Standard private charge for an hour session (Skype or face to face) is $95. Peer support supervision is $120. There is some flexibility for special circumstances. If you are on a benefit, or on a low wage and experiencing stress, depression or anxiety, you may be eligible for WINZ to meet up to $60 of a weekly charge through the disability allowance.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it cost?
Where are the face to face appointments
Currently face to face appointments are located at Youthline House 13 Maidstone Street, Grey Lynn, Auckland, or St Lukes Centre (Remuera) Tuesdays and Fridays.
Do you do after hours appointments?
Some limited after-hours appointments may be available on weeknights. Clients using Skype can expect more session flexibility
How many counselling sessions will I need?
The short answer is – it depends… Counselling can be used in many ways and the length of counselling depends on what you would like to address. Six sessions can sometimes be a good length to address a particular issue when someone is not facing ongoing additional stresses, and a goal can be negotiated for this length. We can talk about your wishes and needs in the first session. At the other end of the spectrum, some people like to use counselling on an ongoing or infrequent basis for managing stresses and difficulties in their lives. Some clients therefore work in a more open ended way, having counselling fortnightly or monthly once they have made some progress in what they initially came to counselling for. I have found it most useful to meet a client weekly for at least the first three sessions.
What's the difference between counselling and coaching?
While the skills I use as a practitioner may be very similar, in a general sense, people generally come to counselling to deal with difficulties they are facing, while coaching can be focussed on a particular goal or set of goals the person wishes to achieve. With coaching, you and I will agree each session which tasks you intend to undertake before the next appointment. The combination of exploration, problem solving skills and accountability to another person means coaching can assist you in deciding on and reaching your goals.
Why is there a cancellation fee?
Clients are asked to pay a cancellation fee of $15 if they have not given 24 hours notice of their appointment change or cancellation. This is because there is a carry-over cost, in that the time booked cannot be filled by other clients. With face to face sessions, room hireage is also still charged to the counsellor.
Do you counsel clients outside of New Zealand?
No, sorry. For client safety, and for clarity around legal issues and what additional support is available, only people resident in NZ will be accepted as counselling clients.
What email contact do you provide?
I am happy for clients to send a brief email between sessions if this is helpful to them, or if they use text or email to arrange sessions. I cannot necessarily reply in any length, and am sometimes not able to reply immediately. I am open to discussing email based counselling alongside face to face sessions for individual clients.