Dr Mary Grogan – Clinical Psychologist

Kia ora and welcome!

People come to talk to me when something is not working in their lives.  This might be a new problem, or it might have been around for a long time.  I help people figure out what is going on for them, how we can understand it together and offer some new perspectives and approaches which lead to getting different outcomes.

Some people want tools and strategies and action focussed things to do differently.  A short-term therapy approach focussed on change might be what they want from me.  Others want to excavate early life patterns or relational patterns with a view to understanding themselves and others more fully, so that they feel more authentic and more present in their lives.  A medium to long term therapy approach would suit these people.

I help you identify patterns that are causing problems or keeping you stuck in your life, whether short term or long term.  Change begins with mindfully noticing your thoughts, feelings and behaviour and then bringing more awareness to them, in order to change them.

Together, we then work towards different and more effective ways of being.

I offer individual sessions, a warm, non-judgemental environment drawing from a range of approaches, and a central Auckland location.

Life challenges I commonly work with include:

• anxiety
• stress
• burnout
• trauma
• mid-life crises
• emotional eating
• depression and mood related problems
• relationship challenges
• parenting challenges
• sexuality
• grief and loss

Counselling/Therapy Approach

Counselling is a broad term to describe many different forms of talking therapy. At Change it Psychology, I specialize in change, through exploration and self- discovery.  What happens in therapy can feel like magic (but it’s actually grounded in scientific experimental psychology including mindfulness, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), positive psychology, neuroscience and attachment research) and many people find it transformative.

If you are experiencing anxiety, stress, low mood, depression, low self-esteem, eating issues, or problems in your relationships, I will work with you to help you understand what could be causing and maintaining your difficulties and offer new ways of approaching these issues.  Ultimately, we all know that people not only want help to get out of a hole, but also to take a different path so that they don’t fall in again.

As a result of our sessions, you gain insight, new skills and a deeper understanding of yourself and others. You’ll continue thinking and practicing what we talk about long after our sessions end. Your life becomes more meaningful as you live according to your values and what matters to you.

Background and Experience

I have been a registered clinical psychologist for nearly 20 years and have worked across a number of public health and private settings, including community mental health, and public health organizations (PHOs).

I wrote feature psychology articles for MiNDFOOD magazine from 2010-2016, you can read my feature articles here.

I have acted as a consultant clinical psychologist for the HPA (Health Promotion Agency) for projects such as The Lowdown and the National Depression Initiative (NDI) depression website.

I have trained in acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression (MBCT), dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT), and the Bader-Pearson developmental model of couple therapy.