Mission & Vision
Mission statement:
To Provide Culturally Responsive Counselling and Promote Community Well-being.
Vision statement:
A Safe Space – Engage, Connect and Thrive
Diversity Counselling New Zealand (DCNZ) is a Charitable Trust, established in September 2013.
We provide professional counselling in English and also in other languages. If we cannot provide a counsellor in your own language, we will try to find one who is familiar with and sensitive to your cultural background.
Purposes of the Trust
- To promote and facilitate environments to accept the diversity of cultures, ethnicities, genders, religions and languages, though supporting people who come from different backgrounds to encourage their agency and dignity.
- To provide professional counselling services to people who have their own unique backgrounds, such as cultures, ethnicities, genders, religions, and languages, in their own language. If it is not possible, a counsellor who is rather familiar with their backgrounds will provide this service.
- To provide various activities to promote better mental health conditions among people from their own unique backgrounds, for example, educational courses, workshops, group works, and individual consultations.
- To promote awareness and understandings among helping professions on various issues which people from different backgrounds have, and otherwise which might not be heard, therefore might not even exist.
Mission Statement:
To Provide Culturally Responsive Counselling and Promote Community Well-being.
Vision Statement:
A Safe Space – Engage, Connect and Thrive
Values:
Integrity; Sensitivity; Community focused; Dignity; Social justice
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Our services
Professional Counselling and Family Support for Migrants and Former Refugees, and Various Programmes
Family Well-Being Programmes
This Programme covers (1) self-care, (1) self-esteem & confidence, (2) self- awareness, (3) communication skills, (4) development of people’s social network, (5) promotion of counselling, and so on. All aspects of the programmes will contribute to foster clients’ psychological well-being.
Tree of Life Workshops
The Tree of Life is a hopeful and inspiring approach to working with children, young people and adults who have experienced hard times such as trauma, civil war, and abuse.
Bridging the Gap Seminars
Seminars for Professionals and Community Leaders who work with migrants and former refugees.
For you to talk about your story from your point of view
What is Counselling?
Counselling is a talk …
- with a professionally trained person
- which is strictly private and confidential
- to discuss your goals, issues, difficulties, etc
- for individuals, couples, families or groups
Counselling is often about ...
- Settlement in NZ, Life Transitions, Family Matters, Parenting, Personal Matters, Relationship Matters, Studying & Working in NZ, Matters related to your cultures, custom,traditions, beliefs, identity, etc
Counselling Fees
- Discounted rates are available for refugees, immigrants, and people with a Community Services Card. Please contact us for further information.
Coordinators and Counsellors
Offers Counselling in Tamil and English
(Call her on 021-068-9683)
- Bachelor of Applied Social Science (Counselling)
- Member of NZAC
- Registerd Nurse in Sri Lanka
Vanisri Mills (MNZAC)
Manager & Counsellor021-068-9683
Offers Counselling in Japanese and English
(Call her on 021-069-0223)
- Bachelor of Applied Social Science (Counselling)
- Member of NZAC
- Registered Nurse in Japan
Kaoru Tsukigi (MNZAC)
Counsellor and Financial Assistant021-069-0223
Offers Counselling in English and Korean
(Call her on 021-0861-7310)
- Master of Counselling at University of Waikato
- Bachelor of Social Science (Human Development, Japanese) at the
University of Waikato - Worked at Student Counselling Centre at University of Waikato
- Counselling at Problem Gambling Foundation (Asian Family Services)
- Counselling at Waikato Korean Association in NZ
- Member of NZAC
- NZAC Committee member-Waikato Branch
Sunjin Heo (MNZAC)
Organisations coordinator & Counsellor021-0861-7310
Offers Community Work for Chinese Communitiy
- Bachelor of Applied Social Science (Counselling)
- Teaching Experience in Microbiology and Immunology in China
Freda Xia
Chinese Coordinator
Offers pychotherapy & life coaching in English, Hungarian, and German
- PhD in Psychology (University of Waikato)
- PGDip in Clinical Psychology
- Dipl. in Applied Maori Health & Coexisting Disorders
- Diploma in Life Coaching
- Certificate in Refugee Resettlement Support (NZ)
- Member of NZ Association of Positive Psychology
- Member of NZ Psychological Society
Dr. Adrienna Ember
Clinical Psychologist
I am a clinical psychologist originally from India. I have been practising in NZ for four years as a clinical psychologist. I follow CBT approach along with ACT and solution focused practices. I can speak Hindi and Bengali apart from English.
Aditi Podder
Pyschologist
I am a counselling student at Waikato Institute of Technology in Hamilton and I am a Buddhist monk originally from Sri Lanka. I have more than 30 years of religious and community work experience as a traditional religious counsellor. I practice meditation and yoga with the intention on developing kindness and compassion. I have also been leading a community meditation center by providing personal and family guidance to the community. As my overseas experience, I have lived and worked in the USA and New Zealand for 17 years as a Buddhist Minister.
Metteyya Dunuvila
Counsellor
Offers Counselling and Supervision in Japanese and English
(Call him on 021-362-2174)
- Masters in Counselling, Waikato University
- Member of NZAC
- Japanese Society of Certified Clinical Psychologists (JSCCP)
- Narrative Practice and Coresearch Centre in Japan
- Personal Website (NFACR.NET)
Kou Kunishige (MNZAC)
Counsellor and Communications Coordinator022-362-2174
Board of Trustees
Jenny Field has worked as an adult ESOL / literacy teacher for many years, having been a primary teacher earlier in her career. Her interest in language learning and teaching developed after becoming part of a team re-settling former refugees in Hamilton.
She has been working in the community, coordinating and managing at English Language Partners Waikato, and is currently ESOL teaching and researching at Wintec, after completing study in Applied Linguistics at the University of Waikato. Jenny has spent time overseas teaching both in Papua New Guinea and more recently in Timor-Leste as a volunteer with Volunteer Service Abroad.
Jenny Field
Chairperson
Steven Donald has been involved in English language teaching for over 20 years. His interest in helping people from different and diverse backgrounds stems from his childhood. His father took his family in the 1970’s to live in the Solomon Islands for a while. This started his interest in helping people from different countries and cultures. After he graduated from university, he travelled to Japan as a language teacher and stayed there for 16 years. He met his wife there and returned to New Zealand in 2010 where he aims to finish his education with a PhD from Waikato University.
He enjoys working with people from a variety of backgrounds and ethnicities. Being asked to be involved in DCNZ has allowed him to bring his experience and background to help others. Also, he finds he is learning a lot from the other Board members and counsellors.
Steven Donald
Vice-Chairperson
Dr Barnard is an associate professor of applied linguistics at the University of Waikato. Over a long career, he has taught and/or researched in many countries in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. His main interests lie in the classroom interactions between teachers and students for whom English is not their first language, and the beliefs and values they bring to the teaching/learning contexts in which they work. As a result of his lived experiences in many places, he has learned a great deal about the diversity of cultures and people.
Roger Barnard
Trustee
Jo de Lisle is currently manager of English Language Partners Waikato. Coming to New Zealand from the UK as an immigrant in 1985 with previous ESOL and general teaching experience from England and Thailand she has worked in the fields of ESOL teaching, research, management and governance in New Zealand since 1986.
She is mainly involved with how agencies and individuals can work together to encourage respect, recognition and involvement between people of migrant and refugee backgrounds who settle in New Zealand and the local communities who receive them. She has learned to recognise the importance of social inclusion and the great value of cultural diversity in creating vibrant communities now and in the future.
Jo de Lisle
Trustee
Journalist, broadcaster, background in Northland and Waikato refugee resettlement, domestic violence intervention, interests in youth hostelling, cycling
Melvan Earle Driscoll
Secretary
After theological training and study at the University of Otago, Richard studied counselling and pastoral care for a year at the University of Birmingham, UK, and social ethics at Union Theological Seminary, Richmond, Virginia, USA. Twenty years of parish ministry and industrial chaplaincy followed - in Picton, Wellington and Hamilton.
Later in life, Richard studied Applied Linguistics at the University of Waikato. Since 2001 Richard has worked as a tutor in English language at Wintec. Richard has travelled and taught in a number of countries, including China, South Korea and North Korea. He is co-chairperson of the NZ ROK (South Korea) Friendship Society. He is intensely interested in language and communication, literature, music and running.
Richard Lawrence
Trustee
Kaoru’s qualification is in Bachelor of Applied Social Science (Counselling) and she is a Member of NZAC
She has 14 years’ experience of being a registered nurse, mostly in Japan, where she worked in a psychiatric hospital for several years. This gave her the intense interest in working with and understanding issues of personal and social well-being and marginalisation.
She arrived in New Zealand in 1998 with a desire to broaden her personal and professional horizons. This gave her first-hand knowledge of adapting to life in another country, and this motivated her to obtain her degree in counselling.
Seeing the need for support and having the passion and the experience of being a migrant, she became one of the four co-founders starting Diversity Counselling NZ. Kaoru worked as a volunteer to start with and has continued working and helping in the community with migrants and former refugees.
She commenced and continues with therapy that respects the co-dependent relationship between mind, body, spirit and environment, taking into account cultural backgrounds and individual life histories - a holistic healing journey.
Kaoru Tsukigi
Trustee
Komala Pather is a clinical psychologist who currently works for Waikato District Health Board in Adult Mental Health. She has experience working in the Specialist Eating Disorder area, Child and Adolescent Mental Services and has also worked with individuals with Intellectual Disabilities and Autism. Komala came to New Zealand 22 years ago as a teacher of Science and Biology, but always had a passion to be a psychologist, so trained at Waikato University completing Masters and Post Graduate Studies in Psychology.
She values cultural diversity, inclusion and social equity and has worked with community groups in South Africa towards reducing racial discrimination and promoting social justice. Being migrant and Komala understand the challenges faced by migrants and refugees who relocate to a new country. This prompted her to volunteer in various roles at community organisations within the ethnic community in Hamilton.
She joined the DCNZ Board a year ago as a way of sharing her clinical knowledge and skills to strengthen the DCNZ team. Komala has a passion for working with ethnic people, particularly women and children (most vulnerable) with a focus on promoting health and wellbeing and assisting them to thrive.
Komala Pather
Trustee
Inoka Abhayawardena
Financial Assistant
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