Family - Lifepsychol
family - lifepsychol

Family

Services for families

Services for families include clinical supervision, counselling, family therapy, managing trauma, attachment therapy and specialist provision for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder.  Clinical and educational assessments are provided for children and young people who identify as gifted and talented, having learning difficulties and intellectual delays.

Behaviour management service support NASC fun holders and specialist report for Child Youth and Family are effectively delivered.

Family Therapy

Relationships can be hard work! We provide therapy to families to support positive change in relationships. This can be relationship difficulties between parents and their children, siblings, and parents, as well as issues with wider family members.

Life events and challenges can put a strain on relationships and may lead to discord within families. Family therapy can support family groups to have more positive relationships, work through any difficulties and come together again as a family unit.

The psychologists at Lifepsychol are experienced in supporting families through these difficulties. If you have any questions about whether family therapy would suit your family please contact us.

Parenting Support

As parents ourselves we recognise that parenting can be challenging. Our parenting support service is tailored to meet your need. This can range from a one-off session to provide you with a behavioural plan at home to an eight hour session comprehensive program to provide you with the skills to manage parenting challenges as they arise.

Asking for help to parent your children can be hard. Here at Lifepsychol we know that parenting can be challenging and that there are times that all parents need additional support.

Our Psychologists have experience in delivering a range of parenting programmes and courses such as incredible years, Triple P and attachment-based parenting programs. The support we offer you will be tailored to meet your individual needs based on the goals that you set.

Our initial meeting with you will be to establish what support you are looking for. This will be through an interview and assessments of your current situation. From here we will work alongside you to address any parenting challenges you are facing. Examples of support:

  • One off session to provide a behaviour plan around a target behaviour that you have chosen to address
  • Several sessions to support you in addressing and creating positive change in your home
  • An 8-10 session parenting programme.

Cognitive & Behavioural Assessments

We provide comprehensive cognitive and behavioural assessments. These assessments can assist in identifying areas of strength and difficulty for learning, educational engagement, social skills and life skills.

Cognitive assessments provide information about an individuals intellectual functioning, and they can be used to identify strengths and areas needing development. Cognitive assessments are part of the information required for Needs Assessments.

From a cognitive assessments the psychologist at Lifepsychol can help provide information about your child's learning style which can support teachers and teacher aides in adapting the curriculum to meet your child's individual learning needs.

Functional behavioural assessments identify particular strengths, behaviors and life skills that need development. These can be particularly useful for those with a disability to determine areas where support is needed. These assessments are also used for Needs Assessments and Eligibility Assessments for disability funding.

Child Therapy

We work therapeutically with children over the age of five years to support them with managing their emotions, learning coping strategies, teaching replacement behaviours and supporting the development of social skills.

The psychologists at Lifepsychol are experienced in a range of therapeutic techniques including play therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy, mindfulness, and solution focused therapy.

The initial meeting will often be with the parent to determine what your therapeutic goals are for your child. We will also ask about your child's strengths and interests so we can determine the treatment modality best suited for them.

Parents are welcomed to stay for the first sessions with the child to support the development f trust and rapport with their therapist. If necessary parents are able to stay for all sessions, however we have found that children are more likely to open up and talk freely when it is just themselves and the therapist. Parents are invited in for the last 10 minutes of each session to discuss how the session went with their child and ask the therapist and questions.Parents are invited in for the last 10 minutes of each session to discuss how the session went with their child and ask the therapist and questions.

We have had success working therapeutically with many children. Some of the issues that we have worked with children on before include:

  • Emotional regulation
  • Coping skills
  • Social skill development
  • Behavioural issues such as hitting and hurting behavious
  • Self-esteem
  • Effects of trauma and/or abuse.

Confidentiality and Professional Standards

Our psychologists are registered with the New Zealand Psychologists Board and have ongoing professional development and clinical supervision.

More Information

If you would like more information or a leaflet on your consumer rights please phone the Health and Disability Commission on 0800 11 22 33 or visit their website 

Each session costs from $130. This can vary depending on urgency, travel time and whether reports are needed.

Sessions are typically one hour long. The initial session will be between 60 and 90 minutes as this will allow time to get to know one another and make an assessment of your situation and the goals you have for our work together.

You can talk to the psychologist about anything. The psychologists at LifePsychol are experienced in supporting individuals and family-groups through a range of issues. Some common issues include: depression, anxiety, relationship difficulties, grief and loss, trauma and abuse, parenting and behavioural difficulties. If we are unable to support you with your current situation we will help you to find a psychologist suited to your needs.

Sessions can either be based at your home or our offices. This can be discussed when you phone us and the psychologist will assist in making a decision about the location. Individual therapy is often best held at our offices, whereas parenting support can work well in your home.    Sometimes schools are happy for us to work with your child in school hours.