Our Counselling Team

Stephéne Manuel - Massey

Dip. Couns., MNZAC

Stephéne’s is an ACC approved counsellor who aims to walk with you through the struggles you are facing and find ways to strengthen, provide hope, and empower with the abilities to move forward as a stronger and healthier person. Stephéne works with individuals, couples and families at all stages of the life and has experience working with issues of trauma, sexual abuse, domestic violence, conflict management, grief and loss, infidelity, divorce, relationship issues, anxiety, parenting and depression.

Elaine McConnell - Te Atatu Peninsula

Dip. Couns., Nat. Cert. Mental Hlth, Cert. T.A., Cert. Dreamwork, MNZAC. ACC Provider.

Elaine is a counsellor who cares about "what works". Since most difficulties have their causes in relationships, she works alongside clients to build a trusting relationship, where things can be safely shared and answers found. Elaine is particularly interested in offering people tools for living well and for managing painful feelings. She has particular interest in working with issues of identity ("Who am I?'), depression, sexual abuse and anger-management, as well as working with individuals on how to get the best out of their relationships.

Jane Hepburn - Te Atatu Peninsula

PGDip HSc (MindBody Healthcare), B.Couns, MNZCCA,. ACC Provider.

Jane enjoys meeting with adolescents, adults and families. She likes helping people grow through life's challenges and works alongside clients experiencing depression, stress, grief, self-esteem, relationship and identity issues. Jane is also a lecturer at Laidlaw College where she enjoys teaching Year 2 Counselling students in the School of Social Practice. Jane has two adult children, three grandchildren plus she can juggle!

Susan Fuhrer - Te Atatu Peninsula

B. Couns., Dip. Teaching, Trained Debriefer. MNZCCA. ACC Provider.

Susan is passionate about wholeness and people coming into freedom to be all they can be. Her particular interest is working with trauma in the area of sexual abuse to bring empowerment for change and restore self-esteem. She also enjoys working with couples using imago therapy, a highly effective approach to strengthen and bring connectivity to any couple struggling or wanting to strengthen their relationship. As transition has been a large part of her life she understands the challenges of change and is trained in the area of debriefing.

Andrew McRoberts - Massey

DipCouns, MNZAC

Andrew believes our lives are precious and deserve our care. His counselling focuses on the areas of depression, anxiety, trauma, loss, grief and self-esteem. He offers relationship counselling and family therapy, understanding that dynamics found in relationships have a powerful effect on our actions and reactions. As well as helping to resolve past issues, Andrew gives tools to help manage our present. Every life is special and valid, and he would be honoured to hear about yours and help you towards a brighter future.

Kathy Bennett - Te Atatu Peninsula

B. Couns, MNZCCA

Kathy enjoys working with children and young people. She offers a range of counselling including support for grief, loss, anxiety and depression. Kathy uses strength-based strategies that help build resilience in a client to empower them to make the changes needed for a better life. Kathy’s practice supports a collaborative relationship that respects the client, while allowing them a safe, non-judgemental space to explore feelings and challenging issues at their own pace. Kathy lives in Auckland with her husband and five children, aged 8 to 21 years.

Maysoon Rassam - Te Atatu Peninsula

B. Couns.; Dip.CBT.; Ph. D. Biochem.; MNZCCA, ACC Provider, Bilingual Counsellor: English & Arabic

Maysoon loves people and relationships and has warm and friendly demeanor which helps clients to connect with her. She is deeply motivated, enthusiastic and compassionate about providing counselling services to adolescents, adults and families. Of particular interest to Maysoon is counselling clients who are experiencing the painful feelings of grief and loss, depression, anxiety, stress, trauma, domestic violence and other relationship issues. She values holistic healing and can offer variety of tools to empower her clients for more fulfilled ways of being.

Dianne Everest - Te Atatu Peninsula

B. Couns., MNZCCA, ACC Provider

Mum to three almost adult sons, Dianne is familiar with the world of boys and works with children, teens and adults. Experience in supporting high school students with special needs brings a compassion and desire to hear, help and give voice to those who are less understood by society and to assist parents living with Autism in the family. Dianne works in creative ways; clients are given opportunity to express themselves in a safe environment, learn coping skills that work best for their personality type and can be taken into their everyday life.

Libby Taylor - Massey

B.Couns., MNZCCA, ACC Provider

Libby presents with an ability to connect with people of all ages and from many different ethnicities, in particular Māori. She has a wealth of experience in group facilitation and individual therapy with adults and young people. With a background in nursing, Libby provides a safe therapeutic environment to help clients sensitively explore their areas of concern. Her speciality is in working with those who have experienced sexual abuse and trauma and also enjoys working with issues including stress, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, anger, spiritual issues, loss and grief. Libby is based at CARE Waitakere-Massey.

Craig Gemmell - Te Atatu Peninsula

B. Couns, MNZCCA

Craig has a background in business management and has always enjoyed the challenge of working with people of all ages and from all walks of life. Moving into the field of counselling has afforded him the privilege of bearing witness to stories that have challenged and controlled the lives of his clients. Craig uses a narrative informed approach to therapy, a method that helps clients map the effects of behavior or relationship on self and others and welcomes the opportunities to re-author lives that desire change and growth. Craig has a particular interest in working with adolescents and mature men in the area of addictions and life stages.

Mavis Seymour - Massey

Dip. Counselling (endorsed in Family Therapy) Adv. Cert. Dreamwork, MNZAC

Mavis has 15 years’ experience counselling and facilitating groups in the West Auckland community. She has extensive experience in the areas of family violence, family relationships and relationship with self. She also works alongside clients experiencing grief, depression and anxiety. Mavis uses dream-work as a way of enabling clients to gain insight and strength and to connect with their inner process. Working with people and families impacted by disability is of particular interest to Mavis.

Judy Dawson - Massey

B. Counselling, ACC Provider, MNZCCA

Judy is interested in working alongside individuals and couples on various issues, including those who have been affected by sexual abuse. She has trained extensively to work with couples using Imago Therapy. Judy has a down to earth style of practice which makes her an easy person to talk to. She works with depression, anxiety, grief, anger, trauma, self-esteem issues, and life coaching including parenting issues. Judy describes herself as Māori/Pakeha and was raised in Auckland. She has three adult tamariki and two moko.