Jezebel Machado

Kia ora!

I am a registered Clinical Psychologist based on the North Shore, offering psychodynamic therapy to children, adolescents, and adults.

I offer a safe space that is empathic, non-judgmental and confidential in nature and seek to help my clients by building a therapeutic relationship that is supportive, open, and collaborative.

I work with children, adolescents, and adults, as well as the parent-child dyad and families. My approach involves an understanding of underlying unconscious conflicts, and the impact these conflicts have on the person’s emotional well-being, and on interpersonal relationships with family and friends, as well as their relationship with themselves. Therapeutic treatments are person-specific, and therefore devised to suit each client’s current needs.

Psychodynamic therapy for adults and adolescents

I offer an exploratory approach to address internal conflicts and deep-rooted emotional issues. The focus here is on identifying, understanding and processing emotional processes, and understanding the influence of the past (experiences, events, memories) on current feelings and behaviours. The focus is on self-awareness, self-understanding, and personal growth.

Adults and adolescent psychological conditions

I work with a broad range of psychological concerns including (but not limited to):

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
• Relationship difficulties and interpersonal conflict
• Adjustment to life events and stress
• Loss and grief
• Impulse Control

Child play therapy

As adults we are able to communicate our emotions and thoughts through words, and can therefore talk about these in therapy. Children however are not yet able to verbalize their feelings and thoughts in the same way. We therefore use play therapy as a tool for children to express and process their emotions. When children’s distressing emotions are left unprocessed, it can lead to behavioural manifestations, such as aggression, hyperactivity, or social withdrawal. In therapy I therefore aim to identify and validate a child’s emotions, so that the child can better understand their experiences, feel less frightened and confused by them, and can regulate their emotions which in turn modifies their behaviours.

Psychological conditions in children 

I work with a broad range of psychological concerns, including (but not limited to):

• Depression, social withdrawal
• Anxiety, separation anxiety, panic attacks
• ADHD
• Aggression, defiance
• Bullying
• Parent-child relationship issues
• sibling conflict
• Trauma-related conditions
• Adjustment difficulties (due to life changes such as change of school, moving, parents’ divorce, etc.)
• Loss and grief
• Poor self-esteem

Parent-infant therapy

I have a special interest in the parent-child dyad and in supporting parents who wish to nurture and develop the relationship with their infant or toddler. I assist with psychological aspects related to feeding, sleep, communication, and other areas of development. I work with mothers affected by postpartum depression and anxiety, attachment/ bonding difficulties, and parents affected by grief, separation, divorce, and illness.

If you’d like to explore whether my practice could meet your needs, I’d be happy for us to arrange a 15-minute phone call free of charge.

I look forward to hearing from you!