About

Thanks for reading up on me! Choosing the right counsellor can be difficult, but hopefully this website will help you in your search.

I gained my counselling qualification in 2006 and became a Member of the New Zealand Association of Counsellors (NZAC) in 2008.

I have practiced in New Zealand and overseas, in big cities as well as rurally. I have worked as a part of multidisciplinary teams in large organisations as well as privately.  I love connecting with people, learning about their challenges, abilities, hopes and constraints, and finding ways to support them resolving their problems. Seeing my clients moving on stronger and at peace with life after therapy is what this profession is about for me.

Since starting my private practice in 2020 I have met with hundreds of people, some for a handful of sessions, others for years. Different challenges require different length of work.

Each client brings with them their own set of circumstances and I feel privileged to be part of their lives, however short. There are always ways we can make changes for the better.

While enabling change through talking therapy is at the heart of my skill set, my career history is varied. Born and raised in Sweden, I started off in my late teens at a fish factory in the fjords of Norway (freezing but I enjoyed earning money!), then spent a couple of years as a flight attendant in London, and I’ve even called Papua New Guinea home for some years.

At the age of 24 and settled in Auckland, I started my counselling degree (social practice - counselling) and continued on with a postgraduate diploma (social practice – counselling).

In 2014, I once again felt the pull of a challenge and completed my Master’s Degree in Development Studies which led me to work in the international development sector for some years. After having children, the lure working overseas lost some of its appeal and I returned to counselling and talking therapy.  This proved to be a wise decision as I now have the privilege of balancing therapeutic work with family life, and behind me sits a wealth of experience – personal, academic and professional.

In 2024, after 20 years in Auckland, Wellington and Carterton, my family and I decided to pack up and move to the UK to be closer to family. This meant moving our kids from their school in rural Wairarapa and saying goodbye to the people and places we love, for a life in Surrey, an hour away from the metropolis of London. 

While I am currently living in the UK, I have an up-to-date NZAC Practicing Certificate and my professional development activities and networks remain in New Zealand.  

I am very happy to be able to offer after hours sessions online as I am aware of the shortage of qualified therapists practicing outside of regular hours.


  • Master of Development Studies from Victoria University of Wellington (Distinction). Research focus: Gender-based violence in Bougainville, what makes change possible. Funded by the New Zealand Aid Programme (2014).

    Post-Graduate Diploma in Social Practice (Counselling) from UNITEC, Auckland (2008).

    Bachelor of Social Practice (Counselling) from UNITEC, Auckland (2006).


  • Schema therapy foundation: model, methods and strategies, with Robert Brockman and Chris Hayes.

    Counselling young people and families, master’s level, Waikato University.

    Creative arts therapy with Josie Scott.

    Severe trauma and stress recovery with John Henden.

    Suicide in schools with Jonathan Singer.

    Treating Post Traumatic Stress Disorder with Leah Giarratano.

    Treating Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder with Leah Giarratano.

    Incredible Years Parenting Course Facilitation with the Incredible Years Programme.

    Nature and wellness guide, Utemaning Sweden.

Experience

I have vast experience as a private counsellor providing individual therapy with a trauma informed lens, facilitating critical incident debriefings, group supervision, and developing and delivering training programmes for NZAC on the impact of trauma and treatment options.

Earlier counselling employment include family counselling, withdrawal management counselling (detox), facilitating parenting courses, school couneslling in the Pacific, and counselling women and children who have experienced family and/or sexual violence.

Personal interests

My interests include travelling for the purpose of learning about people, places and cultures, spending quality time with family and friends, music, cooking, tramping, camping, everything-nature, politics, philosophy and ethics in practice.