Jake Meads – Psychologist

Me

Ko Jake toku Ingoa
Ko Rongowhakaata toku iwi

I live in Auckland, but 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. 

My work has included being a practicing clinician in multiple settings, providing clinical oversight as the clinical lead of the Comprehensive Care PHO’s Mental Health and Addictions programme, and supporting the postgraduate counselling psychology team at AUT, in both a casual and permanent capacity delivering lectures, supporting research, and sitting on examination/interview panels.

Areas of Interest

• Mood concerns – Depression/Anxiety/Stress
• Relationships/ Personal Growth/ Social Skills

This space has been my primary expertise since my registration, in which i have been delivering 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, in which Anxiety/Depression/Stress presentations are common in my work.

• Adjustment following stressful incidents/trauma

My expertise has also extended to working with adjustment difficulties after stress incidents (Work related issues etc.) and trauma. In addition, I also delivered both short and long term intervention as a counsellor in a domestic violence setting in the boys programme, with both those who had been impacted by DV, as well as boys who had committed aggressive acts.

• Gaming issues

As an avid gamer myself, I have an interest in providing effective therapy for individuals/families who are struggling with gaming use. My background in addictions and working with children/teens have provided me with a basis for intervention. I have additionally completed professional development in this area, am linked in to central clinicians in this space, and am committed to increasing my knowledge in this area.

• Working with Māori

As the only current Māori/Male counselling psychologist, working with this population is an interest of mine. This was a specialist area that I lectured in at AUT, and support developing psychologists in this area of cultural competency

• Parents of children with Autism and Autistic communities

I completed my honours and masters dissertation in the field of parents who have children with ASD, published research in this field, and have spoken at Autism NZ events. I have delivered intervention to parents of children with ASD in my time practicing, noticing the huge challenges they face. 

As a natural part of this, i have also supervised research on Autism and psychology, as well as worked with this population clinically.