Rob Hunter

- Registered Psychotherapist
- Graduate Diploma in Psychotherapy (AUT, Auckland)
- Master of Arts (Maori Studies, Auckland, University)
- Bachelor of Arts (Social Anthropology, Otago University)

After leaving secondary school I enrolled in a Bachelor of Arts degree in Dunedin majoring in social anthropology, upon completion of this study I went to Auckland University and completed a Master of Arts degree majoring in Maori studies. In between completing my Masters degree in Anthropology and starting psychotherapy training I worked as a residential social worker and tradesman.

I later completed the Graduate Diploma in Psychotherapy at AUT Auckland. And, over the past four years I have been working clinically with refugees.

- LRCP MRCS DPhil

Patte trained in psychiatry and is now retired from clinical practice after working for over 30 years in the NZ mental health service. She was born in England, completed her doctorate in Psychology at the University of Sussex and later graduated as a medical doctor at the Middlesex Hospital Medical School, London, in 1980. After coming to New Zealand more than 40 years ago, she spent 2 enriching years working at a small rural hospital and outlying GP clinics. Her specialist interest was in working with people with so-called ‘treatment refractory psychotic illness’, a term with which she was never enamoured, always believing it was the medical approach that was refractory.

Along with Dr Josephine Stanton, she has published qualitative research based on talking with doctors who became patients of psychiatrists, their loved ones, and psychiatrists who have doctors as patients.

Patte has lived experience of recovery from psychosis, and has told her story publicly in many contexts, including her recently published book, "Finding Hope in the Lived Experience of Psychosis: Reflections on Trauma, Use of Power, and Revisioning Psychiatry" (Randal P & Stanton J, Routledge 2022).

She has also published research describing an effective multimodal psychotherapeutic approach developed to support people who experience extreme states. Her understanding of psychosis is partly informed by her personal experience. As a result of her research, she created a person-centred, recovery-focused training course for staff at Buchanan Rehabilitation Centre and was then invited to train clinicians in all mental health disciplines using this approach, including post-graduates at Auckland University of Technology and University of Auckland. She subsequently co-authored the ‘Re-covery Model’ (for links to Patte's publications see https://profiles.auckland.ac.nz/pran032/publications).

Following on from this The Gift Box emerged. This is a collaboratively created educational resource that can be used to help facilitate self-understanding, resilience, and wellbeing for all. It can be used with individuals, in groups, with families and couples. It was successfully field trialled in Waikato DHB, and a wider implementation project is underway. The University of Auckland computer science department is currently digitalising The Gift Box. Patte is passionate about making these valuable resources available as widely as possible.

Patte was a founding member of the New Zealand Christian Counsellors Association.

Patte continues to teach post-graduate clinicians. In a train-the-trainers role, she enjoys co-facilitating non-clinician lived-experience groups based on The Gift Box, and is available to work with couples, families and groups in collaboration with Rob Hunter, psychotherapist.