About Angela

About Angela

Pepe'a

Tēnā koutou

Ko Tenemāka, ko Tiamana, ko Airani me Ingarangi, ngā

w'akapaparanga mai

Engari

Ko Taranaki te maunga nānā au i w'akaruru'au

I tipu ake au I te ta'a o ngā awa o Te Ana-a-Wai me Ōpi'i

Ko Waita'a ki te Tonga te w'enua tupu

Ko te pāmu o Glenfield te kāinga

Nō Pleasant Point au

Ko Roberts tōku whānau

Nō reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tatou katoa.

My BACKGROUND

I was born and bred in a small South Island rural town in Aotearoa/New Zealand.  I grew up in a farming community which installed in me the love for nature and the sea.  I now live and work in Taranaki, Aotearoa/New Zealand having travelled the country from top to bottom several times over in a housebus with my children.  I have navigated grief, divorce, desconstruction of religious idealisms, all as part of my individuation journey.

I honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi as the founding document of Aotearoa.  I recognise mātauranga Māori and mātauranga Iwi as taonga.  I respect this whenua and recognise my privilege here as a Pākehā, acknowledging the complexities that tangata whenua navigate in Aotearoa to regain tino rangatiratanga.   I treasure my ongoing formal learning journey with Te Reo Māori (He Pī Ka Rere 2025 ki Ngāmotu Wharekura, Level 3 & 4 with Te Wānanga o Aotearoa).

I am a participant of sex positive communities and friends with those that navigate various relationship configurations.  I highly value and advocate for each person to develop and celebrate their own sexual identity and orientation.  I acknowledge the intersectional challenges of sexuality in populations with disability, neurodiversity, gender diversity, cultural and religious controls, and gender inequality amongst many others.

My strengths are creating safe, inclusive space.  I enjoy gentle humour where appropriate, to ease the journey.  I gently challenge and support people with my compassionate strength to dig deep and to face fear, shame, and pain, in order to transform and bring about lasting freedom and change.

MY Qualifications

I am a Sexologist, (PGDip Sexol, Curtain University, Perth, Australia), a registered Occupational Therapist (NZROT, Otago Polytechnic), and a qualified Sex and Relationship Therapist (see approaches utilised below).  I am also well versed in understanding the medical model so I comfortably liaise in this space having worked in primary, secondary and specialist levels, however, my focus and expertise are utilising a holistic and therapeutic approach to address each persons relationship and sexual concerns.  I am a member of my professional associations, both nationally and internationally, and am actively involved in regular supervision, and continuing professional development to keep abreast evolving information.

Therapeautic approaches used

My upmost priority is that you feel safe and heard.  I utilise a trauma informed intersystem approach and as an integrative therapist I combine various approaches to reach the desired outcome and goals you have.  I draw from a large array of theories, models and frameworks due to wide training in Occupational Therapy, Sexuality, Cultural Trainings, Trauma and Attachment, Brief Intervention Behavioural Change and, Talking Therapies.

I provide therapy around sexuality, relationships, gender, behaviour change, mental health & trauma. I am also an Educator on the topic of healthy relationships, menstrual cycle awareness, menarche and menopause, and offer sexual health & pleasure education in the community.

People will attend relationship or sex therapy for a multitude of reasons and to address a number of different issues.  For example, I work with people to resolve; communication breakdowns, lack of knowledge of how to move through difficult situations, trauma and childhood adverse situations affecting patterns of behaviour, difficulties regulating self, and lack of fulfilment in relationship.  Also, sexual difficulties both organic and psychogenic, processing the aftermath of affairs, sexual difficulties adjusting to changes of identity, loss related to life stages, and desires to improve 'sex life' intimacy and connection.

Examples of some of the approaches I am trained in are:

  • Biopsychosocial Approach/Psychobiosocial Approach (McCarthy Koman & Cohn, 2018)
  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
  • The Bader Pearson Developmental Model for Relationships - Attachment, Differentiation, and Neuroscience
  • Gottman Method Couples Therapy:
  • - completion of Level 1 Training in Gottman Method Couples Therapy.
  • - completion of Treating Affairs and Trauma - Gottman Institute.
  • The Occupational Therapy Sexual Assessment Framework (OTSAF)
  • Neurodiversity, including Autism and ADHD Approaches
  • Polyamory Approaches ie Martha Kauppi's work
  • Trauma Informed Practice
  • Strengths Based Approach
  • Pae Tata Pae Tawhiti Approach - Applying Māori principles and practices in brief and early intervention for mental health and substance use concerns.
  • Transtheoretical Approach
  • Social Learning Theory, Cognitive Developmental Theory, Gender Schema Theory, Neurophysiological Theory, Social Constructivism
  • Femenome/ Menstrual Cycle Awareness/360° Approach/Natural Fertility Management/Eco-feminism
  • Compassionate Communication
  • Mindfulness
  • Sensory Integration and Emotional Regulation
  • Sensate Focus
  • Homeplay Exercises

My Approach

Your sexual choices and orientation are respected in a safe and judge free environment.  I utilise expertise to guide and facilitate you whilst acknowledging you are the expert and master of your own experience.

I work with individuals, and relationships of various configurations.  I identify as a CIS gender, (she/her), Pakehā, sex positive heterosexual.  I offer a rainbow friendly and allied space.  My Sexology training enables me to have constructively examined my biases, identify my edges and acknowledge my privileges and shortcomings.  I celebrate the spectrum of gender and sexual diversity.  All gender expressions, sexual orientations & relationship styles are welcome. I may not walk in your shoes and my identity/preferences may not reflect yours however, with openess and respect I will happily and comfortably discuss with you your unique sexual identity, expressions, experiences, kinks and fetishs.

I work in partnership with you and I ask that you share the language and understanding that reflects your experience of the world.  As has been known to happen with gender and sexual diversity the 'burden of educating the therapist' can fall on the client.  I believe it is important this burden does not occur.  I am committed to the ongoing upskilling and professional development and readily accept this responsibility.