Thrive Psychology Centre

Address: 16 Byron Avenue, Takapuna, Auckland 0622, New Zealand

Melanie PRINSLOO - REGISTERED CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST & owner

Melanie Prinsloo is a Senior Clinical Psychologist registered with the New Zealand Psychologists Board (NZPB). She is also a full member of the New Zealand College of Clinical Psychologists (NZCCP). Melanie has accumulated more than 14 years of clinical experience in working with families, couples, and individuals (children, teens, and adults) across various settings. While living South Africa, fondly known as the “rainbow nation” between 2010 and 2016, Melanie worked in private practice, a trauma centre, and multiple health departments (clinics and hospitals) providing psychological assessment and treatment services to individuals from a variety of cultural backgrounds. In late 2016, Melanie and her family wholeheartedly embraced New Zealand Aotearoa as their new home. Since this time, Melanie has had the opportunity to work for the Department of Corrections across prison and community probation sites and further developed her knowledge and skills at a well-known private practice in Auckland. She also had the opportunity to briefly collaborate with the Counties Manukau Matariki Service in providing specialist ADHD and ASD assessments for children and teens. In mid-2021, Melanie took on a new challenge and founded Thrive Psychology Centre in Takapuna. It is here that Melanie continues to create a safe, comfortable, and fit-for-purpose space for clients to start the important journey of self-discovery, healing, and growth.

Melanie converses comfortably in both English and Afrikaans. She has been developing her competency in Te Reo Maori and welcome any opportunity to practice, learn, and deepen her understanding not only of Te Reo Maori but also that of Maori Tikanga. Melanie considers it her duty to engage in a culturally respectful and appropriate manner with our Maori and Pasifika whānau.

Melanie is eco-systemically trained with a strong background in family therapy. She follows an integrated approach, utilizing treatment modalities such as cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT), and Schema Therapy. She specializes in EMDR therapy and holds EMDR Level 1 & 2 Accreditation. In addition, she has furthered her expertise through comprehensive additional training. Most notably, Melanie has had the privilege to learn from outstanding trainers such as Arianne Struik, Dr Roger Solomon, Robin Shapiro, Astrid Katzur, Delores Mosquera, and Dr Phil Manfield. A particular highlight for Melanie had been the training and Masterclass by Dr Roger Solomon in 2023 on the “Art of EMDR therapy” with a particular emphasis on working with complex trauma, utilizing the framework of Structural Dissociation. After this, Melanie had another opportunity to learn from Dr Roger Solomon in March 2024 when he presented on EMDR therapy with grief and loss.

Within the New Zealand landscape, Melanie’s growing passion for assisting individuals who have experienced trauma led her to partner with ACC and Active-Plus as an accredited service provider. Through the ACC offering to qualifying clients, Melanie draws from her extensive training and experience in addressing trauma to facilitate the process of healing and finding meaning. Notably, Melanie works with complex trauma presentations encompassing the entire dissociative spectrum. She believes in the importance of tailoring the psychological therapy process to suit the client’s needs, including respecting the client’s pace, and to provide the client with an impactful experience to facilitate change and improved mental well-being.

Melanie has specific interests in working with presentations of ADHD, depression, anxiety, phobias, OCD, trauma (including PTSD, C-PTSD & Dissociation), bereavement, addiction, as well as relationship and adjustment difficulties. She also has specialist, international training through the Vanderbilt Kennedy University in the USA as well as Clinique Spectrum in Canada in gold standard assessment of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Melanie also holds specific expertise to assist individuals and families to effectively manage ADHD.

In her clinical practice, Melanie offers comprehensive assessment services for individuals presenting with ADHD, ASD, PTSD (including C-PTSD & Dissociation). Additionally, she provides professional clinical supervision to both newly registered and seasoned Psychologists, enhancing their professional growth and effectiveness in the field.

While Melanie has very limited availability due to her complex caseload, any prospective clients or supervisees are welcome to lodge an expression of interest in consulting with Melanie by emailing her directly at: admin@thrivepsychologycentre.com

Melanie regularly attends seminars, workshops, symposiums, trainings, and courses to expand her knowledge and range of expertise to ensure that clients are offered the most up to date, evidenced-based treatment options. She continues to hone her proficiency in EMDR therapy with a focus on addressing the intricate dynamics of trauma and dissociation.

Qualifications:

B Soc Sci Psychology (Cum Laude) 2004 University of Pretoria (UP)
B Soc Sci Psychology (Hons) 2005 University of Pretoria (UP)
BA (Hons) (Psych) – Practical Psychometry 2007 University of Johannesburg (UJ)
MA Clinical Psychology 2009 University of South Africa (UNISA)

Areas of INTEREST

Melanie’s core clinical competencies include diagnostic evaluation (assessment) and psychological therapy. Her areas of interest include:

Loss, grief, and bereavement.
Adjustment difficulties in response to separation and divorce, illness and health-related matters, injury, natural disaster, and other significant life events and/or changes.
Trauma (including PTSD, C-PTSD, and Dissociation) and assisting survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and other forms of abuse, including domestic violence.
Relationship difficulties.
Stress, burn-out, and self-care.
Self-esteem challenges.
Self-assertiveness training.
Addiction.
Eating disorders.
Emotion regulation difficulties, including anger management challenges.
Self-harm and suicidality challenges.
Post-natal depression.
Anxiety including social anxiety, performance anxiety, health anxiety, separation anxiety, and phobias.
OCD including intrusive thoughts.
Depression.
Bipolar affective disorder.
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

MOIRA HOWSON - registered counselling psychologist

Moira Howson is a New Zealand Registered Psychologist and Counselling Psychologist who uses a warm, empathic, and pragmatic style with her clients. Her approach is client-centered, she listens carefully, adapting evidence-based therapies to meet individual needs, guiding the client toward their chosen goals.

Moira has worked with adolescents and adults. Her qualifications are in organizational and counselling psychology, and she has many years of experience working with individuals in the corporate, education and health sector. Her aim is to help clients work their way through their presenting concerns, provide them with skills to boost their overall wellbeing and resilience, and find more meaning and purpose in their day to day lives.

Moira's qualifications and professional registrations include:

BSocSci and MSocSci in Industrial and Organisational Psychology, University of Waikato
BHSc and MHSc (1st Class) in Counselling Psychology, AUT
PGDip in Counselling Psychology, AUT
Member of NZPsS and EMDRNZ

AREAS of interest

Moira is trained in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Schema Therapy, and EMDR therapy (Level 2). She also uses mindfulness, compassion focused therapy, and brief solution focused therapy with clients as required.

Her areas of interest include:

ADHD
Anxiety
Phobias
Depression (low mood)
Grief and loss
Relationship issues including polyamory/ethical non-monogamy
LGBTQI+
Transitions in life (family, work/study, relationships)
Values and goal setting
Trauma
Stress and burnout

BIANCA DURAND - Registered COUNSELLING PSYCHOLOGIST

Bianca Durand is a Counselling Psychologist registered with the New Zealand Psychologists Board. She has been working in various educational settings for the past 6 years, including primary-, intermediate-, high schools and universities. She works holistically in every client’s current system and level of functioning to determine the best suited, evidence-based, intervention. This includes cognitive- and emotional assessments, integrative therapeutic interventions, as well as supporting her clients to become more resilient and creating awareness regarding the utilization of their strengths. Her approach is mostly client-centred, and she makes use of an integrative therapeutic model, tailoring it according to the best interest of her clients and their needs. She is passionate about therapy and building a trusting therapeutic relationship, allowing the client to feel safe, heard and seen. She strives to be genuine, open, integrated, and authentic during her interactions with clients and to create a supportive environment to facilitate individual and systemic change. Bianca’s approaches include Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Mindfulness-based Therapy, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT), Play Therapy, Narrative Therapy and Solution Focused – Brief Intervention therapy. Bianca successfully completed her EMDR Level 2 training through EMDR Australia to grow her overall skillset. She usefully incorporates aspects of Schema Therapy and EMDR as powerful modalities that go beyond traditional talk therapy to assist clients to make meaningful life changes. Bianca is currently embarking on international training in gold standard assessment services for individuals with suspected ASD.

QUALIFICATIONS

BA Psychology (Cum Laude), 2011, University of the Free State
BA (Hons) in Industrial Psychology and Psychometry (B.Psig) (Cum Laude), 2012, University of the Free State
BA (Hons) in Psychology (Cum Laude), 2013, University of the Free State
MA Counselling Psychology (Cum Laude), 2015, University of the Free State