Your mental health and self knowledge are the bases of your success.
Helping you to heal, and feeling confident & empowered in your life.
I'm Marcela Leal, and I hold a bachelor's degree in social work, along with a postgraduate degree in Counselling Therapy from the University of Auckland.
My training draws on systemic and client-centred principles, I use an integrative therapy style tailored to each person and family I work with. Such as Gestalt models, CBT, ACT and I am a full member of NZAC and a registered EMDR practitioner in Australia and New Zealand.
I know that reaching out can feel like a big step, and I'm here to make that step feel safe. I love helping couples and families build stronger, healthier connections, and I support parents and children through every stage of growth — with practical tools that foster confidence, resilience, and genuine understanding along the way.
Wellness Spaces:
Therapy for You and Your Family
INDIVIDUAL SESSIONS
The therapy that she provides is an integrative approach, that is mostly based on a humanistic theory. She graduated from Auckland University with a Post Graduate Diploma in client-centered therapy. However, she uses various modalities to create personalized and holistic therapy. This allows her to adapt her style and provide the best outcome for all her clients, following their needs and empowering their strengths.
COUPLE COUNSELLING
She helps couples to build stronger and healthier relationships, through a variety of evidence-based therapeutic approaches such as:
Emotional focus; strengthening the emotional bond and improving attachment.
The Gottam Method; helps to manage conflict and increase affection and;
Cognitive Behavior therapy; identifying negative thoughts and patterns.
Imago Therapy; can give a better understanding to each other by having empathy about childhood wounds
FAMILY THERAPY AND SAND PLAY THERAPY
She uses a systemic approach which allows us to see the family as a complex system of interactions and relationships and emphasizes understanding and addressing the patterns and dynamics.
She provides sand tray therapy, which is a gentle approach to working with children through sensory skills, using sand and small toys. It is non-invasive because it can be done without communication or using a third-person pronoun, the children can express themselves freely and in a light manner.
SERVICES
Pathways to Healing and Growth
Is a personal and supportive space where you can explore your thoughts, emotions, and challenges with a professional. It helps you gain self-awareness, develop coping strategies, and work towards personal growth and well-being.
A creative, hands-on approach that helps children and adults express emotions, process trauma, and develop coping skills by creating scenes in the sand, offering a safe and effective way to explore thoughts and feelings.
A compassionate space to process emotions, find healing, and navigate life after loss with support and understanding.
Building positive routines, breaking unhelpful patterns, and creating a healthier, more balanced lifestyle.
Helps you gain clarity, build self-confidence, and create actionable steps toward achieving your personal and professional goals, empowering you to reach your full potential.
Provides a safe space to improve communication, resolve conflicts, and strengthen emotional connections, helping partners build a healthier and more fulfilling relationship.
The eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, helps to process difficult, distressing or traumatic experiences. it works in a similar way to what naturally happens during REM sleep, when the brain sorts through experiences. EMDR helps to find new neuropaths and adaptative mechanisms
A supportive space to understand emotions, develop coping strategies, and build resilience, helping you regain balance and well-being.
Help you cultivate calm, build resilience, and develop practical techniques to manage stress, improve focus, and enhance overall well-being.
Offers a supportive environment where family members or groups can improve communication, resolve conflicts, and strengthen relationships, fostering understanding and unity.