Waheeda Goga
“I am a strong believer in the importance of ‘quality of life’ and passionate about supporting psychological wellbeing. I believe that a woman’s psychological wellness is a priority and her self-care is a necessity.”
Waheeda Goga is a Clinical Psychologist based in Auckland, New Zealand. She holds a Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology (MSoc Science Clinical Psychology) from the University of KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. Waheeda is registered with the New Zealand Psychologists Board (NZPB) and is a member of the New Zealand Psychological Society (NZPsS), Australian Centre for Eating Behaviour (ACFEB) and Australian & New Zealand Mental Health Association (ANZMHA).
Her practice focuses on Bariatric Psychology, Women’s Health Psychology, Therapy, Rehabilitation and Assessments for clients from diverse cultural backgrounds. She provides Online psychological services.
She has over a decade of experience in the field psychology and has training and experience in psychotherapy of various modalities (including Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy, Dialectical Behavioural Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Existential Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy), psychological assessments and forensic psychology. Additionally, she has completed an internship programme in Trauma Counselling and an Online and Telephone Counselling course.
Waheeda has undergone training in the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of various psychological concerns and mental health issues including short-term and long-term individual and group psychotherapy for both in-patients and out-patients.
She has experience in working with clients from diverse cultural backgrounds and worked in various settings such as public health and private health sectors, forensics, assessment and therapy clinic, spinal rehabilitation centre, specialist psychiatric hospital and private practice. Between 2009 to 2016 she provided volunteer group sessions at a children’s home in South Africa. She co-authored a publication on her research into the experiences of caregivers following the disclosure of child sexual abuse which was published in the South African Journal of Psychology, 2015 (SAJP – SAGE): The experience of non-offending caregivers following the disclosure of child sexual abuse: understanding the aftermath.
She provides professional cultural supervision for professionals working with Muslim clients.
She has training and special interest in:
~ Trauma/PTSD
~ Grief/Bereavement
~ Depression/ Postnatal Depression/ Bipolar Disorders
~ Anxiety Disorders
~ Eating Disorders
~ Coping with Chronic Illness
~ Pre- and Post-Surgery Counselling
~ Bariatric Pre- and Post-Surgery Counselling and Assessment
~ Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Rehabilitation Therapy
~ Coping with a Physical Disability
~ Adjustment (e.g. relocation/ immigration/ divorce/ marriage)
~ Parenting/ Motherhood/ Pregnancy
~ Relationship Counselling
~ Psychotherapy for Older Adults
~ Play Therapy / Child Therapy
~ Child/Adolescent Self-esteem and Self-concept Improvement
~ Stage of Life Changes
Kalpana Govind
Kalpana Govind is a psychologist who is passionate about supporting people to live their best lives possible. With over 22 years’ experience in a range of settings. Kalpana has worked in both the public and private sector of mental health. She immigrated to New Zealand from Africa in 2002 as a 4th generation South African Indian which has meant that she has translated her roots to a different setting and is very aware of the adjustments we all make on a daily basis to cope with our daily challenges. She therefore believes psychology is the best tool to support us all to move from surviving to thriving. Whether its immigration adjustment, marital issues, work related or just general feelings of anxiety or depression – Kalpana can support on these and other areas. Also growing up in South Africa has helped Kalpana understand the role of psychology in supporting social and cultural influences on our development and behaviour.
Her practice focuses on Bariatric Psychology, Women’s Health Psychology, Therapy, Rehabilitation and Assessments for clients from diverse cultural backgrounds. She provides Online psychological services.
Having been a clinical leader of a team of 15 psychologists in a government organisation, and working with people who have a range of complex and with vulnerable populations – Kalpana prides herself in understanding the cultural context, individual experience and family dynamics of all those she works with. She generally works in a kind, non-judgemental manner – no matter what the presenting problem. She believes in clients having agency to influence their own lives and having the potential solutions within themselves.
Skills that Kalpana brings to her work are – clinical supervision, organisational management skills, ethical decision making and psychological practice improvement. Having worked in both private and public settings has been a good basis for Kalpana to work with a range of people – adolescents, children, adults, elderly, males and females – as well as with diverse populations such as Maori, Pasifika, European, African, Rainbow communities and various other cultures. Kalpana is trained in a range of psychological models and adapts the model to her clients’ needs – however her predominant model is Psychodynamic together with other modalities like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Schema Therapy, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy and Systemic models of therapy.
She provides professional, psychology board approved and cultural supervision for professionals.
Areas of Specialisation:
~ Trauma/Post Traumatic Stress Disorder/Trauma Informed Therapy
~ Grief/Bereavement
~ Depression/ Postnatal Depression/ Bipolar Disorders
~ Anxiety Disorders
~ Coping with Chronic Illness
~ Pre- and Post-Surgery Counselling
~ Bariatric Pre- and Post-Surgery Counselling and Assessment
~ Coping with a Physical Disability
~ Forensic Issues/concerns such as Anger Management
~ Cross cultural issues
~ Adjustment (e.g. relocation/ immigration/ divorce/ marriage)
~ Parenting/ Motherhood/ Pregnancy
~ Relationship Counselling
~ Psychotherapy for Older Adults
~ Child/Adolescent Therapy
~ Stage of Life Changes (pre-teens/adolescence)