About Val
“As Louis Cozolino Ph. D., observes, a consistent theme of adult psychotherapy clients is that they had parents who were not curious about who they were but, instead, told them who they should be. What Cozolino explains, is that the child creates a "persona" for her parents but doesn't learn to know herself. What happens is that "the authentic self"--the part of us open to feelings, experiences, and intimacy--remains underdeveloped.”
Born in NZ, I lived in Australia for 20 years as well as short stints in USA and Europe. My career path has provided me with experience in banking, taxation/accountancy, hospitality/restaurant management, building industry sales, small businesses and motherhood. After many years as a seeker with interests in psychology and making meaning of life, I began my training journey in NZ in 2003 leading me through formal counselling and psychotherapy studies. This now feels like a calling…beyond a profession.
My fundamental training is in Psychosynthesis which is a transpersonal psychology that argues that an individual’s suffering is not merely as a result of nature/ nurture but that we have forgotten who we really are. It postulates that we are, at core, valuable and worthwhile individuals; more than our issues and difficulties. It asks ‘how can we cooperate with what is emerging?’. I see you in your humanity, a soul on a journey, not as a set of pathological criteria.
My inquiries in recent years have led to a desire to understand the intersection between psychology, neurology, physiology and biochemistry. I use myself as a guinea pig by experimenting with various ideas and modalities…always curious about how a theory sits in my heart and psyche. Among other things, this has led to my interest in health and healing, primarily for myself but extending to how general physical health impacts emotional health. We are always ‘whole’ beings, each part cleverly interacting with the whole. Another extension of this interest is in the area of healthy ageing and longevity; healthspan which matches lifespan.
