Go to the contact us page; you can either phone, email, text or fill in the online form and we will get back to you shortly and arrange an appointment time that suits you

Please visit the costs page for up-to-date pricing.

We are open Monday to Friday, 7am to 6pm.
We do not offer evening or weekend appointments.

All your details are treated as confidential and our website uses up-to-date security to protect all your information. When you fill in our contact form your information is securely sent to us (Jon and Amanda) and one of us will email you back unless you specify that you would prefer phone or text.

You will usually get through to voicemail because we are unable to answer the phone when we are in sessions; please leave a message with your contact details and a preferred time for us to call back. All messages are treated as confidential. When we phone back we will check that it is convenient to speak. If not we can call back later. If someone else answers the phone we will not leave a message with them, we will try again later.

Payment is made at the end of the session unless prior arrangements have been made. We have Eftpos available or we can email an invoice for you to do a bank transfer or pay by credit card.

We have a cancellation policy which requires full payment if less than 24 hours notice is given but we try to be flexible for genuine emergencies.

Sessions usually occur weekly although sometimes more or less frequent sessions are more appropriate (see answer to next question).

Individual counselling or psychotherapy sessions are 50 minutes long.
Couples counselling sessions are 60 minutes long.
Sometimes due to practicalities different durations can be negotiated in advance. For example, 60 minutes can go quite fast during couples counselling and a 90 minute or 2 hour session can feel more useful.
Sometimes people travel from out of town and find a longer but less frequent appointment to be more practical.

No. You can book an appointment directly with us and no referral is necessary.

This is understandably a common question and the answer varies widely for each person. Whilst some people will get the clarity they need after only a few sessions, most people will have ongoing therapy that continues for as long as needed. We do not restrict the number of sessions for anybody; we work in an open ended style and we are available for you until you get to a place where you feel able to manage by yourself.

This is a rather complex question and worth asking each therapist directly what their personal view is as definitions will vary between clinicians. At Auckland City Therapy we use the term counselling to describe short term therapy with a focus on a specific situation or problem that is causing distress and exploring ways in which that situation can be more effectively managed. We refer to psychotherapy as treatment focused on helping you understand how the experiences in your life have shaped you into who you are and exploring aspects of your character you may wish to improve.
To put it another way, counselling will tend to focus outwards and psychotherapy will tend to focus inwards (problem outside of me vs problem inside of me). 
At Auckland City Therapy we will usually apply a blend of both approaches according to your specific needs.

For a more detailed explanation see:  Counselling vs psychotherapy. Which should you choose?

No preparation is required. During the first session your therapist will ask questions in order to understand what has prompted you to seek counselling or psychotherapy at this time. If you would like to know more, this article will give you some additional information about your first counselling session.

Couples therapy is usually done together although sometimes it can be helpful to have one or two sessions separately.

Yes, everything you tell your therapist is treated as strictly confidential. The only exception to this is when there is a threat to someone’s safety; either your own or somebody else’s.
Couples therapy is slightly more complex if you have a session without your partner present. This article explains how confidentiality in couples therapy works.

This can work. However, there are some considerations that are useful to discuss at the beginning of therapy. The two main concerns are how information that was discussed in the individual therapy will be treated when the couples therapy commences and how your partner will feel about joining a therapy that is already established.

Sometimes this scenario this can work well with one therapist and sometimes it is more appropriate to do the individual therapy with one therapist and then begin the couples therapy with a new therapist that you both have an equal alliance to.

Yes. Couples therapy is not just about staying together; it can also be about separating well. When there are children involved their well-being is paramount and couples therapy can help you both work through the separation process whilst keeping the impact on your children at a minimum.

No. Our first appointment of the day is at 7:00am Monday – Friday. We no longer offer evening or weekend appointments.

We do not work with children but if you contact us we may be able to offer a referral to a therapist in your area who does.

Most people are a little nervous about making an appointment. Please feel free to call either of us and have a chat on the phone beforehand and we can answer any questions or concerns you might have. You may also find this page helpful – Your first counselling or psychotherapy session