Registered Psychologist
Senior Psychologist in infant, child and adolescent mental health
MPsych NZPB (2005) IMHAANZ Executive
Previously worked in the public health system and CAMHS services on infant child and adolescent teams. Alexandra now works full-time in private practice at Titirangi Studios.
Experienced in clinical assessment and treatment for infants through to young adults and adults.
Alex is also on the Infant Mental Health Assoc Executive Committee of Aotearoa/NZ and provides Clinical Supervision to practising psychologists in public and private spheres.
She draws from experience and training in clinical assessment, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Play and Sandplay Therapies, trauma-focussed/ cognitive behavioural therapy and interventions for parents including: infant observation/ assessment, The Getting Ahead of Postnatal Depression Group, The Incredible Years, Parent-child Interaction Therapy, The Circle of Security Intervention, the Watch, Wait and Wonder Intervention and Mentalisation Based Treatment for children, teens, parents and families.
The work Alex has carried out covers: depression; anxiety; burnout; obsessive compulsive disorder, tic disorder, selective mutism, school anxiety, neuro-developmental differences, enuresis, encopresis, post-traumatic stress disorder, oppositional and conduct problems and postnatal depression.
As well, she has focused on issues specific to infants, children and adolescence such as sleeping, eating, night-waking and toileting difficulties, managing behaviour and parenting.
Alex’s special interest lies in promoting positive outcomes for children using individual and relationship-based treatment that facilitates secure attachment, emotional regulation and enhances parents’ ability to manage their own, as well as their children’s emotions and behaviour. Particularly in times was stress and when behaviour is heightened.
She is also interested in life stage transitions - parents struggling with adjustment to parenthood and teenagers struggling with transitions to adulthood.
Consistent with her clinical work, Alex is sensitive to the challenges faced by parents experiencing emotional distress. Her experience has demonstrated to her how crucial parent wellbeing is to positive emotional and developmental outcomes for children. She believes psychologists should offer the best that psychological research has to offer in the way of tested intervention to parents and their children and that choice of intervention is matched to the developmental age of the child.
