Avril Spain

Counselling has to do with intuition, with work on oneself, with the quietness of one’s mind and the openness of one’s heart.

I’m here to provide a safe place for you to express your troubles, and together we can work through what concerns you.

Areas of Special Interest

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Life Transition
• Grief/loss
• Stress management
• Relationship Issues
• Pain Management

Counselling with Avril

Counselling is the perfect place for you to explore your thought processes, life issues and events. Avril sees it as a privilege and an honour to support you and provide a safe space for you to voice your concerns. As Avril’s client you will be regarded as the expert in your own life. Her support will facilitate a gentle collaborative exploration, of any unhelpful patterns and life scripts that may not be serving you anymore.

Avril is trained to help you understand and modify your behavioural and emotional patterns, to deal with whatever is brought to light, and to support you through your process. Her counselling creates a space where you can find increased awareness and a fresh perspective on your past and present difficulties.

The length of time and frequency for counselling sessions will depend on what your needs are and why you have come to counselling. Avril offers both short term and long-term counselling to clients who are struggling with finding a sense of self, enjoyment or fulfilment in life.

Avril is compassionate, empathic, genuine and respectful. She can encourage you, and give guidance where appropriate, to engage in the journey of discovering what is more true and helpful for your future.

Counselling for Management of Chronic Pain

Avril is experienced helping people manage chronic pain. She follows an holistic approach to support clients of all ages through experiences of anxiety, depression, stress management, grief and loss. She works with illnesses such as: Arthritis, Fibromyalgia, Parkinson’s and Multiple scoliosis and how these impact clients’ psychological, physical and emotional wellbeing. Avril supports clients in their discovery of acceptance, coping and managing with pain better and with finding new meaning for their lives.

Counselling Approach

Avril has an approach that is gentle, non-judgemental. She works intuitively with you, responding moment by moment to issues that arise. Avril is inherently person centred and will treat you with unconditional positive regard, empathy and focussed presence.
Avril is respectful of responding to each person individually and will tailor her approach to work collaboratively to build rapport and a safe therapeutic relationship.

Some methods Avril works with to support you in the therapeutic process are:

• Client Centred Counselling
• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
• Focused Acceptance Commitment Therapy (FACT)
• Solution Focused
• Strengths Based
• Mindfulness
• Interactive Drawing Therapy (IDT)

Background and Experience

Avril has been working as a counsellor since 2015 and values health, life balance and walking the talk. She has undertaken extensive therapy in her own life journey which has contributed to empathic understanding of how it can feel to sit in the therapy chair; to be supported and heard.

Avril worked for 3 years at Queen Elizabeth Health and Spa, a health rehabilitation hospital in Rotorua for people living with chronic pain.

Avril worked for 3 years at Family Works Whanganui, supporting clients in a wide range of issues, and has also worked at Whanganui Safe and Free, supporting people to heal from sexual abuse.

Avril currently works in her successful private practice.