Bruce is a Systemic Family & Couples Therapist, with additional skills in the areas of resource development, curriculum development, EAP, clinical supervision, training and education.
Following on from an early career in mental health, Bruce re-trained in family and systemic psychotherapies in the late 1980’s, in Melbourne which was the Australasian focal point for this ‘new’ profession at that time. This period coincided with his completion of related academic degrees through La Trobe & Massey Universities and a leadership role in a prominent Melbourne social services agency.
Re-location to New Zealand to take up a supervisory role in a Christchurch agency was a prelude to being a co-founder of a group of independent practitioners, which is still in operation some twenty-plus years later.
This time also saw him involved in a broad range of service delivery, including the facilitation and support for clinicians of the local DHBs child and adolescent service, to enable them to incorporate a systemic/family focus in their service delivery.
Bruce was also involved in the development and delivery of post-graduate papers in the field of systemic/family psychotherapies for the Universities of Canterbury & Otago, various polytechnics, health authorities and private organisations.
M.Ed. (Systemic Counselling & Psychotherapies); B.Ed. (Humanistic Psychology); Dip.App.Sci., Dip.FT. Clinical Member, Australian Association of Family Therapy, New Zealand Association of Counsellors.
Bruce’s primary focus has been and continues to be, the provision of therapy for a vast number of couples and families, and clients have described their experience with him as being professional, yet relaxed and effective.
He provides clinical supervision to a broad range of professionals and clinicians who wish to bring a systemic focus to their professional practice.
Bruce is connected with several local and international Employee Assistance Programmes, and has delivered therapy services for employees from a broad range of professional backgrounds.
He is also available to social service agencies and mental health organisations who wish to be more systemic and family-focused in their service delivery and he can develop programmes that are specific to the needs of the organisation.
He can also assist in the training and skill-development of people who wish to become more strengths-based in either their personal or professional lives, due to his long-standing exposure to Solution-Focused Therapy.
Bruce is also a NZ Family Court approved counsellor, and is a New Zealand representative to the board of the Australia and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy.
More recently Bruce’s own professional development has centred around on-going skill acquisition in evidence-based models of couple’s therapy.
