Kia ora tātou,
Ko Puketāpapa te maunga,
Ko Kaipara te awa,
Ko Iceni te iwi,
Ko Kaipātiki te marae,
Nō Tāmaki ahau,
Ko Webster tōku whānau,
Ko Ross tōku matua,
Ko Deb tōku whāea,
Ko Billie tōku ingoa,
Ngā mihi nui.
Self ID:
She/they (gender-fluid)
Queer
Pākehā
Living with an invisible disability
Kia ora!
My name is Billie and I am currently studying for my BHSc in Counselling at AUT. I have a love for anything creative, such as; writing, painting or making music. I have a laid-back and authentic approach to my role as a counsellor. Some theories or frameworks I most align my work with are; Te Whare Tapa Whā, Te Pae Māhutonga, Relational Counselling, Dialectical-Behaviour-Therapy and Narrative Therapy.
I am so grateful and excited to be working with AWC this year. I am particularly passionate about empowering women and nonbinary people in my counselling work. I know first-hand how important it is to have a counsellor that has walked a similar path in society to you and can acknowledge the environmental/social factors that contribute to our overall health. I believe that being an advocate for social justice as a counsellor goes hand-in-hand with looking out for the wellbeing of our clients, it is an intersectional work.
As a Pākehā counsellor in Aotearoa, I am dedicated to working with the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and have a passion for studying Māori Health Promotion. I believe in the healing potential of community, seeing my client not only as an individual, but as a part of their wider whānau and environment. I am honoured to play a part in their world. My role as counsellor is to collaborate as a partner, being guided by you to create your own unique and safe space to foster healing – whatever that may look like.