Christa Carfrae

- Registered Psychotherapist
- Member of New Zealand Association of Counsellors (MNZAC)
- Member of Psychosynthesis Aotearoa New Zealand Association (PAnzA)
- Member of International Association of Relational Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy (IARPP)

- Diploma of Psychosynthesis Psychotherapy (NZ Institute of Psychosynthesis)
- Diploma of Psychosynthesis Counselling (NZ Institute of Psychosynthesis)
- Post Graduate Certificate in Professional Supervision (Auckland University)
- Diploma of Social Work (Auckland University)

- I am available for in-person, online or phone appointments
- Monday to Wednesday 8 am to 5 pm

- $140 for a 50 minute session
- Payment can be made in cash or by internet deposit prior to your session

- No charge when 24 hours notice given.
- If a late cancellation during the 24 hours before an appointment, full fee payable unless you are unwell, or in an emergency situation.

In his book, "The Body Says No", Gabor Mate writes that the therapist, by sitting in relationship with you, acts as a mirror in which you can see yourself more clearly reflected, which helps you to learn better how to self-reflect. And, if your therapist holds you in a space of unconditional positive regard, while being empathic, non-judgmental and caring, this then facilitates a "sorting out process" to happen in your mind, bringing an inner spaciousness and choice. Therapy is about making your personal relating dynamics more conscious to you so that you can understand how your past continues to repeat itself in the present, how this way of behaving and being in the world is a conditioned response, learned in childhood and is no longer helpful. In the present change and a sense of transformation happens. You become more resilient, in charge of your life and decision making, and have more agency.

- To become more loving and respectful of yourself.
- To see how your behaviours both serve you and limit you - how over time the limits can become more overwhelming and dominating, and although those behaviours as coping strategies helped you to survive, they are now preventing you from thriving.
- To become more aware of those inner, often critical voices, that continuously criticise us and put us down. In this process, learning how to befriend these parts of ourselves and teach them to serve us in better ways.
- To learn about how the "constructs" you have developed in your thinking about who you are and how you are in life, are actually not true and can then be "deconstructed".
- To evolve your self and become the person you were born to be without all the ego defenses developed to keep you safe.
- And seeing yourself as Body, Feelings, Mind and Soul - a more holistic way of being in this world.
- And more........

- Much life experience having been married and pregnant at 17 with all the difficulties that a young marriage can hold.
- Becoming aware that I needed to focus on myself and my own wellbeing and health in order to become the person that I wanted to be. So began my drive and commitment to education and attaining the necessary qualifications - 6 University Papers at Massey University Followed by 15 years working as a Social Worker in the Community Corrections Field.
- Wanting to devote more time and energy to healing women so developing and then facilitating various groups in the Auckland community for 14 years called Living Without Violence (1 and 2), Positively Me, Reclaiming My Self, Lighting the Fires Within, Women and Anger.
- Training as a Psychosynthesis counsellor and psychotherapist - and working in private practice from professional rooms at my home since 1995.
- Followed by working as a teacher/supervisor and staff member for the NZ Institute of Psychosynthesis for 20 years.
- Continuing to professionally develop as each year unfolds.

I believe that every human being arrives in this world and is then impacted by the environment in which they are raised. There is much debate about whether it is Nature (our genetics) or Nurture (our home and social environment) that determines our personality. What we do know is that our personality is formed by 4 years of age and that there are no perfect parents so we all develop defenses that over time increasingly limit our ability to live contented and peaceful lives, to love ourselves. Attachment Theory forms the basis of much of how I work, as well as my belief that how we relate to both ourselves and others is crucial information for our learning and growing in life.