has experience in providing a range of assessments and therapeutic interventions. She draws from several evidence informed practices and therapeutic models including Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT and Trauma-Informed CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), play therapy, Sandtray Therapy, Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), positive behaviour support, and developmental psychology.

Helen is available to help support children, adolescents, and their families with:

- Grief and loss

- Attachment issues

- Emotional dysregulation

- Anxiety

- Depression

- Challenging behaviour

- Social skills

- Attachment and Trauma

- Adjustment difficulties

- Parenting support

- Toileting Difficulties (enuresis)

- Sleep difficulties in young children

- Parent-Child relationship

Qualifications

Post Graduate Diploma in Child and Family Psychology, Master of Arts in Child and Family Psychology (Hons), Post Graduate Diploma in Early Childhood Teaching, Bachelor of Arts (Psychology and Sociology)

Helen is registered with New Zealand Psychologist Board, and is a member of New Zealand Psychological Society (NZPSS).

Availability

From January 2025

Helen is available on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons in Morningside.

Dr Erica March

Clinical Psychologist (NZ reg.)

Erica has a wealth of experience providing assessment and therapy in both tertiary and child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS) settings. Through her work with a culturally diverse range of young people and their whānau, Erica has addressed a variety of difficulties. These include areas such as adjustment, stress, trauma, grief, depression, anxiety, identity considerations, relational challenges, and emotional and behavioural barriers to academic success.

Erica values the opportunity to be alongside others as they grow, appreciating that challenge is part of life. She relates well to young people and strives to keep therapy engaging through an intuitive, creative, and holistic approach.

Modalities:
Erica personalises her technique to the individual, sourcing from a range of approaches such as:

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Dialectical Behavioural Therapy
Movement Therapy
Family Systems Therapy
Brief Solutions Focused Therapy

Erica’s areas of therapeutic interest:

Reflective personal growth work
Development of self-expression and emotional intelligence
Coming of age (the transition from childhood into adulthood)
Identity-related exploration
Spiritual and religious considerations
Sexuality
Conscious interpersonal relating
Familial and systemic concerns
Cultural challenges
Social and environmental concerns
Philosophical and ethical considerations

Qualifications

Erica is a registered Clinical Psychologist, having has completed a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at the University of Auckland. Her thesis explored how young women navigate the intersection between their spirituality and sexuality, and what they wanted in therapy as a result. She has also trained in Therapy in Motion and teaches in a Masters of Dance Therapy programme.

Availability

Erica's books are currently closed - re-opening in mid November 2024

Erica is available on Mondays and Tuesdays for therapy appointments - please enquire about availbility.

Erica also offers a online therapy if you are unable to come in person. However, please ensure that both yourself and your tamariki are comfortable working online for some of your sessions. This option is only suitable for adolescents and not younger children.

Lara Morton

Psychologist (NZ reg.)

Lara has been working with and supporting youth in the care system for many years. She has worked with a wide range of cultures, needs, and varying capabilities in terms of language and academics.

Lara works from a holistic, system connectedness, attachment, and mindfulness perspective. She strives to understand all the systems around a child, how those impact a young person and the young person's impact on those systems.

Through creating a safe environment for her clients, Lara works from their developmental level, interests and strengths. She facilitates a young person to explore self-awareness, emotional insight, and behavioural choices within their control.

Lara’s areas of therapeutic interest:

Holistic/ systems approach
Attachment theory
Developmental trauma
Emotional regulation
Interpersonal skills
Distress tolerance
Older children/ Youth
Parenting support

Qualifications

Applied Mental Health Cert, Bachelor of Health Science – Psychology, Master in Science – Psychology, Post Grad Dip in Psychological Practice

Availability

Lara's books are currently closed, she is unable to take on any new clients.

Hilary Dixon

Psychologist (NZ reg.)

Hilary provides assessment and therapeutic support for children, youth and their whānau. She has over 30 years’ experience in the areas of mental health e.g., anxiety and depression, challenging behaviour, neurodiversity, attachment and family relationships.

Hilary’s previous roles have included: Educational Psychologist at the Ministry of Education, Certified Training Provider of NAS Earlybird Programme for Autism New Zealand, and Research Fellow at the University of Auckland’s evaluating “Parents as First Teachers Pilot Project”.

Hilary is a certified Triple P Positive Parenting Programme practitioner at Level 4 and is also certified in the Secret Agent Social Skills programme for children on the Autistic Spectrum.

Hilary’s current practice is informed by a number of models including development theory, dialectical behavioural therapy, attachment-based therapy, psychoanalytic psychotherapy, family systems therapy, and cognitive behavioural therapy. She incorporates expressive therapies such as sand tray and other play therapy modalities as well as talk therapy.

Qualifications

P Grad Dip Ed Psych, MA, BA (all Uni of Auck); PGDip Health Science -Advanced Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy (AUT), MNZPsS

Availability

Hilary's books are currently closed, she is unable to take on any new clients.

Zenat (Zee) Ally

Clinical Psychologist (NZ reg.)

Zee is a passionate Clinical Psychologist committed to promoting mental well-being and fostering personal growth in young adults, adolescents, and children aged 7-18.

Zee provides tailored assessment and treatment with a therapeutic approach that integrates evidence-based practices, drawing from Psychodynamic therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Brief Dynamic Therapy, and Mentalization Therapy.

Throughout Zee’s professional journey, she has experienced diverse settings, including roles at the Regional Youth Forensic Service (Kari Centre) at Te Whatu Ora, Health New Zealand, the Perinatal and CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health) units in Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar, and the Department of Correctional Services and private practice in South Africa. Zee’s most recent role was as a specialist conducting neurodevelopmental and cognitive assessments with the Starship Community team. Additionally, she has provided specialised trauma intervention and assessment services through ACC sensitive claims and psychological services.

These experiences have equipped her with a comprehensive understanding of clinical, correctional, youth forensic, maternal mental health, and neurodevelopmental fields.

Zee’s areas of interest include the following neurodevelopmental assessments to support complex challenges for children and their families: