Tena koutou...And welcome to another year. I cannot believe it has been about a year since my last column, where did the time go? I guess I have been so tied up in my Mahi and the busyness around my Whanau, that the time gets quickly swallowed up.

I love the feel of a New Year as it offers us all a space for new beginnings, leaving the residue of the past year behind and starting afresh. This new, renewed space allows for the birthing of new ideas and perhaps a place for dreams to evolve.

This year sees Parentline Manawatu birthing some new ways of working...From January onwards, I will not only be providing Counselling/Therapy to Clients and Whanau but I will also be able to offer Spiritual Healing, in way of Mirimiri and Intuitive Healing Therapy. My room has taken on somewhat of a shuffle around, to accommodate this new and long awaited thread to my Mahi.

Too often I work with individuals with whom the conventional or mainstream therapy isn't enough and work at a deeper level is needed...Clients often present with old historical wounds as well as deep seated grief, of which some spiritual intervention can be really beneficial during these times. Many of the parents we work alongside, have often been trudging through their life, carrying lots of old baggage with them, which has a huge impact on their ability to parent from a wise and caring place. My hope is that this new piece to my work, will allow for clients to really move old wounds and hurts out, and find a more comfortable place to sit with the grief.

As always, we continue to provide a wide variety of parenting programmes, of which are Triple P Teen Group, Triple P Discussion Groups, Blended Families, What Pushes Your Buttons, The Incredible Years, and Great Fathering...Our group work has been really beneficial in bringing change into the homes of the different whanau who access our services...Whanau travel as far as Dannevirke and Levin to attend these programmes. I am a part of facilitating the Group for Parents of Teens, and I have been witness first hand to the changes being made by the parents who attend this programme. It is these changes that keep me inspired to continue to be a part of, and facilitate these groups. Please, if you are beginning to feel powerless and run down in your role as a parent/caregiver, don't hesitate to contact us here on 06 355 1655 for some support...If Counselling/Therapy/ or Spiritual Healing aren't your thing, you could always enroll in one of our groups, we would love to have you on board.

Nga Mihi Kia Koutou
Joanne Te Paiho