"To be a human being is to experience a whole host of emotions, thoughts, and situations, both pleasant and painful. While we don’t always have control over what comes up in our internal (and external) world, we do have control over what actions we take when pain arises"
About Me
Expertise
Experience
Research & Publications
My work is centered around the understanding that no human being is immune to pain. We will all inevitably experience loss, failure, rejection, disappointment at some point in our lives. I want to help my clients to develop knowledge, skills, and strategies to cope with distress effectively and to address patterns that no longer serve them, so they can live rich and meaningful lives.
No one size fits all when it comes to seeing a psychologist. I take a holistic, collaborative and person-centered approach to therapy, tailoring treatment plans to a client’s individual needs and preferences. A strong therapeutic alliance between client and clinician is the bedrock of good quality therapy and meaningful change. I aim to provide a working relationship that’s built upon trust, compassion, safety, and nonjudgement.
As a clinical psychologist, Annette is trained in a range of therapy modalities including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and eye movement desensitisation reprocessing (EMDR). She also uses models and interventions from compassion focused therapy (CFT), and emotion regulation and distress tolerance skills from dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT). Annette takes a multi-modal approach to treatment.
Annette has experience providing evidence-based treatment for individuals with a range of different mental health difficulties, including:
- Depression and related mood difficulties
- Anxiety and related disorders (including OCD)
- Phobias
- Trauma (post-traumatic stress disorder, complex trauma, adjustment difficulties)
- Stress, work-related stress
- Relationship difficulties (self and other)
- Emotion regulation difficulties (e.g. anger)
- Perfectionism
- Grief and loss
- Chronic pain and pain management
- Sleep disturbance
- Chronic fatigue and post-concussion difficulties
Prior to joining CPG, Annette worked at a private rehabilitation and injury management company in New Zealand since completing her clinical training in 2021. This role involved assessment, formulation, and treatment of clients with a spectrum of different symptoms and mental health difficulties, usually alongside or impacted by chronic pain, or recovery from a physical injury. As pain and injury impacts us far more than just physically, clients would often present with depression, anxiety, adjustment difficulties, relationship problems, trauma/PTSD, chronic fatigue, sleep disturbance, and high levels of stress. Through this service, Annette saw both publicly funded and private clients and worked across multiple clinic locations, which gave her a diverse caseload that included a range of ages, cultures, religions, gender, sexual orientations, and socio-economic backgrounds.
Levine, Annette (2021). An Exploration of How Women Experience the Process of Intimate Partner Violence in Relationships Characterised by Bi-Directional Aggression. Open Access Te Herenga Waka-Victoria University of Wellington. Thesis. https://doi.org/10.26686/wgtn.17126744.v1