Dawn Nolan

Many of the people I work with are looking for connection, understanding and positive change. Whether you experience low mood and negative thoughts, have a history of trauma or need to develop new coping strategies, overcoming obstacles to well being often starts by developing positive interpersonal relationships and learning the value of being kind to yourself. I aim to offer you a genuine therapeutic relationship founded in acceptance and truly accurate empathy. As an accredited Interpersonal Psychotherapist, Clinical Supervisor and Trainer I bring together the necessary skills and personal qualities to provide evidence based therapy with a compassionate, relaxed, approachable style to support you with positive change. Common issues that people bring to therapy include: Depression and Mood Disorders Negative or Dark Thoughts Anxiety Relationship Difficulties Life or Role Transitions Grief, Loss or Bereavement Isolation Trauma, PTSD Self-Esteem Self-harming Stress Management/Burnout Health Concerns or Bodily Sensations Such as Fatigue or Pain Whilst your experiences are unique to you, you are not alone ​​Personal bio My Life, Loves and Leisure's After spending much of my life in rural Shropshire, my husband, two daughters and I made the bold decision to move to the beautiful Canterbury Plains. For me, keeping balance is an important part of maintaining a sense of wellbeing. Our lifestyle here has, in the main been a relaxed one, but it has also been punctuated with the life appreciating experiences of the earthquakes, sustained drought and the tragedy of the Al Noor & Linwood Mosque shootings. In sharing adversity, my family have been drawn closer to the communities of Christchurch and North Canterbury. Each of us in our own way has been privileged to be part of the support and recovery process both for ourselves and the people we have grown to love. Education, Work life and Driving Passions After an early career in teaching I trained as a psychiatric nurse at The Royal Shrewsbury College. It was here I learnt the joy of the therapeutic relationship and began extending my training in a number of psychological modalities including Rogerian Client Centered Therapy, Gestalt Therapy, Transactional Analysis, Milan Family Therapy, Moreno Psychodrama and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. I worked for the NHS and in private practice as a humanistic therapist and supervisor, and in a voluntary capacity to develop a counselling service for MIND Shropshire. After moving to New Zealand I studied Interpersonal Psychotherapy through Otago University and after completing my masters I became an accredited therapist, trainer and supervisor with the International Society of Interpersonal Psychotherapists and a clinical tutor for Interpersonal Psychotherapy at Otago University's School of Psychological Medicine. Never being one to sit on my laurels, I have also enjoyed extending my range of psychotherapeutic interventions by training in Motivational Interviewing, Non-Violent Communication, Critical Incident Stress Management and more recently EMDR for trauma in adults, groups and children. Training in EMDR extended me the privilege of supporting people who have been affected by devastating and traumatic events of the Mosque shootings. ​ Much of my work in New Zealand has been with the CDHB Rural Mental Health team. I have loved working in the rural community with clients and their families, and developing supportive relationships with rural GP's, schools and networks of community organisations who provide so many valuable services. More recently I joined the Child, Adolescent and Family Specialist Mental Health Service in North Canterbury. Throughout my work with the DHB I have continued to offer Interpersonal Psychotherapy, Critical Incident Stress Management and Clinical Supervision, with teaching as my complimentary discipline. I have provided presentations and workshops the field of mental health & wellbeing for the CDHB, ARA, MHREC and a number of NGOs and community groups across the sector. ​ I am delighted to have reopened my private practice, which had been suspended after Harley Chambers was badly damaged in the quakes. Now Therapy Services has moved to Percival on the Park, on a quiet leafy street in Rangiora, enabling me to offer therapeutic services in North Canterbury, a place where my heart lies. Now you know something of me, I would love get you know you, and together inspire you in your own goals for change.