Jake Meads – Psychologist

I always get asked “what drew me to the field?”. For me, its been about my own self improvement, and being at the top of my own game, and working with others for us both to get to this spot together.

Me

Ko Jake toku Ingoa
Ko Rongowhakaata toku iwi

I grew up in Levin (close to Palmerston North), with 3 brothers in a hunting, farming and forestry family, which accounted for a lot of my childhood. I have mixed Māori/NZ European heritage, however, my mother was adopted at birth, and so while this has had it’s impacts, it’s also given me an additional adopted ancestral family line. I spend my free time going to the gym, spending time with my partner, as well as talking to friends over discord, typically while we play video games together.

Areas of Special Interest

• Coping Skills
• Low Mood and Depression
• Anxiety
• Adjustment following stressful incidents/trauma
• Problem-solving and Decision making
• Relationships
• Personal Growth
• Social Skills

Counselling/Therapy Services

My approach to therapy is spending our time figuring out what can be helpful for you in your life outside of therapy, that is going to help you move towards the goals you have for yourself. I offer both short term and long term therapy work, depending on the needs of whoever I work with; I look to work collaboratively with you in order to achieve a more integrated way of being in the world, and of being able to translate and apply the insights of therapy into ongoing, meaningful actions and experiences of living.

Background and Experience

I began as a counsellor working with children/teens/young adults aged 7-20 in both short and long term therapy in a domestic violence setting, before moving to what has become my primary expertise; brief skills focused interventions for adults aged 18+. This has involved teaching my clients skills to function more effectively in their day to day life. I am currently the clinical lead for the Mental Health & Addictions team at Comprehensive Care, in which I provide clinical oversight for clinicians in this brief intervention space.

In addition, I have also spent the last few years supporting the postgraduate counselling psychology team at AUT, in both a casual and permanent lecturer capacity. This has involved lecturing, supporting dissertations/thesis and academic research publishing, and being a part of examination/interview panels.