Auckland
Counselling Psychologist
Phoenix Norden is one of our Auckland Consultants
I am a registered Counselling Psychologist working in private practice in Auckland, seeing clients both face-to-face and online. I am currently in training with Sex Therapy New Zealand and have worked with both individual and couple clients presenting with a range of struggles within the area of sex such as desire, rebuilding after infidelity, sexual pain, sexual intimacy, and sexual identity.
I am passionate about working with clients to make sense of what they think, feel, and want in terms of sex and intimacy, and support them in communicating this to their partner(s). Or in the case of working with more than one person in the room, support them to collaboratively and respectfully cocreate the sexual/intimate landscape they want to have.
I take a client-centred, holistic approach to therapy, with each session being tailored to you and your presenting needs. I provide a confidential and non-judgemental environment and with my authenticity and warmth, aim to create a strong therapeutic relationship to assist clients in feeling safe to bring their genuine selves to therapy and work through what is important to them.
I utilise the Developmental model of working with relationships as well as incorporating skills from other modalities such as ACT, CBT or DBT to assist clients in reaching their therapeutic goals.
My fee is $250.00 including GST per 50-minute session. Please also be aware that once made, appointments not kept or cancelled with less than 24 hours’ notice will be charged. This service is only available to people who are in New Zealand at the time of the consult or to New Zealanders overseas.
Registered Psychologist
Emily West is one of our Auckland Consultants
Welcome, I’m Emily West
Sexuality, intimacy, and relationships can be deeply rewarding, but they can also bring pain, confusion, and emotional overwhelm, especially when health challenges or past experiences get in the way. My role is to provide a safe, respectful, and non-judgmental space where you can explore your experiences, build confidence, and find ways forward that truly work for you.
I am a psychologist and sex therapist, having supported many people navigating sexuality, sexual pain, chronic pain, intimacy challenges, health conditions and the emotional impact these can have. My approach is holistic, grounded in the biopsychosocial model, and draws on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Acceptance Commitment Therapy, tailored to your unique needs, because every person’s story is different. (Please note: I currently offer individual therapy, not couples therapy.)
How Can I Support You
I work with people facing:
Painful sex (including endometriosis, vaginismus, vulvodynia, and pelvic pain)
Changes in desire or arousal
Building sexual confidence and self-esteem
Communication challenges
Navigating the impact of chronic pain or health conditions on sexuality
Healing from Trauma and its effect on sex and relationships
What Can You Expect in Therapy?
A safe, inclusive space where you can be open without fear of judgment. I use evidence-based strategies to help you meet your goals and an approach that values compassion, collaboration, and your whole wellbeing. We will go at a pace that feels right for you.
Sessions
$210 per 50-minute session (incl. GST). Appointments cancelled with less than 24 hours’ notice, or not attended, will be charged in full. Sessions are available in person (North Shore, Auckland) and online to people in New Zealand.
Your Path Forward
Whether you’re looking to reduce pain, rediscover pleasure, strengthen communication or navigate the challenges that come with intimacy, therapy can be a place to start. The first step is simply reaching out to explore what therapy could look like and whether it feels right for you. If you’re curious, I’d love to hear from you.
Emily West
Counselling Psychologist
Ria Tsai is one of our Auckland Consultants
I am a counselling psychologist based in Central Auckland, seeing clients online at present. I have worked in a variety of mental health settings specializing in depression, anxiety, addictions, neurodiversity, sexual harm, trauma and relationship issues.
I am passionate in supporting my clients to develop a healthy sexual identity and form satisfying intimate relationships. I help clients explore their unique journey of sexuality development, and to:
· Learn the necessary elements for healthy sexual functioning
· Identify deeper sexual desires and barriers/factors influencing their current ideas and behaviours around sex
· Change their thoughts, feelings, and mind-body connection to improve sexual satisfaction and intimacy.
The foundation of my therapy work draws on attachment theory, schema work and the developmental model for couples. I utilize different therapy approaches to best suit the presenting issue and needs of my clients, including CBT, ACT, DBT and trauma processing.
My fee is $200 (incl gst) per session. Please also be aware that once made, appointments not kept or cancelled with less than 24 hours’ notice will be charged. This service is only available to people who are in New Zealand at the time of the consult or to New Zealanders overseas.
Clinical Psychologist
Linee is one of our Central Auckland Consultants
I am a clinical psychologist specialising in sex and relationship therapy, working with individuals and couples who want more connection, fulfilment, and aliveness in their intimate lives. I’m based in Ellerslie, Auckland and also offer online sessions.
I am drawn to this work because I have seen the difference meaningful change in this area can make. When sex shifts from something tense, avoided, or uncertain to something more open and satisfying, the impact on connection, wellbeing, and life satisfaction is often significant.
Who I Work With
I work with individuals and couples across many stages of their lives and relationships. This includes partners who feel they have “lost the spark,” who describe themselves as more like flatmates than lovers, or who are navigating changes in desire, intimacy, or connection.
I also support individuals and couples facing sexual functioning concerns, differences in desire, intimacy challenges, or questions about identity and relationship structure.
I offer an inclusive and affirming space for people of all sexual identities and relationship configurations, including monogamous and consensually non-monogamous relationships.
My Approach
As a therapist, I bring warmth and steadiness, along with clarity and direction when needed. We work collaboratively and at a pace that feels manageable, exploring sexual concerns not only as physical difficulties but as part of your wider emotional and relational world.
My aim is to create a space where conversations about sex can feel safe, respectful, and free from judgement, and to support you in building a sex life and relationship that feel more authentic, pleasurable, and connected.
Fees
My fee is $200 (incl. GST) per 50-minute individual session and $230 (incl. GST) per 50-minute couples session. Late cancellations and missed appointments are charged at the full session fee.
Registered Counsellor
Sunitha is one of our Northwest Auckland Consultants
I’m Sunitha, a certified trauma, relationship, and sex therapist, and an ACC sexual abuse/ sensitive claims practitioner.
Sexuality, intimacy, and relationships can be sources of deep connection and meaning, and they can also be places where people feel confused, distressed, or emotionally overwhelmed. This is especially true when past experiences, trauma, or ongoing life challenges affect how safe, connected, or at ease we feel with ourselves, our bodies or with ( intimate) relationships with others.
My work offers a calm, respectful, and non-judgmental space where you can explore what you’re experiencing, make sense of it, and begin to find ways forward that feel supportive and right for you.
How I Work
My work sits at the intersection of trauma therapy, relationship therapy, and sex therapy. I support individuals, partners, and couples across diverse relationship structures, including people exploring sexual identity, sexuality, gender identity, and experiences of transitioning.
Sexual concerns are rarely just about sex. They are often shaped by how the nervous system responds to safety and threat, how we relate to ourselves and others, and how past experiences influence intimacy, desire, and communication. By working across these overlapping areas, therapy can address the fuller picture of what is happening for you.
Difficulties with desire, intimacy, communication, or connection are understood not as personal failures, but as understandable responses shaped by life experience, relationships, and the body’s learning around safety and closeness.
Areas I Support
I work with people who are navigating:
• Desire and arousal concerns
• Differences in sexual desire within relationships
• Sexual identity and sexuality, including exploration, questioning, and change
• Gender identity and experiences of transitioning
• The impact of trauma on sex, intimacy, and relationships
• Communication, boundaries, and consent
• Feeling disconnected from the body or unsure of needs
• Chronic Pain and Disease
• Relationship strain linked to intimacy or emotional closeness, and cultural and religious issues
What Therapy With Me Can Feel Like
Our work together is collaborative and paced with care. We slow things down and gently explore what is happening for you — in your body, your emotions, and your relationships. Many people find that as they become clearer about what they need and more able to express boundaries and consent, they feel steadier in difficult conversations and more connected with themselves and with others.
Therapy is not about fixing or forcing change, but about building understanding, safety, and choice over time.
Practical Details
I offer sessions in person and online. My practice is based in Whenuapai, Auckland, and is easily accessible from the North Shore, Central Auckland, and West Auckland.
Sessions are $175 (GST incl) for a 60-minute appointment. Appointments cancelled with less than 24 hours’ notice, or not attended, are charged in full.
Considering Therapy
Starting therapy doesn’t require certainty or having everything worked out. It can simply be a place to pause, to be met with care, and to begin understanding yourself and your relationships in a new way. As such, I offer a free 20 minute introduction session to further explore working together to support your needs and hopes for the relationship with yourself and others that you are wanting.
Dr
D. Clin.Psy, B.Sc (Hons), C.Psyc. PG Dip. CAT, MNZCCP, MNZPsS
Dr Ally Waite is our Regional Director and one of our Auckland consultants
As regional director, I am responsible for all clinical practice in the central and North Auckland area and in Northland. It is my job to direct you to the therapist who is most suitable for your needs. We have several excellent therapists operating in central Auckland.
I am in private practice in Parnell offering therapy for emotional and sexual intimacy difficulties . I completed Advanced Sex Therapy training when I first arrived in New Zealand and I now teach the courses which are now available through the Goodfellow Unit at Auckland University.
I trained in the UK in Cognitive Analytic Therapy, a relational model of therapy and my practice is strongly informed by models of lifespan development and attachment. I also offer general psychological assessment and treatment, supervision and training and I have a particular interest in working with people where trauma is part of the picture.
I enjoy working with older people and issues of later life, indeed my background is in working with adults and older people presenting with severe and enduring mental health difficulties.
My fee is $260.00inc GST. Please also be aware that once made, appointments not kept or cancelled with less than 24 hours’ notice will be charged. This service is only available to people who are in New Zealand at the time of the consult or to New Zealanders overseas.
Counselling Psychologist
Katie Hayden is one of our Senior Auckland Consultants
I am a counselling psychologist, based in Ellerslie working face-to-face and online. I have ten years clinical experience. I work with Sex Therapy New Zealand and have worked previously with clients who experience chronic pain, sexual pain and other sexual difficulties. Additionally, I have worked in the area of gender-affirming healthcare. These jobs led me to train through STNZ to broaden my scope of practice. I am trained in the bio-psychosocial model and also use ACT and attachment-based approaches in therapy.
I am particularly interested in working with people whose sex education has left them ‘in the dark’ about their own bodies and desires, including those with religious backgrounds.
I am passionate about working with clients to make sense of what they think, feel and want in terms of sex and intimacy, and I support them in communicating this to their important other(s). I provide a confidential and non-judgemental environment to ensure my clients feel safe exploring what is important to them.
My fee is $220.00 per 50-minute session for individual consults and $240.00 per 50-minute session for couples. Please also be aware that once made, appointments not kept or cancelled with less than 24 hours’ notice will be charged..This service is only available to people who are in New Zealand at the time of the consult or to New Zealanders overseas.
Registered Counselor
Melisa Cane is one of our Senior Consultants
I am a Registered Counsellor working nationally on Zoom. I decided that I wanted to specialize in Relationship and Sex Therapy at the early stages of my career and decided to train with Sex Therapy New Zealand and join the team. I qualified as a therapist in New Zealand and based my final research project on the History of Sexuality Education In Aotearoa. I am a member of the New Zealand Association of Counsellors.
My background is diverse, and I like to draw from different schools of thought, such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Emotionally Focused Therapy, Mindfulness, Person-centred Therapy, Acceptance Commitment Therapy, and Attachment Theory. My approach to sexuality and well-being is holistic, non-judgemental and uniquely tailored to all my clients and their needs. I am passionate about empowering my clients to live fulfilling, truthful, healthy and fun sex lives.
I provide individual and relationship therapy for various sexual and emotional issues. I love working with people from diverse backgrounds, cultures, sexualities and walks of life, including members from the Rainbow, Kink and ENM communities. I like to form an alliance with my clients to help them achieve their goals and dreams and better understand their feelings, thought patterns, life experiences and environments and how those elements might influence their sexual lives and relationships.
My fee is $200.00 inc GST, per 50 minute session. Please also be aware that once made, appointments not kept or cancelled with less than 24 hours’ notice will be charged. This service is only available to people who are in New Zealand at the time of the consult or to New Zealanders overseas.
Registered Clinical Psychologist
Paula Dennan is a Director, Trainer and Senior Therapist
I work in Central Auckland in Parnell and offer online consultations. I have over 30 years of clinical experience, completing Advanced Sex Therapy training in 2005. enjoy working with both individuals and relationships focussing on emotional and sexual relationship/ intimacy issues. I believe each person has a unique history of experiences and skills influencing their thinking, feelings and behaviour. I enjoy working collaboratively to develop therapy goals and new possibilities towards these goals.
I also provide consultancy for various personal and clinical issues (e.g. mood disorders - anxiety and depression, grief, and emotional and/or sexual trauma, which can also impact healthy sexual functioning).
I teach and supervise therapists in sex therapy and relationship therapy skills, enabling me to support our therapist and allied professional community.
My fee is $250 + GST ($287.50 incl gst), per 50-minute session. Please also be aware that once made, appointments not kept or cancelled with less than 24 hours’ notice will be charged.This service is only available to NZ residents who are in New Zealand at the time of the consult or to current clients who are temporarily travelling overseas where appropraite.