Education / training, Justice, Residential, With LGBTQIA+ | Rainbow communities and/or within LGBTQIA+ | Rainbow organisations, Workforce and/or service development

AOD specialist treatment, Assessments/brief intervention/screening, CEP, Grief & loss, Harm reduction, LGBTQIA+ | Rainbow, Maternal mental health, Older adults, Peer support, Rangatahi, Trauma-informed care, Whanau

I am currently working for Ora Toa Mauriora as an Addictions and Mental Health Counsellor, which is a world class integrated care provider, where my team and I use positive psychology and Kaupapa Maori frameworks. I work with a wide range of ages, and stages of recovery and people from across cultures, focusing on esteeming rapport, manaakitanga, and tinorangatiratanga. I use trauma informed practice with all my clients and provide them with tools for self calming, de-esculation and strategies to find their own higher path forward, in all five realms of their wellbeing. I have successfully supported tangata whaiora in their recovery journey using harm reduction techniques, motivational interviewing, narrative therapy, solution focused positive psychology, and other strengths based models. I also use art therapy and metaphors to help tangata whaiora externalize and articulate their experience. I consider myself very blessed to have the honour of this mahi. And I am grateful to my life for giving me lived experience of substance abuse and anxiety so that I am able to walk the talk, and share the wisdom of lived experience.