Holistic Wellbeing

Assessment & Therapy

Are you seeking psychological assistance for stress, anxiety, burnout or emotional overwhelm?

Struggling with your psychological health at some stage over your lifespan has become the norm not the exception in our modern society. Approximately one in four Kiwis will experience anxiety or depression concerns each year and at least 1 in 9 are prescribed medication for depression or anxiety (and 1 in 6 women). In addition to the chronic stress and depletion of the modern lifestyle and our rapidly shifting world, many people also live with the lingering effects of poor attachment and adverse childhood experiences which can impact their physical and psychological well-being via the gut-brain axis.

Chronic stress and anxiety directly affect the physical body and vice versa; your nutrition and lifestyle practices influence how you think, feel, relate and behave. Chronic lasting stress can also drive bodily symptoms through health concerns such as irritable bowel syndrome, food intolerances, hormonal health concerns, autoimmunity, and deep fatigue, as well as affecting your personal and professional relationships. Depletion from repeated episodes of chronic stress can entrench a vicious cycle that keeps you stuck in the cycle of stress and can be difficult to step out of again.

An integrative approach can help you to join the dots of your physical and mental health to reset holistically from chronic stress and revive your health and psychological well-being. An Integrative assessment with Dr Karen Faisandier provides an in-depth clinical psychology assessment focused on understanding what is happening for you and what you’d like to change, explores potential gut health, nutritional and lifestyle contributions to your psychological concerns - and finishes with a brief personalised plan that will guide you with steps you can choose from to restore your psychological wellbeing.

Working with Dr Karen is most likely to be right for you if you are an adult (18+) living in New Zealand, if you have both physical health and mental health concerns, if you have an openness to holistic (nutritional and lifestyle) approaches to health, and if you are feeling ready to start taking action on your current concerns about your health and psychological wellbeing. Reading through some of the articles Karen has written may help with getting a sense of how she works and her approach in advance of booking an initial assessment consultation.

Woman with a psychologist

Assessment & Therapy Info

  • The assessment involves an in-depth 75 minute in-person consultation that includes:

    • Building a safe and collaborative relationship

    • A discussion of your concerns, strengths, goals and potential barriers to change

    • A timeline of your mental health journey and any recent changes to your functioning

    • A consideration of your physical health timeline and any current symptoms 

    • An assessment of your daily nutritional and lifestyle practices

    • Review of specific blood tests pertaining to mental health (optional)

    • Brief forms to clarify further details and to track change over time

    • Feedback provided at the end of the assessment and guidance on where to from here

    For some people, the assessment process is best completed over more than one appointment. Some concerns take time to gain a full understanding of and occasionally your consent to liaise with your GP or another health specialist may be requested.

  • After the comprehensive assessment is completed you can expect:

    • Links to learn more about relevant evidence-based therapy recommendations for concerns such as panic attacks, anxiety or mood concerns, or attachment and traumatic stress concerns (e.g., ACT and other mindfulness-based therapies, DBT, EMDR)

    • Suggested nutritional modifications for stress/energy support and emotional well-being - including dietary change and nutritional supplementation options

    • Lifestyle recommendations to implement to address your presenting concerns (e.g., sleep, breathing, movement, etc)

    • Access to purchase practitioner-only products for mental health or guidance on suitable over-the-counter options

    • An estimate of how many therapy consultations may be needed to address your specific goals

    After the assessment, it’s usually recommended to have at least one more follow-up consultation with Dr Karen to work through any of the recommendations together.

    However, if either you or Dr Karen feel this service is not the right match for you then other options will be suggested. Finding the right therapist match is the most important part of ongoing therapy and can take meeting with more than one person.

  • Follow-up therapy consultations are 50 minutes long and can be held in person or online. They are designed to help you work through and implement the assessment recommendations.

    Therapy sessions are different to assessment and involve different things depending on what you’ll be working on and what type of therapy you are using.

    During most therapy consultations:

    • You will review progress since the last session - what’s been working, what’s been challenging, how symptoms are changing (getting better or getting worse) and you’ll create an agenda of what to focus on next.

    • You’ll often be learning about and engaging in some practical strategies to target your specific concerns.

    • You may want the chance to talk about some things that have come up since the last session.

    • At the end of each appointment, some resources may be suggested and you may set up some next steps to be working on at home in-between sessions.

    • We’ll constantly be checking that the service is effective for you and if not will consider other options together.

Pricing:

  • Comprehensive Assessment (75 minutes) is $330 (Inc GST) and includes recommendations. Please note that pre-payment of your first appointment is required to confirm the booking.

  • Therapy Consultation (50 minutes) is $220 (Inc GST). Payment is due on the day of your appointment by Eftpos or online banking.

Assessment Booking Enquiry

Dr Karen is currently accepting new clients for 2024 and usually has a wait time of 4-8 weeks for initial assessment consultations.

Contact us confidentially to find out more information and to book an initial assessment with Dr Karen Faisandier and we will either email you or give you a call. Please let us know your preferred method of communication and the best time of day to reach you.

Dr Karen is not available for ACC work. Visit Find Support if you are looking for an ACC-funded therapist.

Please see the FAQ section of the website for any questions you have and if you do not receive a receipt message please check your spam folder.

Existing Client Bookings

This online booking portal is available for existing clients who have already had a login set up. Inside the portal, you can create and reschedule online bookings at your own convenience. If you have trouble logging in or finding an appointment time that works please contact our office.