My Story
I currently live an hour north of Auckland with my partner amidst forested hills and nature, and close to the sea. My love is being with the plants and trees and volunteering at a local animal sanctuary, and especially the two miniature horses that I care for. I adore animals of all sizes and am most happy spending time with them.
I grew up in the wilds of Africa and developed a great affinity for nature and animals, a love of stillness, and a comfort in the wilderness. Later, moving to New Zealand and walking in the west coast forests for 20 years (mostly with my dog), nature nurtured and supported me through a dedicated inquiry into ‘presence’ and the senses; the forest has since become teacher and guide, and qi gong and meditation are my sanctuary.
Through all my pursuits I have been deeply drawn to the ‘dance’ of our spiralling, unfolding processes, and more and more persuaded that the still places in between are where the treasure lies. To this end my endeavours have taken me through rich and varied frameworks certifying in Biodynamic Cranio-sacral Therapy, Qi Gong, and Forest Therapy, building on earlier wilderness experiences and a dedicated meditation practice.
What I carry from these years of exploration, and of walking alongside my fellow-journeyers, is a humility and awe at the resilience of the human spirit. I continue to be in gratitude for the deep privilege of being able to facilitate, witness and share these inner journeys, with their attendant vulnerabilities, profound struggles, extraordinary discoveries, and gentle unfoldings of awareness and acceptance.
​
Professional practice
I practised as a registered Clinical Psychologist and Psychotherapist for 20 years, both overseas and in New Zealand, deepening my work from ‘story’ into the body and senses, and later working with nature and chi as my source. From the beginning, my psychotherapeutic work has been shaped by innovative and holistic approaches, and I have integrated my lifelong meditation practice and enquiry into presence, into my client work.
After 20 years of practice including working with people from refugee backgrounds, I de-registered at an invitation to research, write and create resources for the New Zealand health system. I developed learning programmes, produced videos and other resources in cross-cultural health for health professionals working with people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
I have recently returned to private therapeutic practice and remain unregistered to integrate holistic body-based modalities, presence processes, and nature into my work.
​
My certifications include:
-
M.A.(Clinical Psychology) SA
-
Cranio-sacral therapy (Body Intelligence Dip)
-
Qi Gong (Body Intelligence Dip)
-
Forest therapy (ANFT certification)
​
I bring with me experience from exploration and training across many psychotherapeutic modalities with a strong focus on process-oriented approaches, somatic expressions of patterning, trauma and attachment styles, presence process and breath work. I also use eco-art and nature therapy, as well as sandtray work and evidence-based approaches. The choice of modalities is guided by client needs and cues.
​
I work with all types of mental health concerns and challenges. I love to work with a client's impulse to flourish, to discover, and to deepen the journey that is unfolding every moment in this precious life. I have come to see the body as the doorway to the deepest and most reliable work.
I am the founder of Invitations to Presence.
​