Dr Andrea Polzer-Debruyne

Pretty much everyone experiences times when life doesn’t go smoothly. When nothing seems to work as we need, hope, plan, or expect it to. When familiar patterns in our life no longer work.

We then may feel stuck, annoyed, frustrated, jealous, clueless, despondent, confused, lost, anxious, put down, rejected, angry, resentful, hopeless…

None of these feelings are “wrong”. But they most certainly tend to be unpleasant and frequently self-perpetuating. If experienced over extended periods of time, they are downright debilitating.

There is no need to stay in those places for long!

Let’s talk about what you need or want to explore!

Areas of Special Interest

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Trauma
• Communication challenges
• Confidence and self-esteem
• Decision making
• Navigating through life changes
• Stress and burnout
• Work-related issues
• Developing compassion and acceptance

Counseling/Therapy Services

Life is a journey. And like all journeys, for most of us, it comes with ups and downs, twists and turns, with incredible highs and painful lows. Having a space of being heard and feel deeply understood can be a powerful support during difficult times in our lives.

In my counseling and psychotherapy sessions, I offer and hold that space for you. Together with you, I will work towards increasing the choices you see about the paths forward.

None of us comes with a manual on how to navigate our way through life. We were born into a world of stories about reality and about us. Our friends and our parents tell to us. School, work, and media tell them to us. And we start telling them to ourselves, thus creating our own ‘manual’ in response to the fundamental question: “How does someone like me, gets on with someone like you, in a world like this?” (Erskine).

Through our life journey, we typically manage quite well with that early version of our ‘manual’. During puberty and early adulthood, we may fine-tune it, but very few of us actively work on an update of the early versions.
Until we get stuck and the choices we are familiar with just don’t help us anymore. In those situations, counseling and/or psychotherapy can help.

Counseling/Therapy Approach

If you are committed to permanently changing the way you view yourself and the world around you, our work together will expand the way you view what is possible in life.

Clients working with me have reported that they have:

• collected valuable insights, helping them to better understand themselves.
• gained the ability to make helpful choices.
• increased their capacity for self-compassion and self-healing.
• received practical tools to help navigate life and workplace challenges.

I have trained, studied, and worked with some amazing people who are specialists in the following areas:

• Integrative Psychotherapy
• Question Thinking
• Narrative Therapy
• Havening Techniques
• Person-centered Therapy
• Logotherapy
• Systems Approach
• Somatic Approaches
• Waldbaden (Shirin Yoku)
• Transactional Analysis
• Meditation
• Mindfulness
• The Essenes’ spiritual philosophy
• Dialectical Behavioural Therapy

To uncover the patterns blocking you from a more enjoyable and satisfying life, I will draw on any holistic mix of therapeutic approaches.

About Me

Being a German immigrant to New Zealand, and in the past having worked in the USA and the UAE, gives me an experienced understanding of the challenges a change in culture and life circumstances can bring.

With a Ph.D. in Psychology, I worked for over 20 years on exciting projects in the organisation-focused Learning & Development space and taught at The University of Auckland as well as Massey University.

Subsequent studies, qualifications, and work in psychotherapy and counseling added to the professional tool kit I bring to my clients.

My personal experiences with dyslexia and dementia gave me valuable insights into those ‘worlds’ and how they impact individuals and families.

Since 2015 I am working in private practice. I am honored to support a wide variety of clients through challenging times in their lives.