Jake Meads
Practical, skills-focused therapy for anxiety, anger and irritability, and trauma. Collaborative, evidence-based work that helps you turn insight into action in everyday life.
Session hours (NZ time): Mon to Fri, 8am to 5pm
About Jake
Jake is a registered counselling psychologist of mixed Māori (Rongowhakaata) and NZ European heritage. He began his career as a counsellor working with children, teens and young adults in a domestic violence setting, before moving into what has become his main focus: brief, skills-focused interventions with adults.
Jake has previously been clinical lead for a mental health and addictions team in the brief-intervention space, providing clinical oversight for around twenty clinicians. Alongside clinical practice, he has supported a university postgraduate counselling psychology programme through lecturing, supervising dissertations, academic publishing, and sitting on examination and interview panels.
Jake has a particular interest in working with Māori clients, drawing on his own whakapapa and the connections to both his birth and adopted ancestral lines, and on Māori frameworks such as Te Whare Tapa Whā. He offers a space that feels culturally safe and grounded for tangata whenua seeking psychological support.
Jake works with people of all genders, and also has an interest in men's wellbeing, including working with young men. Gym culture, body image and gaming are areas of professional interest too, and gym culture is one he knows first-hand.
Therapeutic approach
Jake's approach is collaborative and practical. The work focuses on figuring out what will actually help you in your life outside therapy: the skills, choices and shifts that move you towards your goals.
He offers both short-term and longer-term therapy, depending on what you need. The aim is a more integrated way of being in the world, and being able to translate the insights of therapy into ongoing, meaningful actions and experiences of living. Sessions usually start with a comprehensive assessment so a personalised plan can be tailored to your needs.
Areas of focus
- Anxiety
- Anger and irritability
- Trauma and PTSD
- Culturally safe practice for Māori clients
- Depression and low mood
- Stress, burnout, coping skills and personal growth
- Men's wellbeing, including young men
- Sleep and insomnia
- Eating disorders and body image
- Alcohol and substance use
- Gaming addiction
- Grief and bereavement
- Employment-related issues
- Chronic illness and pain
- Gym culture and mental health
- Autism and neurodivergence
This isn't a complete list. If what you'd like help with isn't here, you're welcome to ask.
Therapies offered
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
- Mindfulness-based therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Solution-Focused Brief Therapy
- Māori frameworks, including Te Whare Tapa Whā