Christina (Chrissy) Gillmore

Chrissy Gillmore

Tohutohu / Counselling
Ko Chrissy ahau — I’m Chrissy (she/her). I provide professional, trauma-informed counselling to adults from my office in Upper Hutt and online via telehealth. I am Member Registered with the New Zealand Association of Counsellors, a member of EMDRNZ, and an ACC Sensitive Claims provider (PAP781).

My approach
I work from bicultural pluralism integrated with biculturalism and a commitment to upholding Te Tiriti o Waitangi. I practise collaboratively, transparently, and with a focus on safety, consent, and empowerment.

Areas of focus
Grief & loss, anxiety, depression, PTSD, complex PTSD, dissociation, trauma recovery (including childhood sexual abuse and adverse childhood experiences), and healing.

Therapeutic modalities (chosen together)
EMDR (Basic Training Parts 1 & 2; Accreditation pathway from 2025), EMDR 2.0, Flash Technique (advanced), parts-informed (structural dissociation), Interactive Drawing Therapy (IDT), ACT, DBT, narrative therapy (advanced apprenticeship), feminist-informed therapy, somatic approaches (Body‑Mind Psychotherapy L1; polyvagal-informed), person-centred therapy, and Te Whare Tapa Whā. Not exhaustive — we tailor approach together.

Outcome monitoring
I may use routine outcome monitoring (e.g., feedback-informed treatment) so we can track progress and adjust therapy based on your feedback.

Runaruna / Hobbies & whakapapa
I whakapapa to Kānata/Canada and Hanekari/Hungary, and have lived in Aotearoa for 20+ years. I enjoy gardening, travelling, Te Ataarangi and Te Reo study, textile arts, photography, and walking my two kurī, Rico and Reba.

Mātauranga / Education
- PhD (Psychology) — current part-time candidate (anticipated completion Sept 2027)
- Master of Counselling
- Master of Management (Marketing)
- Postgrad Diploma of Education (Counselling & Guidance)
- Postgrad Cert Arts (Social Anthropology)
- BA (Business Psychology & Social Anthropology)
- He Papa Tikanga (Level 3) / Te Ataarangi
- Body‑Mind Psychotherapy L1 practitioner

PhD Research — Currently completing
PhD research explores how some women who experienced childhood sexual abuse make sense of consensual sexual desire and pleasure in adulthood.

Published research:
Pond R, Gillmore C, Blanchard N. Lived experiences of resilience for women who have experienced childhood sexual abuse: A systematic review of qualitative studies. Child Abuse Negl. 2023 Jun;140:106152. doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2023.106152. Epub 2023 Apr 5. PMID: 37028256.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37028256/

Contact
Website: https://www.sexualpleasurephd.com

Arohamai, I am not currently taking on new clients.