Meet the team

Annette Nichols, Counsellor

Annette Nichols

Counsellor

  • As a person-centred practitioner, Annette aims to create a supportive and collaborative space and to identify and build on client’s strengths to make meaningful change in their lives. Utilising a relational and integrative framework, she draws on a range of theories and tailors her approach to best suit the client’s needs to foster and support change. With a real appreciation for a client’s resilience despite adversity, Annette is passionate about helping people expand their skills to thrive.

    Her previous experience mentoring youth and working alongside people with disabilities led her to return to study for a Bachelor of Health Science in Counselling. Counselling experience includes working with children, young people, and adults struggling with anxiety and depression, self-esteem, relationship dynamics, trauma, grief, identity, and life transitions.

    • Individual Counselling

    • Bachelor of Health Science in Counselling

    • Provisional Member of New Zealand Association of Counsellors (NZAC)

    • Tuesday | 10.45am - 6.45pm

David Legg, Counsellor

David Legg

Counsellor

  • David came to New Zealand at the age of 32 from Britain. Throughout his adult life, he has had a passionate interest in self-discovery and understanding. He has worked as a full-time counsellor since then, supporting people with grief, anxiety, loneliness, depression, addictions, and relationship difficulties. He has a love for working with couples and is qualified as an Imago therapist, as well as using skills learned from Susan Johnson’s Emotional Focused Therapy to support creating loving and intimate relationships.

    • Individual Counselling

    • Couple Counselling

    • Youth Family Counselling (with youth aged 15 or older)

    • Diploma in Counselling and Family Therapy

    • Human Development & Training Dream Leadership Certificate

    • Margaret Bowater Workshops

    • 8 years study undertaken with Auckland Psychodrama Training Centre

    • Certified Imago Relationship Therapist

    • Full Member of New Zealand Association of Counsellors (NZAC)

    • Tuesday | 10.45am - 6.45pm

    • Thursday | 10.45am - 6.45pm

Ginnie Denny, Counsellor

Ginnie Denny

Counsellor

  • Ginnie brings the experience of immigration and settlement, family trauma, and building resilience and awareness of self. Providing neuro-affirming counselling, Ginnie helps clients understand their unique selves and how best to create ease and contentment in their own lives. Using a pluralist approach and an internal family systems lens, Ginnie forms collaborative, strengths-based relationships with clients who are journeying into their preferred way of living.

    When not at work, Ginnie will be on a yoga mat, a bicycle, or in the garden.

    • Individual Counselling

    • Couples Counselling

    • Master of Counselling (Massey University) |  Master of Education (Adult and Higher) (University of Auckland)

    • Provisional Member of New Zealand Association of Counsellors (NZAC)

    • Tuesday | 8.45am - 4.45pm

    • Thursday | 10.45am - 6.45pm

Nina Hawkins, Counsellor and Creative Arts Therapist

Nina Hawkins

Counsellor & Creative Arts Therapist

  • As a qualified Creative Arts therapist, Nina employs a holistic approach to therapy, utilising creativity and the innate ability of art to communicate emotions and transcend unconscious barriers. She fosters a safe, playful, and supportive environment for clients to explore and transform their inner and outer worlds. Nina has been trained in a number of trauma-informed models, including Mauri Ora approaches, clinical creative therapy models, neurodiversity, spiritual accompaniment, and talk therapies.

    • Individual Counselling

    • Couple Counselling

    • Family Counselling

    • Child Counselling

    • Adolescent Counselling

    • 1st Class Honours Masters in Creative Arts Therapy, Whitecliffe

    • Diploma Professional Coaching, SIT

    • Monday | 8.45am - 4.45pm

    • Tuesday | 10.45am - 6.45pm

    • Wednesday | 8.45am - 4.45pm

Frances Sullivan, Counsellor

Frances Sullivan

Counsellor

  • Frances retrained as a counsellor in 2006, bringing a wealth of life experience and a strong background in psychology to her practice. She is passionate about helping individuals navigate life’s challenges and believes in the beauty of life, despite its occasional pain and sadness. Frances feels privileged to support people during their difficult times.

    • Individual Counselling

    • Couple Counselling

    • Family Counselling

    • Diploma in Family Therapy and Counselling

    • BA in Psychology

    • Full Member of New Zealand Association of Counsellors (NZAC)

    • Monday | 8.45am - 4.45pm

    • Wednesday | 8.45am - 4.45pm

    • Friday | 8.45am - 4.45pm

Jane Mudford, Counsellor

Jane Mudford

Counsellor

  • Jane is passionate about supporting her clients through the challenges they are experiencing. She draws from a range of theories and approaches and adapts these to best meet the needs of the people she works with, providing ideal ways of relating and problem-solving. Following her client’s lead, she aims to identify and build on clients’ strengths and interests to help people achieve their goals, and find authenticity, fulfilment, and peace.

    She has experience with children, adults, and families who are struggling to adapt to: life’s transitions; living with anxiety; chronic health concerns; disability; grief; and neuro-divergence. She can also help with relationships, parenting, and identity concerns.

    Jane is a bicultural, New Zealand mum of two young teenagers and three fur babies.

    • Individual Counselling

    • Couple Counselling

    • Family Counselling

    • Child Counselling

    • Post Grad Dip Counsellilng, Auckland University

    • Studying for a Masters in Counselling at Auckland University

    • Provisional Member of New Zealand Association of Counsellors (NZAC)

    • Thursday | 8.45am - 4.45pm

Paula Turner, Student Counsellor

Paula Turner

Student Counsellor

  • Paula uses her curiosity, life experience, and studies in counselling, psychology, and psychotherapy to work with her clients. She works to understand how the client’s past and current issues are impacting their present life situation, and then to identify what they need to do to move towards a future situation in which the client is able to live a fulfilled and meaningful life.

    Paula works in a pluralistic way, involving her client in the decision of which counselling tools would best help each situation, and using tools from modalities including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Narrative Therapy, and Gestalt.

    • Individual Counselling

    • Final year of study towards a Bachelor of Health Science - Counselling Degree, AUT

    • Student Member of New Zealand Association of Counsellors (NZAC)

    • Friday | 8.45am - 4.45pm

Anna Harrison, Counsellor

Anna Harrison

Counsellor

  • Anna (she/her) opens up a warm and welcoming space for people to reflect on their experiences and explore their difficulties, challenges, and joys together. She takes a person-centred approach to working with clients, listening deeply and with compassion, and draws on a variety of therapeutic models to see what might work best for each person. Anna is particularly interested in Internal Family Systems and creative approaches to working — but mostly, she is interested in people. This comes in part from her background in journalism — she brings a love for hearing people's stories, an awareness of how social and systemic factors affect individuals, and a deep sense of appreciation for the creative ways people survive and grow, even in impossible circumstances.

    • Individual Counselling

    • Graduate Diploma in Psychotherapy Studies, AUT.

    • Currently working towards a Master of Counselling at Auckland University.

    • Provisional Member of New Zealand Association of Counsellors (NZAC)

    • Thursday | 10.45am - 6.45pm

Gemma Neuendorf, Counsellor

Gemma Neuendorf

Counsellor & Student Counsellor Supervisor

  • Gemma has a teaching background prior to training in counselling, which has added a lot of value to her work with families in the counselling arena. Gemma engages well with a wide range of people facing equally diverse challenges.

    She provides a supportive, empathetic environment in which she will work collaboratively with clients to explore their concerns and together clarify goals and find solutions, harnessing all existing supports.

    • Individual Counselling

    • Couple Counselling

    • Family Counselling

    • Child Counselling

    • Adolescent Counselling

    • Bachelor of Health Science (BHSc) - Counselling Major, Auckland University of Technology (AUT)

    • Full Member of New Zealand Association of Counsellors (NZAC)

    • Monday | 7.45am - 4.45pm

    • Tuesday | 9.15am - 6.45pm

    • Wednesday | 7.45am - 4.45pm

Lee Beston, Counsellor

Lee Beston

Counsellor

  • Lee has 15 years of experience in child and adolescent mental health, working with families, and is a registered social worker. Lee works with all ages, individuals, couples, and families, and has considerable experience with separated and blended families. Lee’s specialist area is working with family dynamics to adjust and to adapt chronic systems where communication has broken down.

    • Individual Counselling

    • Couple Counselling

    • Family Counselling

    • Child Counselling

    • Bachelor of Social Work Honours, Massey University

    • Full Member of New Zealand Association of Counsellors (NZAC)

    • Thursday | 8.45am - 4.45pm

    • Friday | 8.45am - 4.45pm

Riley Cook, Student Counsellor

Riley Cook

Student Counsellor

  • Riley has three years of experience working in the child and family sector in Aotearoa. Starting as a social worker in South Auckland, Riley saw the need for mental health support not just for children, but also their parents, to provide a wraparound support for the whānau.

    In the past year, Riley has been a supervisor for the youth counselling phone line, What’s Up, which has allowed him to see the current concerns and challenges young New Zealanders are facing.

    Riley likes to focus on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Narrative Therapy, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).

    • Individual Counselling

    • Family Counselling

    • Bachelor Degree in Sociology, University of West England

    • Completing Counselling Postgraduate and Master Programme, University of Auckland

    • Student Member of New Zealand Association of Counsellors (NZAC)

    • Wednesday | 8.45am - 4.45pm