Mayumi Young

Life goes up and down and sometimes it feels daunting. It’s easy to start to feel lost. I work alongside individuals to help them achieve what they want to be, to heal from negative experiences, or to re-engage with hope to move forward.

Counselling services

Seeking counselling feels like a huge step when you’ve got a lot on your mind and especially if you’re not sure how counselling works. Counselling is about you. It’s your opportunity to express your worries, concerns and difficulties in a confidential, non-judgemental space and to organise your thoughts and identify your main concerns. As your counsellor, my role is to support you to increase your knowledge about yourself and to work alongside you to help you work through any issues. I assist you to find or create ways of achieving long-lasting positive change and to strive to reach your goals.

I offer counselling in the following areas:

• coping with uncertainty
• tired with excessive worries and stress
• feeling isolated
• loss of a sense of being yourself or loss of your old self
• negative experience in relationships
• culture related issues such as cross-cultural challenges, adjusting to new cultural environments, inter-cultural relationships, generation gaps, cultural identity
• maternal, birth and postnatal related stress or emotional difficulties
• unexpected life changes 
• personal growth / self-esteem 
• balancing life / understanding boundaries and limits

My counselling approach

My approach to counselling is based on humanistic methods which value therapeutic relationships between the client and counsellor. We will identify what will be helpful, purposeful and meaningful for you in the sessions. I aim to assist you to feel emotionally comfortable and free to express yourself. I focus on your strengths and help you to make positive changes in your life step by step. As a counsellor, I help people in the belief that everyone is valuable and deserves to be cared for in the therapeutic relationship. We work together on your goals, issues and internal growth. 

The method I use may include:

• Person-Centred Therapy
• Narrative Therapy
• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
• Solution-Focused Therapy
• Mindfulness 
• Tihei-Wa Māori Ora
• Te Whare Tapa Wha
• Culturally Diverse Therapy 

Specialised areas of work 

I am specialised in work for cultural minorities such as migrants, international students, refugees, especially Asian, and have experience counselling in multiple languages (Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, English). I am available for advice and support for other helping professionals seeking to develop Asian cultural competency. Please feel free to contact me. 

My counselling work abides by the NZAC code of ethics for quality of standard and safe ethical practice.

Counselling background and experience

I worked in the business industry in Tokyo for over 7 years before moving to Taiwan for new life experiences and to study Chinese and teach Japanese. I have travelled widely in the US, UK, China and Argentina. I came to New Zealand in 2004 and completed my counselling training in 2007 in Wellington. 

I am passionate about working as a counsellor to meet the need for culturally informed practices including providing counselling in Japanese and Mandarin Chinese. I respect biculturalism in Aotearoa New Zealand as part of my acknowledgement of Te tiriti o Waitangi. I have 4 years work experience at community non profit organisations providing counselling services for people affected by gambling harm. I also have worked and volunteered for people experiencing ante-natal, post-natal stress or emotional challenges. I’ve advocated for vulnerable people affected by disadvantageous circumstances. Since beginning counselling work in 2014, my aim has been to empower people to feel connected with their hope and to build up their strength.