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Michael ApáthyPsychotherapy / Counselling / Ecotherapy / Clinical Supervision
Registered Psychotherapist (PBANZ), Grad Dip Psychosocial Studies, MHSc (Psychotherapy, 1st Class Hons).
[email protected] phone 0210 264 7562 As a teenager I thought about becoming a therapist for all the wrong reasons. Looking back I think I had an image of someone who had all of the answers to be safely dispensed from a place of all-knowing expertise and status. Luckily the university undergraduate psychology papers I took were too dry to hold my attention, so I switched to studying fine arts and design.
As a twenty year old the spiritual yearning that had awakened in me as a teenager, began to take the front seat in my life. I did the first part of my four years of intensive residential spiritual training at Zen Mountain Monastery in upstate New York. The endless hours of silent meditation and the mirror of living in community taught me two things in particular: firstly, that I, as a regular human being, was quite crazy. Secondly, it taught me that doing silent meditation though extremely valuable was not enough. I needed to begin to find ways to talk about what was going on within me. Training in psychotherapy satisfied two needs at once for me. It gave me an intensive experience of doing my own therapy as a client. Those six years of own therapy were essential for helping me not to inflict my own biases and blindspots on my clients, and also to help me empathise with what a heroic and difficult task it can be to be the client in therapy or counselling. The other need in me that psychotherapy training satisfied was to be of some use to other human beings, to do something worthwhile with my life. I have developed skills and expertise through practicing in wide variety of contexts: the Eating Disorder Service in Auckland (now REDS), the Auckland Sexual Health Service, SAFE (sexual abuse), and the Auckland Community Alcohol and Drug Service. In my private practice with some clients I practice ecotherapy - applied ecopsychology. This may involve helping people to connect with the healing benefits of nature. For some, it is about drawing on the power and insight of psychotherapy to support their wellbeing and effectiveness as people engaged in working on environmental issues. I also practice ISTDP - intensive short term dynamic psychotherapy. This is a way of working in depth with emotions to create powerful changes. ISTDP involves paying close attention to emotions, body sensations, impulses and defences (these are the way we keep our emotions at a distance.) Through working with these different therapeutic techniques, I am able to work effectively with the sorts of the challenges that most people bring in to psychotherapy and counselling. If your difficulties fall outside of my area of competence, I'll be happy to refer you on to someone who can help. If you are ready to make a change in your life contact me by email or call 0210 264 7562 to book a session or to find out more about how I can help you. You can also book instantly online by clicking "Book Now" below. If there are no bookable services available from clicking book now it means that I currently have a waiting list for new clients. If you would like to add your name to my wait list please give me a call or email. I look forward to hearing from you. |
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