With an empathic approach, she has more than a decade of experience in the field of clinical psychology, including adults, families, and recently with children and adolescents, in different contexts. Vanessa had extensive clinical training in psychology, with different forms of mental health presentations, and different levels of severity.
Vanessa is experienced in using Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and other therapies to produce long-term change and happiness. She has worked in hospitals, in the community and in private practice and has been responsible for clinical assessments of complex and severe client presentations as well as functional and acute conditions. It offers short-term and long-term interventions/therapies.
Vanessa works to encompass the role of the family in the evaluation and therapy plan, especially for children and adolescents, as an essential tool in the search for the well-being and emotional health of everyone in the family as a whole.
Vanessa has experience in the assessment and treatment of mood and anxiety disorders, post-traumatic symptoms and disorders, psychotic disorders and episodes, personality disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder, autism, ADHD, self-injurious behaviours and suicidal ideation, cycle of domestic violence and addictions, both in public-community and private contexts, using CBT tools as a form of support for people affected by debilitating symptoms, aggravated by the stress of modern everyday life. Her experience includes working with individuals, groups and multifamily clinical care.
Vanessa is also interested in the impact of traumatic experiences on people and whanau, the complexity of grief and loss (including immigration), different forms of abuse and violence, various types of suffering and changes in the lives of children, adolescents and adults, whether these experiences are minor or complex, and uses tools and resources to provide a safe and welcoming space for processing these experiences.
Vanessa believes in positive change and growth, and overcoming negative emotions, behaviours, regardless of their origins - development, trauma, grief and loss and/or any other situation.
