Anja Striepke

It can be a big step to seek support through counselling/therapy, especially when you feel overwhelmed or stuck in old repetitive patterns. I will meet you as a fellow human being, and offer you my wide variety of therapeutic skills and life experience. In this safe and non-judgmental space we will navigate your situation together and at your pace.

Areas of Special Interest

• attachment
• depression
• anxiety
• loneliness
• anger
• grief
• stress
• life transitions
• relationships
• gender issues
• sexuality
• sexual abuse
• trauma
• cultural adjustment
• sense of self
• self-confidence
• spiritual crisis
• personal development

Counselling/Therapy Services

Individual therapy can be short or long term. A session is 55 – 60 minutes long.
Art therapy groups for therapeutic purposes, personal development and spiritual growth.

I offer awareness-oriented counselling and art therapy to adults from 25 years – each by itself or combined, depending on your preferences. Therapy supports you to understand why you think, feel and act the way you do, and how this impacts your life. This awareness creates the space within yourself for self-compassion, clarity, and the choice to engage in a new way with yourself and others.

I will gently encourage you to check in with your perceptions, emotions and body sensations in order to validate what is real for you. You may find some outdated thinking patterns, and discover new impulses, that enrich who you are as a person now. This establishes trust in your inner knowing, and restores a sense of ‘aliveness’.

Counselling/Therapy Approach

I incorporate body awareness, emotions, thoughts and spirituality to the degree you are comfortable with.

Gestalt Therapy values all aspects of ourselves equally – the wanted and the unwanted. It strives to experience ourselves as a ‘whole’.

Art Therapy: With the use of art materials we can bring playfulness into the session. Through gentle creative exercises you can find symbolic expressions for your situation, thoughts and feelings. This may offer you unexpected outlooks on your situation, and a new way of expressing yourself. It supports you to be in charge of your process and your life. No prior experience or creative talent required!

Mindfulness: is helpful to de-clutter and calm the mind.

Background and Experience

Originally from Germany, I found my home in New Zealand in 2006, and started by private practice in 2016. My upbringing in diverse countries such as Nepal, Cameroon and Germany have taught me to deeply honour each person within their unique cultural and personal context. I have many years experience as a counsellor and workshop facilitator for women at the Women’s Centre Christchurch and the Women’s Health Collective in Wellington. I have also worked in adult mental health and as an art educator for children and youth. I have extensive experience with meditation and “soul-search” modalities of all kinds.