A PROFESSIONAL APPROACH
to counselling for individuals and couples
SERVICES
Specialising in:
| · Personal counselling
· Couples and relationship difficulties
· Male issues
· Crisis intervention
· Depression | · Mediation
· Life changes and transitions
· Loss and Grief
· Bereavement
· Life Coaching |
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Chris Caruana is a highly qualified counsellor and therapist based in Mission Bay, Auckland. He also works from an office in Parnell. He sees his work as the task of examining the relationship between clients and the problems and concerns experienced and through doing so works towards developing preferred realities for living. Chris is committed to utilizing practical skills that enable people to discover resources, strengths and abilities while also incorporating and acknowledging the struggles, disappointments and despair. He is dedicated to achieving this in the most respectful, open and professional way possible.
Being born in Auckland as a first generation New Zealander of Maltese decent, in his practice he is mindful of how societal ideas about relationships, family, sexuality, gender, age, class, and culture significantly influence people’s experiences of life. Having exposure to differing cultural values Chris has a heightened awareness of the effects of others expectations and values on contributing towards problems and concerns that people experience.
Chris has also been committed to self awareness, group work and counselling since 1983 and has worked professionally as a counsellor in a variety of settings for the last twelve years. A significant proportion of the counselling training he has done has been experientially based meaning that he has spent an extensive period of time looking at issues that affect him and his relationships on a regular basis over a considerable period of time and as such he believes that this commitment to looking at his own life processes has enabled him to work with a heightened sense of efficiency, respect and integrity.
Chris’s formal counselling training consists of a Masters Degree in Counselling (Narrative Therapy) from the University of Waikato and a Diploma in Psychosynthesis Counselling (NZQA). He holds a Bachelors of Arts Degree majoring in Psychology and a Post Graduate Diploma of Teaching. He is a certified Master Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) practitioner and advanced hypnotherapist. He has trained extensively with Ericksonian approaches. Chris has had extensive professional training and a strong interest in couples and family counselling, mediation and restorative practices.
Counselling is usually about change
Counselling is usually about change
If you're considering going to counselling, then the chances are that you want something to be different. Maybe you want to feel or act differently or a relationship to change. You might want to make sense of something or get a better understanding of a situation or another’s point of view. Maybe you want to get something sorted out or a fresh perspective on a concern or difficulty and agreeing to go to counselling seems a good way to do it.
Whether you want to stop or start or step sideways, creating new possibilities about how to live and move forward is about doing, seeing and making new meanings of past or present situations. Especially during times of crisis and stress, consulting with a professional who is trained in helping you to take back control of your life can make all the difference.
During such times it is important to seek out someone who is competent in supporting you to make the changes you want and is and skilled in generating ways and developing your ability to live your life more fully.
Different counsellors work using different approaches so it is useful to enquire about the method a counsellor uses to bring about changes in your life. Counsellors view their work in different ways but many agree that facilitating change is central. You come to counselling because you want something to be different. Your counsellors role is to help you identify and understand the differences you want. They ideally will help you recognize, connect with and develop your resources, skills and experiences to make the desired changes required.
Narrative Therapy in particular, offers people a unique opportunity to reconnect with skills, competencies and personal expertise that is often sidelined or dismissed during times of stress or crisis and through doing so open up and forge new ways forward for you, or for your significant other that you may be experiencing difficulties with.
Regardless of approach taken to manage the problems faced, respect for you and the situations you are facing should be what most counsellors will have in common. Their main concern will be you and your well being. They want to understand what's important to you because that helps them to work with you more effectively.
If you're still wondering if counselling would be helpful for you, then ring a few counsellors up, talk to them about what they do, and how they go about bringing about the desired changes in your life. Ask them about their approach, there beliefs about people, problems and change. Get a sense of how comfortable you feel as well how skilled the counsellor may be in making the difference needed in your situation.
It is often helpful to ring a few counsellors up and pick the one that suits you best. One that you feel most comfortable with.
About Narrative Mediation
I have studied Narrative Mediation, at the University of Waikato as part of my Masters of Counselling Degree, under John Winslade who is arguably one of the worlds leading authorities on the Narrative approach to managing conflict and dispute resolution conflicts. John Winslade is currently Coordinator of Educational Counseling Program Dept of Educational Psychology and Counseling, California State University San Bernardino and returns to New Zealand Periodically to teach post modern ideology and practice.
The Narrative Mediation approach is organized around the narrative metaphor- the notion that how we talk about ourselves and our conflicts shape how we perceive and react to these conflicts- and is premised on the idea that language plays a central role in constructing who we are or how we engage or behave with others.
What makes Narrative Mediation so effective and refreshing is that it questions the commonly held assumption that our interests are "natural" or are predetermined before entering the conflict, and offers instead an approach that locates these deeply held values, interests and desires in a social and cultural context that prioritizes certain values and goals over those with which they compete.
One of the books John Winslade has co written with Gerald Monk, is called Narrative Mediation: A New Approach to Conflict Resolution. Narrative Mediation is a new approach to more traditional methods used in dispute mediation practice. It is unique because it breaks with interest-based mediation by questioning the assumptions that humans are motivated to further their own self-interest and that conflict is best resolved by finding a set of underlying interests that can be bridged through collaboration or compromise.
The authors argue that many mediation approaches assume that individuals come to the bargaining table with a sense of ownership or entitlement, and respond in ways that assumes that they are entitled to certain outcomes of the mediation process. People feel threatened when entitlements are encroached upon- anger, blame, rigidity, abuse, and violence are used to protect these entitlements.
How Narrative Mediation Works
The Narrative Mediation approach, in particular, holds a relational framework of trust, reflexivity, curiosity, and respect that complement this postmodern approach to mediation practice. This framework allows both the mediator and disputants the opportunity to create a safe space for telling their personal stories of and relationships to the conflict.
Once this space is opened up, the mediator works to deconstruct how each party is approaching and conceptualizing the conflict. By breaking down the conflict into its component parts and stories, the mediator is able to uncover the assumptions that each party brings to the conflict.
Once these assumptions are uncovered, the mediator then moves the parties to explore their commitments to alternative relational patterns by opening a space where alternative approaches are considered by the conflict parties. By creating new options and alternatives, the mediator along with the conflict parties create the motivation and momentum to author a new set of stories about their conflict.
When a new set of stories enter the world-views of the disputants, the contour and context of the conflict changes, and well as the relationship of the disputants to the conflict itself. By telling a new set of stories about the conflict and one's relationship to the conflict, the narrative mediation approach can help disputants move beyond violent, difficult, or seemingly intractable conflict situations.
Moving past the conflict situation or getting "unstuck" is made possible by creating and making use of forms of documentation of the new story, one that is built on stories of understanding, respect, and collaboration instead of individualism, disrespect, and closed-mindedness.
By examining the discourses surrounding the conflict situation, both mediators and disputants will emerge from the resolution process with a greater understanding of the biases and assumptions they hold in regards to the conflict itself and that is what makes Narrative Mediation so effective, refreshing and hope orientated.
Through a process of uncovering and questioning these biases and assumptions, it is expected that participants will emerge with a renewed sense of the origins of the conflict. Along with this it is also hoped that participants will emerge with a renewed sense of alternatives or solutions to the conflict in a manner that transforms notions of personal blame and suspicion into a collaborative understanding of each others position and it is from this position that new possibilities are created and explored.
About Chris Caruana
Personal Background Information
Chris is a 48 year old first generation New Zealander of Maltese decent. He has work premises in Parnell and Mission Bay, where he lives and cares for his two daughters aged 8 and 10 who he shares with his ex-partner of seventeen years.
He has direct experience with marital separation and as such believes that such personal experience informs and shapes how he deals and assists others experiencing difficulties within relationships. He has been committed to self awareness, group work and counselling since 1983. He has worked professionally as a counsellor in a variety of settings for the last twelve years and as a part time lecturer lecturer for Unitec on their Bachelor of Social Practice program since 2006.
Chris CaruanaA significant proportion of the counselling training Chris has done has been experientially based meaning that he has spent an extensive period of time looking at issues that effect him and his relationships on a regular basis. Chris believes that this commitment to looking at his own life processes has enabled him to work with a heightened sense of efficiency, respect and integrity.
As a professional counsellor he has worked with adolescence, families, groups, couples and individuals in a variety of settings including private practice. Chris is very comfortable dealing and managing issues such as; depression, anger, crises, separation, relationship issues, males issues, bereavement, loss and grief, stress, lack of direction and motivation.
Personal Professional Training
Chris’s formal counselling training consists of a Masters Degree in Counselling (Narrative Therapy) from the University of Waikato and a Diploma in Psychosynthesis Counselling (NZQA). He holds a Bachelors of Arts Degree majoring in Psychology and a Post Graduate Diploma of Teaching.
He is a certified Master Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) practitioner and advanced hypnotherapist. He has trained extensively with Ericksonian approaches.
Chris has had extensive professional training and a strong interest in couples and family counselling, mediation and restorative practices.
Chris's Approach as a Counsellor
I am committed to working collaboratively with people to reach new understandings and to find new possibilities. In therapy conversations I am guided by the ideas and practices of Narrative Therapy and Solution-focused/Brief therapy.
I see counselling as a process where my client’s ideas and experiences are heard, respected and focused upon as central to the conversations held.
Service Categories
Counselling, Hypnotherapist, Life Coaching, NLP
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