Patricia Pataki

Areas of Special Interest

• Anxiety and Depression
• Child & Adolescent Psychotherapy
• Relationship issues
• Childhood Trauma
• Issues with Self-Esteem and Self-Confidence
• Autism/Asperger’s Syndrome

Psychotherapy and Counselling Services

I am a registered Psychotherapist offering short-term and long-term psychotherapy for children, young people and adults. I am able to provide safe and effective therapy, whether you have a diagnosis (such as depression, ADHD etc.) or not.

I offer a safe, non-judgmental and confidential environment to enable my clients to work through any presenting difficulties.

Counselling/Therapy Approach

My approach to working in therapy relies mainly on psychodynamic theories: meaning that I believe that our early experiences (such as those encountered during our childhood and adolescence) have a significant impact on us.

We may search for patterns in your life in order to understand what may be causing and perpetuating your problems. In long-term therapy it is crucial that you come to trust me to share these often very personal memories and experiences.

In line with existential philosophy, I have a deep respect for our human capacity to make choices and to be autonomous – I will not make any decisions for you, nor will I pursue a set agenda during our sessions.
I help my clients get the most out of their therapy by offering an alternative, neutral perspective; giving them the space to reflect and come to decisions in their own time.

I believe that the relationship between therapist and client (the “therapeutic relationship”) is an important part of what makes therapy effective. Therefore I take earning and preserving my clients’ trust very seriously. 

My Approach to Working with Children/Adolescents

My approach to working with children and young people is an integration of Play therapy, Art therapy and Relational (Attachment-based) Psychotherapy. I offer individual therapy sessions for children/young people, while working with parents/whanau in separate sessions (in so-called ‘Parent Consultation sessions’). 

When working with a child/young person, my primary aim is to help my young clients explore, express and process potentially difficult or disturbing emotions; by making these feelings more manageable through the use of art/play materials and/or story-telling, within the safe space of the therapy.

For further information, please contact me directly.