Meet Helen

Registered Child and Family Psychologist

MA (Hons) Child and Family Psychology, PG Dip Child and Family Psychology, BA Psychology

With over 13 years of dedicated experience supporting children and their families, Helen brings a unique perspective to her practice. Her journey began with six years as a Registered Early Childhood Teacher, providing her with a deep, foundational understanding of child development that informs her clinical work today.

For the past seven years, Helen has provided specialist psychological support across a variety of settings, including Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CAMHS), community services, care and protection, and private practice. This breadth of experience allows her to offer comprehensive assessments, therapeutic interventions, and dedicated parenting support tailored to the unique needs of Auckland families.

A Collaborative, Culturally Safe Approach

Helen is deeply passionate about seeing young people thrive. Recognizing that parents and caregivers are the most important people in a child’s life, she works in close partnership with families to build on their existing strengths, knowledge, and skills.

She is committed to providing a culturally safe and inclusive environment, having worked extensively with families from diverse ethnic backgrounds across Aotearoa.

Professional Affiliations:

  • Member of the New Zealand Psychological Society (MNZPsS)

  • Associate Member of the Sandplay Therapy Association of New Zealand and Australia (STANZ)

Therapeutic Approaches

Helen uses several research-based therapeutic approaches to meet the individual needs of children and young people. These include:


Cognitive Behaviour Therapy


Play Therapy


Acceptance and Commitment Therapy


Parent-Child Interaction Therapy


Dialectical Behaviour Therapy


Positive Behaviour Support


Sandplay Therapy


Developmental theory

  • Grief and Loss

  • Attachment difficulties

  • Adjustment difficulties

  • Emotional dysregulation

  • Challenging behaviour

  • Social skills

  • Parenting skills

Areas of interest and experience

  • Trauma

  • Anxiety

  • Depression

  • Autism Spectrum Disorder

  • Toileting issues

  • Parent-child relationship

  • Sandplay is an expressive, sensory-based therapy that allows children and young people to communicate feelings that are often difficult to put into words. In a safe and guided therapeutic space, they use sand, water, and a vast collection of miniature figures to create "pictures" in a sandtray.

    How it Works: By creating these three-dimensional images, a bridge is built between a child’s conscious thoughts and their deeper, underlying emotions thoughts, memories and instincts. This non-verbal process allows for:

    • A safe expression of big feelings and thoughts.

    • Working through memories or experiences without the pressure to speak.

    • Promoting personal development and emotional resilience.

    Developed by Jungian psychologist Dora Kalff—and rooted in the pioneering work of C.G. Jung and Margaret Lowenfeld—Sandplay therapy is a globally recognised, research-based therapy.