About Cary McDermott
I bring over 25 years of knowledge and experience to my work as a counsellor. As well as working in private practice, I have worked in a range of community agencies dealing with many different issues and contexts, with people from a wide variety of backgrounds and life experiences both in New Zealand and overseas.
I have trained in and draw on a range of therapy models including person-centred, trauma models, psychodynamic, systems therapy, emotion focused therapy, transactional analysis, Gestalt (resolving inner conflicts), mindfulness, and also emotional/somatic integration therapy which focuses on the felt experience of symptoms, such as anxiety for example, and how to work towards understanding of and relief from these symptoms.
At the heart of how I work is that the key to understanding your current feelings and behaviours and even your thoughts and unhelpful beliefs is that they are adaptive. They are your best attempt to take care of yourself right now.
We all have a strong sense of self-preservation, even though this may have been damaged or misdirected. It's important to acknowledge that your solutions worked for you some time in the past, possibly when you were young and with limited options. But strategies learned in childhood, or through painful experiences, are often limiting in adult life. They are often no longer working or helpful. They will not resolve the problems you are having, and can be making them worse.
Even so, because anxiety, depression, feeling stuck and even responses to trauma are your attempts to take care of yourself, they need to be treated as such. Even self-destructive behaviours can be an attempt to adapt and solve difficulties. The first step is to understand your responses or symptoms as self-preservation. Then you can find other ways to do this that don't cause you pain and difficulty.
I can help you deal with a range of issues including:
Anxiety
Creativity, Artist Development and Blocks
Depression
Grief and Loss
Life Transitions & Growth
Relationship Issues
Stress & Burnout
Trauma
Workplace Issues & Bullying
QUALIFICATIONS
I completed a Bachelor in Psychology and Masters in Social Science, and completed a full time Diploma in Counselling with the Human Development and Training Institute. I then trained as a clinical supervisor and continued to train with experts in their fields both in New Zealand and overseas.
I am a full member of the New Zealand Association of Counsellors.