About Mindwell: online psychology for adults across New Zealand

Why Mindwell exists

Mindwell was set up to solve two problems at once. The first is access. Many adults in New Zealand who want to see a psychologist can't easily get to one: the public system rightly prioritises people with the most severe needs, private psychologists cluster in the main centres, and anyone outside those centres, or working hours that don't fit a clinic's, is left with few options. In the 2024/25 New Zealand Health Survey, about one in ten adults said they had wanted professional help for their mental health in the past year and had not received it.

The second problem sits on the other side of the screen. Psychologists in private practice spend a surprising share of their week on things that aren't therapy: rooms, bookings, payments, reminders, paperwork. Mindwell takes on that administration so psychologists can spend their working time with clients, and so private psychology can be offered to people anywhere in the country at one clear fee.

Mindwell is operated by Mindwell Ltd, a New Zealand company. It is online-only. There are no clinic rooms; every session happens by video, which is what lets us work with people from Kaitāia to Bluff on the same terms.

How Mindwell works

Sessions run through Carepatron, a secure practice platform whose video works in your browser without a download. You book online at any hour, choose a specific psychologist or the first available appointment, and pay at booking. You then receive a confirmation email with your video link and a calendar invite, and a separate email with a short intake form: a consent form and brief questionnaire that takes about five minutes.

Sessions are 50 minutes and typically weekly or fortnightly. The first session gathers your history and goals and agrees a plan. Every session costs $199 + GST ($228.85 incl. GST), whichever psychologist you see, and there is no higher fee for the first one. How it works walks through each step, and fees covers payment, insurance and cancellations.

Who the psychologists are, and how they join

Every psychologist at Mindwell is registered with the New Zealand Psychologists Board and holds a current annual practising certificate, which you can check yourself on the Board's public register at psychologistsboard.org.nz. The team includes clinical psychologists, counselling psychologists and registered psychologists working in the general scope; our guide to types of psychologist explains what the scopes mean.

Mindwell's psychologists are contracted independent practitioners, not employees. Each is responsible for their own clinical work and their own clinical notes, and works within Mindwell's policies for booking, payments and privacy. When we bring a psychologist onto the team, we look for three things: breadth of experience across the problems adults commonly bring to therapy, warmth, and a commitment to evidence-based practice, meaning the approaches that clinical guidelines and research support, such as CBT, ACT, DBT, EMDR, ERP and schema therapy.

You can read about each psychologist's training, focus areas and way of working on our team page, and each has a profile page of their own.

Book a session How booking works →

How matching works

When you book, you have two choices. You can pick a psychologist whose profile fits what you're looking for, perhaps someone who focuses on OCD, or trauma, or perinatal mental health, and book directly into their calendar. Or you can take the first available appointment with any psychologist, which is the fastest route and works well if you don't have a strong preference.

Fit matters in therapy, and it is hard to predict from a profile. If after a session or two you feel the match isn't right, you are free to book with a different Mindwell psychologist; nobody will be offended. Choosing a psychologist has some questions worth asking yourself first.

What Mindwell is not

• Not a crisis service. We can't respond to emergencies or see people urgently. If you are in immediate danger call 111. For free support any time, call or text 1737, or call Lifeline on 0800 543 354 (7am to midnight).
• Not an ACC provider. Sessions are self-funded. If your difficulties stem from an injury, including sexual abuse or assault (a sensitive claim), ACC funds treatment through its own registered providers, and we will point you towards them if you ask.
• Adults only. We work with people aged 18 and over who are in New Zealand at the time of each session. We don't see children or young people, and we can't see clients who are overseas.
• Not a prescriber. Psychologists don't prescribe medication. For questions about starting, stopping or changing medication, talk to your GP or psychiatrist.
• Not a replacement for a multidisciplinary team. Some conditions need a psychiatrist, nurse, GP and psychologist working together. Your GP can refer you to your local Health NZ service, and we will say so if we think that's where you should be.

Who is responsible for your care

Mindwell is a practice and a platform, not a hospital. Each psychologist is individually accountable for their own clinical work under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 and the standards set by the New Zealand Psychologists Board, including the Code of Ethics for Psychologists Working in Aotearoa New Zealand.

At the practice level, Mindwell sets the policies every psychologist works within: how your information is collected, stored and shared under the Health Information Privacy Code 2020 (our privacy policy), how cancellations and rescheduling work (our cancellation policy), and our terms of service.

If you have a concern about your care, tell your psychologist or email team@mindwell.co.nz, and our complaints process explains what happens next. The Nationwide Health and Disability Advocacy Service (0800 555 050) offers free, independent support, and you can also contact the Psychologists Board or the Health and Disability Commissioner, which handles concerns about any health or disability service in New Zealand.

Who runs Mindwell

Mindwell is run by Sandy Laurenson, a Clinical Psychologist who also sees clients on the platform.

Contact

Email team@mindwell.co.nz or use the "Ask a question" form on our homepage. We usually reply within one business day. Questions about fit, approach or booking are answered by email, so you have the answer in writing to come back to.

If you're ready to book, the booking page shows live availability for every psychologist. If you'd rather read more first, start with our guide to online therapy in New Zealand.

Related support: How it works · Our team · Fees · Online therapy in New Zealand