Counselling & Wellbeing
Counselling & Wellbeing Support
Living with PMDD can affect many parts of life. It can influence how you feel physically and emotionally, your relationships, work or study, your routines, and your sense of connection with yourself and the people around you.
Our counselling and wellbeing support service provides a safe, supportive space to explore how PMDD is affecting you and develop practical ways to support your wellbeing.
A holistic approach
Our approach is informed by Te Whare Tapa Whā, a holistic model of wellbeing that recognises the different parts of our lives that contribute to our overall wellbeing.
These areas are connected, and we recognise that everyone’s experience of PMDD is different. Your counselling will focus on the areas that are most relevant to you.
Taha tinana – physical wellbeing
How PMDD affects your body, energy, sleep, routines and physical wellbeing.
Taha hinengaro – mental and emotional wellbeing
Your thoughts, feelings, emotional experiences, coping strategies and what helps you through difficult times.
Taha whānau – family and relationships
The people around you, your relationships and support networks, communication, boundaries and asking for help.
Taha wairua – spiritual wellbeing
Your values, identity, sense of meaning, connection and the things that help you feel grounded.
Whenua – your foundation
Your connection to the places, environments and communities around you, and the spaces in which you feel safe, supported and connected.
What to expect
The support package generally involves 4–6 individual counselling sessions, each around 60 minutes.
Together with your counsellor, you will explore what is happening in your life now, what you are finding difficult and what you would like support with.
-
Understanding how PMDD is affecting different areas of your life.
-
Identifying patterns, challenges and early warning signs.
-
Exploring coping and emotional regulation strategies.
-
Identifying things that support your physical and emotional wellbeing.
-
Looking at relationships, communication and your support network.
-
Exploring what helps you feel grounded and connected.
-
Identifying practical resources and sources of ongoing support.
-
Developing strategies you can use during more difficult periods.
There is not a fixed programme that everyone has to follow. Your counsellor will work with you to identify the areas that are most important for you.
Your PMDD Wellbeing Toolkit
An important part of the service is helping you develop something you can take with you when the counselling sessions finish.
Throughout the sessions, you will build your own PMDD Wellbeing Toolkit. This is a personalised record of the things you have identified as helpful for you.
-
Things you have learned about your own PMDD experience.
-
Your patterns and early warning signs.
-
Strategies that help you when things are difficult.
-
Ways to support your physical and emotional wellbeing.
-
People and services you can turn to for support.
-
Ways of communicating your needs to others.
-
Resources that you want to keep using.
-
Things that help you feel grounded, connected and more like yourself.
-
A plan for what you can do when you need additional support.
The aim is not to “fix” PMDD. PMDD may be something you need to manage over the longer term, and what works for you may change over time.
Instead, we want you to finish the programme with a better understanding of yourself, practical strategies that you can draw on, and a personalised set of resources to support you going forward.
Working alongside your existing care
This service is focused on counselling and wellbeing support. It does not replace medical care or provide diagnosis, medication management or other medical treatment for PMDD.
Where appropriate, we may encourage you to seek additional support from your GP, mental health professional or other healthcare provider.
If you are experiencing a mental health crisis or are at immediate risk of harm, this service is not intended to provide crisis intervention. You should seek urgent support through the appropriate emergency or crisis service.
Our aim
We want people living with PMDD to have more than information about their condition. We want them to have practical tools, supportive connections and a better understanding of what they need to look after their wellbeing while living with PMDD.
Who you will work with
Louise Brooks is the Community Counsellor for this service. She is a third-year Bachelor of Applied Counselling student at Manukau Institute of Technology and is completing this service as part of her counselling training placement. Louise is also a Registered Mental Health Nurse. Her counselling approach is strengths-focused, collaborative and centred on supporting people to better understand their own experience and wellbeing needs.
Louise works in line with the New Zealand Association of Counsellors Code of Ethics and receives professional supervision throughout her practice.
How the counselling sessions work
Supportive counselling conversations
Clients can expect a safe, non-judgemental space to discuss concerns related to PMDD. The counselling process is collaborative and shaped by the client’s priorities, circumstances and lived experience.
A holistic approach to wellbeing
During the sessions, Louise may use Te Whare Tapa Whā to help you explore how physical wellbeing, emotions, relationships, identity, connection, environment and support networks interact in your experience of PMDD.
There is no fixed programme that every person must follow. Louise will work with each client to identify the areas that matter most to them and to develop support that reflects their own circumstances.
A personalised PMDD Wellbeing Toolkit
Throughout the sessions, each client will be supported to build a personalised PMDD Wellbeing Toolkit. This may include coping strategies, wellbeing practices, early warning signs, ways of recognising when extra support is needed, support networks, useful resources, approaches for communicating needs to others, and strategies for navigating the impact of PMDD on relationships, work, study and everyday life.
The aim is for each person to finish the programme with a better understanding of their own PMDD experience and a practical set of tools they can continue to use beyond the counselling sessions.
While counselling cannot change the fact that someone has PMDD, it can support them to better understand its impact, strengthen wellbeing, develop strategies for difficult times and build practical tools they can carry forward.
Service boundaries and urgent support
This counselling and wellbeing support service is designed to sit alongside any existing care or support a person may already have. It does not diagnose PMDD, provide medical treatment, prescribe or change medication, or replace care from a GP, psychiatrist, psychologist or other healthcare professional.
Where appropriate, clients may be encouraged to keep working with their existing healthcare providers or seek additional support. If someone is experiencing a mental health crisis, feels unsafe, or is at immediate risk of harm, urgent support should be sought through emergency or crisis services.
Availability and Getting Started
This service is currently being offered as a small trial and has a limited initial intake, prioritising those for whom the service is suitable during this period.
After you register your interest, PMDD Aotearoa will review the information you provide and confirm whether the service is suitable and a place is available. If the service is not the right fit or the trial is full, we may direct you to other appropriate support options where possible.
Sessions are held online using Microsoft Teams.
Ready to get started? Register your interest and we will contact you about suitability and availability. If you would like more information before registering, please contact us.