Abuse Counselling Services has a network of Maori therapists in Hawkes Bay (Te Aratika), Manawatu, and Dunedin.

Te Aratika, Hawkes Bay

The vision of Te Aratika aims to provide an accessible, appropriate, integrated, tikanga Maori based therapeutic service to underserved Maori, Pacific Island & Quintile 5 populations within Napier, Hastings, Flaxmere & Havelock North.

The values that uphold this vision encompass the cultural constructs of te ao Maori conducive to toiora or wellbeing – whakapapa, tikanga, mana, tapu / noa, mauri, wairua, manaakitanga, aroha, whakamarama / kahupo – these imperatives maintain the balance of both the collective & the individual in mind, body, spirit & whanau; whilst recognising the wide diversity of whanau represented within Maori & Pacific Island communities.

We strive to provide a well-balanced integrative approach that addresses cross-sectorial inequities for Maori &Pacific Island peoples, & acknowledge cultural diversity as crucial to achieving positive health outcomes.

Why would Maori feel at home with our service?

Te Aratika kaupapa is embedded in a tikanga Maori framework & ethos that empowers all clients. We strive to provide a well-balanced integrative approach that addresses cross-sectorial inequities for Maori & Pacific Island peoples, & acknowledge cultural diversity as crucial to achieving positive health outcomes. Our practice guidelines embrace a holistic view of ‘Tangata Whaiora’ founded on the Te Wheke model. Key features considered important to our service delivery are:

  • Whakawhanaungatanga / Mihi Whakatau as the most appropriate process of initial encounter to establish relationship & rapport
  • A client-centric community driven kaupapa is our highest priority
  • We advocate for social change, equity & equality
  • We contextualise inter-personal trauma within a historical, trans-generational framework
  • Cultural & clinical competency – all practitioners are conversant in te reo Maori &
  • An integrated model at both structural & therapeutic levels
  • Considerable flexibility in a range of domains to enable appropriate responsiveness (e.g. venue, time, style of engagement, personnel)
  • A poly-modal systemic response based therapeutic approach
  • Inclusion of whanau if & when appropriate
  • Main practice setting is a non-clinical beautifully renovated villa on the Hastings CBD fringe, with satellite offices in Napier, Onekawa & Taradale
  • Complimentary tea & coffee with free parking

What is most important for Maori to know about dealing with sexual abuse in their own lives?

The past secures the present & the present secures the future. Sexualised violence is not in Māori whakapapa yet threatens the vital connections between the survivor, whanau, hapu & iwi. The impacts of sexual abuse, particularly within whanau, is the ultimate violation of mana, mauri & tapu. It has significant enduring consequences on the survival of the whanau nucleus, & distorts the balance of wairua within wider hapu & iwi structures.

Sexualised violence can have devastating life-long effects on a person’s life including anxiety, depression, whakama, developing fears or phobias, relationship difficulties, eating disorders, chronic health problems, sexual dysfunction, self-harming & destructive behaviours, addiction, parenting problems, whakamomori (mate) suicidality, alienation, discrimination, cultural disconnection, internalised racism, further displacement & dislocation from tūrangawaewae so the path of destruction is as wide as it is varied.

The healing journey aims to restore the wairua within the survivor’s world, through making sense of the aftermath, recognising ways of coping, normalising feelings & memories, & finding safe ways to express anger & pain. It may also be important to include whānau (only if appropriate) to restore the equilibrium of relationship dynamics. We ensure that specialised Sexual Abuse Counselling is provided to Maori.

What is unique about Maori approaches to counselling and healing?

It is impossible to effectively heal profound wounding without addressing our colonial history. Understanding the complex, layered spectrum of factors associated with Māori health inequality & inequity need to be challenged to eliminate popular negative discourses about Maori, & prevent their re-creation. Maori cannot erase their collective history or personal experiences, but they can move forward one day at a time to re-shape their future, & the future for their mokopuna.

Tikanga Maori based therapeutic approaches that are delivered from a contemporary understanding of a traditional Maori worldview, provide a context to re-member, re-claim & re-affirm the empowering elements of Maori cultural heritage. They offer a voice for social justice, social change & social renewal that positively values the recovery of ancient wisdom, tradition, history, individual & whanau life experiences. Therapy provides spaciousness that counteracts the negative & inferiorising effects of globalisation & actively provides the potential to expand, transform & heal.

 

If you would like us to put you in touch with Tangata Whenua offering services in Hawkes Bay, Manawatu, or Dunedin please contact us on (06) 353 8722 or email issc@painrelief.co.nz.

We are here to help.

If you are looking for treatment, then contact us today.

Ph 06 353 8722
Email: issc@painrelief.co.nz