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Christopher | Coach | Counsellor | Healing Practitioner
Introduction
The Body/Mind Connection.
Effective counselling towards healing requires us to settle into the present moment and ground back into our body. A lot of what is happening in our mind is informed by what is going on in our body; emotions, sensations, energy, subconscious beliefs and patterns, and environmental influences. 80% of communication within self happens from body to mind and not the other way around. In my experience, mental health issues particularly ask us to pay attention to what we feel, sense, hear and connect within our physical, emotional, and energetic bodies. In turn, opening up insights into our past and present, and deepening our emotional awareness into coping patterns that form (often from a young age) around our trauma, core wounds, and social conditioning.Working with the whole person simplifies the process. By paying attention to what feels loudest inside we can start to directly connect with what is causing our dis-ease. This approach allows our heart to lead and our inner knowing to shine through. For most struggling with mental health there is nothing wrong with your mind! When the parts of us that are struggling have a chance to reconnect, realign, and return to peace–the mind is able to rebalance into clarity and calm.
Finding Hope For Healing
I support others to create space inside for what has been too confusing, painful, overwhelming, or scary to open to by themselves. When we feel anxious, depressed, overwhelmed, confused, or just can’t make sense of how we feel–this is largely due to what has been repressed and become stuck in the body. Gently opening up space for these repressed memories, emotions, thoughts, and energy allows deeper connection, insight, and release. This in turn allows those parts of self to relax and open again so that a natural rebalancing and healing process can occur.
Sounds easy right! Well actually often not at all easy and something that we need and deserve to be supported with–everyone of us! Deep healing is not meant to be easy but we can find ease and grace in the process. Working in heart-centred ways with the breath, dropping into the body, with curiosity and courage, with the right guidance, and held by a deeply sacred and loving presence–deep and lasting healing is possible! This is the message of hope I bring to anyone struggling with their wellbeing. Healing is ultimately up to the individual, it is about your choices and your willingness. My role is to create the right conditions for healing to happen–to guide you back to your breath, your heart, your knowing, your spirit–all to help you reconnect and cultivate greater self acceptance and self love.
My Approach.
Hold Space and Listen Deeply
My sensitivity, compassion, intuition, and overall presence means my clients often remark that they feel deeply held, understood, and seen.
Acknowledgement
Our coping patterns form as survival mechanisms working to keep us safe and get us through. They also tend to function by repressing and disconnecting us from our feelings, thoughts, and memories of what has been too hard or traumatic in life. Acknowledging the depth of what we feel and why, the enormity of what we have carried inside, becomes an essential and powerful step towards reconnection, peace, and healing. Deeper acknowledgement of our experience begins to help to settle any worry and confusion.
Deeper Relaxation
Be supported and guided to soften, slow down, and drop into a deeper state of relaxation. The more we can relax the more we can feel and be fully present with ourselves. This allows your adrenal and nervous systems to relax, rest, release, and revive.
Whole Person Approach for Deeper Healing
A whole-person and intuitive approach makes space for heart and mind, body and soul, allowing all aspects of one’s journey to be seen and held. Sensitive awareness and intuitive knowing make this very direct and effective–pinpointing the root causes of one’s dis-ease to allow healing at deeper levels.
Shadow Work
Helping my clients find the courage, trust, and strength to dive deep into themselves is essential. Deep healing requires Shadow Work–bravely and compassionately opening to one’s core wounds, traumas, and negative thoughts/patterns that crush self-belief, self-worth, self-love and acceptance. I am with you every step of the way–feeling what you feel–helping you hold your heart open with what can be confusing, overwhelming, scary or painful.
Inner Child Work
There can be layers upon layers in such inner work. Those negative behaviour patterns that are hard to break, the narratives of our internal critic–our subconscious is running our life until we bring awareness and love to how we think and feel about ourself deep inside. That being said, it is not about getting to some golden completion point! This is a life-long journey. It is one of the most important life long relationships–this emotional, physcological, and spiritual relationship with your little boy or little girl inside. Our younger self is always with us no matter how old we are. We may need to consciously engage with ourself at different ages because of negative or even trauma based experiences that fragmented our sense of wholeness.
Despite our parents best intentions, we can have hard experiences at home growing up. Upsetting experiences create fear or survival based behaviour patterns (e.g. people-pleasing) and negatively affect our self-acceptance and self-love. When it feels like our parents are upset with us and withdraw their love, our sense of belonging and emotional security is threatened–causing us to adapt ourselves to retain that feeling of acceptance and love from our parents–which usually means repressing our feelings and authentic self. I guide my clients into experiencing these patterns through their mind, body, nervous system, emotions, and energy to help clarify why and how they disconnect and the choices in front of them to recover their authentic self. From there I coach you on how to integrate this into daily life to further cultivate a loving relationship with your inner child. This becomes a very empowering journey of being a parent to your younger self in ways your parents weren’t capable of (so hard for parents to meet every need of their children).
Tools to Support Your Process
I will empower you with tools and practices to help cultivate deeper self-awareness and maintain a conscious body/mind connection. A commitment to this focus helps momentum between sessions.
Examples of tools passed on include:
- Breathing exercises and techniques to help you relax and release deeper tension, connect, calm the mind and nervous system, and access more energy.
- Worksheets to help you process challenging feelings and repeating patterns.
- Meditation practices.
- Education on the nature of healing, mental health, self-care and wellbeing.
Practical Steps and Guidance
I offer insights and guidance to support realignment with your authentic self. A complete process connects the inner work of healing our past to the day-to-day of creating a better life. Achieve release from old negative patterns and beliefs. Gain awareness and discover practical steps towards living a happier, healthier, fulfilling life. Set conscious intentions and goals to support your wellbeing, healing, growth and positive change.
My Background and Experience
Born in Christchurch I am in my mid 40’s. I enjoy life with my partner and two boys. Making the most of our beautiful outdoors I love surfing, golfing, tramping, gardening, cooking, and working on being the best version of myself I can be.
I am a trained counsellor (with certificate in trauma informed therapy) and healing practitioner.
Also trained in Fine Arts, Graphic Design, and Maori Art History. I have previous work experience in the industry of design, marketing, and web–this is where my coaching experience started as I moved into brand and marketing consulting which naturally went into personal/life coaching and business coaching. I have worked with a wide range of businesses over the years.
In my younger days I worked with children teaching organic gardening in schools.
Feel free to contact me via the Send a message - button.
Christopher
Online therapy
I offer sessions in person and by phone or video call via ZOOM or google meet.Qualifications and registrations
Registrations
Specialisations
- 1. Anxiety
- 2. Distant and depressed
- 3. Stress
- 4. Anger and arguing
- 5. Burnout
- 6. Trauma
- 7. Relationship issues
- 8. Life-Work balance
- 9. Parenting
- 10. Grief
Most common issues I support people with:
Therapies offered
- ✓ Career Counselling
- ✓ Child counselling
- ✓ Coaching
- ✓ Cognitive behavioural therapy
- ✓ Counselling
- ✓ Couples coaching
- ✓ Couples counselling
- ✓ EAP Counselling
- ✓ Family Therapy / Coaching
- ✓ Life coaching
- ✓ Mindfulness
- ✓ Online counselling
- ✓ Relationship Coaching
- ✓ Relationship Counselling
- ✓ Somatic Therapy
- ✓ Supervision
- ✓ Talking therapies
- ✓ WINZ Counselling
- ✓ Youth Counselling / Coaching
Areas of counselling I can help with
- ✓ Abuse
- ✓ Addiction
- ✓ ADHD
- ✓ Anger management
- ✓ Anxiety
- ✓ Being a perfectionist
- ✓ Being assertive
- ✓ Bereavement, grief, loss
- ✓ Body image
- ✓ Bullying
- ✓ Burnout
- ✓ Communication
- ✓ Self confidence
- ✓ Covid-19 Anxiety
- ✓ Depression
- ✓ Eating disorders
- ✓ Eating Problems
- ✓ Fear
- ✓ Feeling lonely
- ✓ Food addiction
- ✓ Hyperventilation
- ✓ Insecurity
- ✓ Jealousy
- ✓ Low self esteem
- ✓ Obsessive compulsive disorder
- ✓ Panic attack
- ✓ Parenting
- ✓ Performance anxiety
- ✓ Phobia
- ✓ Post-traumatic stress disorder
- ✓ Relationship issues
- ✓ Separation anxiety
- ✓ Setting boundaries
- ✓ Sleep problems
- ✓ Social phobia
- ✓ Stress
- ✓ Trauma
- ✓ Weight loss
- ✓ Workplace stress
- ✓ Worrying too much
Fees
Fees:
$150 per 1 hour coaching/counselling session
Includes follow up email with notes to help stay focused between sessions
Packages also available
[GET IN TOUCH TO BOOK A FREE 20 MIN DISCOVERY]
Availability (Opening hours)
| Monday | 8:30 - 1 |
| Tuesday | Online only |
| Wednesday | Online only |
| Thursday | Online only |
| Friday | 9 - 5 |
| Saturday | - |
| Sunday | - |
Photos
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