Psychological Services - ASSESSMENT & THERAPY

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Individuals who have experienced sexual trauma in New Zealand may be eligible for funded psychological assessment and therapy through the ACC Sensitive Claims pathway. This support covers a wide range of services aimed at helping survivors understand the impact of their experiences, develop coping strategies, and work toward healing in a safe and supportive environment.

At Thrive Psychology Centre, our ACC-accredited clinicians specialise in trauma-informed care. We provide comprehensive assessments, therapeutic intervention, and ongoing support tailored to each person’s needs. Our team is experienced in working gently and collaboratively, ensuring that clients feel heard, respected, and empowered throughout the process.

If you would like more information about ACC Sensitive Claims, guidance on how to begin the application process, or support accessing funded care, please contact us. We are here to help navigate each step and ensure you receive the care you deserve.

At Thrive Psychology Centre, we provide comprehensive psychological assessment services tailored to each client’s referral concerns and individual circumstances. Our team conducts ADHD and ASD assessments, as well as broader mental health and diagnostic evaluations, for children, adolescents, and adults. Assessments typically include a detailed clinical interview, standardized psychometric testing, developmental and psychosocial history-taking, and feedback sessions to ensure clients and families clearly understand the results and recommendations. Our goal is to provide accurate, meaningful insights that support effective treatment planning, educational adjustments, workplace accommodations, and improved daily functioning. Please contact us for further information or to discuss your assessment needs and how we can support you.

Individual psychological therapy refers to a structured and confidential therapeutic interaction between a trained therapist and a client, who may be a child, teenager, or adult. Sessions are tailored to each person’s unique concerns, which may include anxiety, depression, trauma, stress, behavioral challenges, grief, relationship issues, life transitions, or general emotional difficulties. Therapy provides a safe, non-judgmental space to explore thoughts, feelings, and experiences at a pace that feels manageable for the client.

Core goals often include increasing self-awareness, improving emotional regulation, enhancing daily functioning, and strengthening relationships and interactions with others. Therapy may draw on evidence-based approaches such as CBT, EMDR, DBT, attachment-focused work, or integrative models depending on the client’s needs.

Through this process, individuals gain insight, develop practical coping strategies, and build resilience. Ultimately, therapy supports meaningful personal growth and helps clients move toward their identified goals, fostering greater wellbeing and a more fulfilling life.

Family therapy is a therapeutic approach that focuses on improving the interactions and relationships between family members. It aims to strengthen the functioning of the family as a whole while also supporting the wellbeing of each individual within the system. The goals of family therapy include reducing conflict and anxiety within relationships, enhancing each member’s ability to recognise and meet the emotional needs of others, promoting healthy and appropriate family roles, and increasing the family’s capacity to manage both internal challenges and external stressors. Through this process, families can develop more effective communication, deepen connection, and build greater resilience together. 

Play therapy is a therapeutic process in which a trained therapist provides a safe and supportive environment that allows a child to explore, at their own pace and in their own way, past or current experiences that may be affecting their wellbeing. This intervention focuses on improving emotional, behavioural, and social functioning. Through a strong therapeutic alliance, the child’s natural inner resources are activated to support growth and positive change. Play therapy is a child-centred approach, where play serves as the primary medium of expression and communication, with verbal dialogue as a secondary tool. It can be particularly helpful for children experiencing trauma, difficulty adjusting to stressful life events, grief and loss, depression, anxiety, phobias, social or attachment challenges, behavioural concerns, emotional regulation difficulties, low frustration tolerance, low self-esteem, and sleep-related issues.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) was developed by Francine Shapiro in 1987 as a treatment for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Since then, extensive research has demonstrated its effectiveness in treating a wide range of mental health conditions, including anxiety, phobias, complex trauma, grief, depression, and difficulties related to adverse life experiences. EMDR is used internationally and is recommended as a frontline trauma treatment by leading health organizations. The approach is grounded in the understanding that the mind has an innate ability to process and integrate challenging experiences, similar to the body’s natural capacity for physical healing. Much of this psychological processing occurs during sleep—particularly during the rapid eye movement (REM) stage—when the brain consolidates memories and emotions. EMDR harnesses this natural mechanism through the use of bilateral stimulation (such as eye movements, tapping, or auditory tones), which helps the brain reprocess disturbing memories so they no longer feel overwhelming or “stuck.”

Through EMDR, clients can reduce the intensity of distressing memories, shift unhelpful beliefs, release emotional blockages, and build more adaptive ways of coping. This method supports meaningful change by allowing individuals to move forward with greater clarity, emotional stability, and resilience.

The goal of relationship therapy is to address difficulties by focusing on the relationship as a whole, rather than viewing each partner’s concerns in isolation. This approach recognises that relationships are shaped by ongoing patterns of communication, behaviour, and emotional responses, all of which influence how partners relate to one another. Relationship therapy offers a structured and supportive space for couples to explore these patterns, understand the underlying needs and emotions driving conflict, and develop healthier ways of interacting.

Therapy typically focuses on improving communication skills, strengthening emotional connection, rebuilding trust, and helping partners navigate areas of tension—whether emotional, social, sexual, financial, or related to life transitions. Couples learn to identify unhelpful dynamics, reduce blame, and respond to one another with greater empathy and clarity. Ultimately, relationship therapy helps couples resolve conflict more effectively, deepen their sense of partnership, and build a more secure, satisfying, and resilient relationship. It is beneficial not only during times of crisis, but also as a proactive way to strengthen a relationship and support long-term wellbeing.

Professional clinical supervision plays a vital role in supporting mental health practitioners by offering structured oversight, guidance, and reflective consultation from a more experienced clinician. It is a collaborative process designed to enhance the practitioner’s competence, confidence, and ethical practice. In supervision, counsellors, psychotherapists, and psychologists have a safe and confidential space to discuss their clinical work, evaluate interventions, reflect on therapeutic relationships, and explore personal responses that may arise in the course of practice. Supervision also provides an opportunity to identify areas for growth, integrate new knowledge, and strengthen clinical decision-making. It helps practitioners navigate complex cases, manage risk effectively, and ensure alignment with professional standards and legal obligations. Beyond clinical skill development, supervision supports practitioner wellbeing by offering containment, encouragement, and strategies for managing the emotional demands of therapeutic work.

Regular supervision is considered an essential component of ethical and effective mental health practice. It promotes high-quality care for clients, fosters ongoing professional development, and sustains practitioner resilience in what can often be challenging and emotionally intensive work.

Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a workplace-based wellness initiative that offers short-term, funded psychological support to employees. EAP services are designed to help staff manage personal or work-related challenges that may be affecting their wellbeing or performance. These may include stress, burnout, relationship difficulties, mental health concerns, or workplace conflict.

If your business is seeking EAP support for employees, Thrive Psychology Centre can help. Our team of dedicated, registered Counselling and Clinical Psychologists (male & female) provide confidential, evidence-based support aimed at promoting mental health, enhancing resilience, and improving workplace functioning. Please contact us to learn more about how we can partner with your organization to support staff wellbeing.