We value building a safe space for meaningful connections and therapy goals to grow. We respect and upholding the shared Māori and Indigenous knowing that people and children are ‘born capable’.

Like many cultures across the Pacific Rim, we value the importance of storytelling and your lived knowledge and experiences. Often times our intervention includes building new stories with language skills and emotional vocabulary or building stories from real experiences and making meaning of these through language and visual communication tools.

Research tells us this is a rich approach to therapy that meets a variety of social communication, mental health, literacy, and language-based goals.

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A wee bit more . . .

Kia ora! I’m Nicole. I hold a Bachelors in Media Communications from Simon Fraser University (Canada) and a Masters in Speech-Language Pathology from University of Canterbury (NZ).

My practice follows evidence-based approaches to care, built on pillars of additional training that includes trauma-informed care, togetherness and teamwork (mahi tahi), and multisensory learning.

My current PhD studies are on autistic language and pre-adolescent mental health.

Planning & organization of information

Personal event narrative language & reminiscent style strategies

Perspective-taking, emotional vocabulary, & problem-solving through narrative/story work

Regulation‍, voice and self-monitoring for communication readiness

Communication & comprehension following significant injury or events (including word-finding)

Neurodivergent preferences, flexibility & social communication

Certified Structured literacy intervention

Childhood apraxia of speech

Collaborative assessment, such as FASD or AS

PD services in school settings or for hire based on specialization topics

After we connect through email and phone, we typically book our first session together. That session is a time of kōrero, hearing your experiences, voice, and communication concerns. Then, we typically move into assessment and/or therapy together.

Assessment
Incredibly useful if you are seeking a diagnosis or a ‘fuller picture’ of how communication impacts you across different tasks and settings. It is also used to ensure meaningful goals and strengths are included in any counselling, recommendations, and therapy time together.

Therapy
Sometimes you may hear this as “rehab therapy” or “speech therapy”, depending on your recovery journey.

Our evidence-based approaches are strength-based, with an emphasis on creatively looking at meaningful communication through language, perspective, and interaction. Certified in Hanen’s More than Words, LEGO® Therapy, and trained in trauma-informed sensory & language approaches (Dr. Karen Treisman)

Setting
Sessions usually take place at our clinic, in shared Psychologist or counsellor sessions, or your child’s kura/school. We also meet at homes if this is more comfortable for your child and meets you both in a space that works best for you.

Session Duration
-30 mins. or 50 mins.
-Structured Literacy: 45mins.

Professional Development
This takes form in coaching, supervision for Kaiako or other health providers, or team-based professional development focusing on key areas of our mahi.