Meet Our Team

Dr. Sarah Watson, BA, MA(Hons), DClinPsych, MNZCCP

Founder, Managing Director & Senior Child & Adolescent Clinical Psychologist - Takapuna & Warkworth Clinics

Dr. Sarah Watson is the Founder, Managing Clinic Director at Totally Psyched and a registered Child & Adolescent Clinical Psychologist. Sarah has over ten years experience as both a Psychologist and leader across a variety of settings, all specialising in working with children, adolescents and their families.

Dr. Mirsad Begic, MBChB., FRANZCP (Cert Child & Adol)

Consultant Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist (Takapuna Clinic)

Dr Mirsad Begic is a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist with extensive experience working with children, families, adolescents and young adults. He holds senior roles in the clinical leadership team for the District Health Board and sits on boards for the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatry. Dr Mirsad is passionate about providing excellent care for young people and helping them to successfully navigate through their struggles and get back on track.

Paul Barber, M.Ed. Psych (Hons)., P.G. Dip. Ed. Psych., P.G. Dip. CBT (Dist)., Dip. Teaching (Primary), B.Soc.Sci., and Cert.Mentoring & Supervision

Senior Psychologist (Registered - Educational Scope) (Takapuna Clinic)

Paul Barber is an experienced specialist Psychologist in applying assessments and therapies for children and adolescents who experience a variety of psychological and/or learning challenges. With a background in specialist university level cognitive behavioural therapy with children and adolescents, special needs, brain injury and expert learning assessment and interventions Paul has a unique combination of skills.

Dayna Cooper, B.A., M.A. (Hons), MClinPsych, NZCCP

Child & Adolescent Clinical Psychologist / Practice Lead - Takapuna

Dayna is a warm, friendly and approachable Clinical Psychologist with over a decade of experience working with children, adolescents and their families across a variety of settings. Dayna’s experience includes working with mild to moderate mental health issues in a youth development organisation, providing specialist neuropsychological assessment in a university clinic, and assessment and treatment of moderate to severe complex psychological concerns for the DHB Community Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service. She is experienced in providing assessment and therapeutic intervention for children, adolescents and young adults who present with a wide range of mental health concerns, including and specialising in emotional dysregulation, eating disorders, trauma and abuse, obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, anxiety disorders and dissociative disorders.

Ivana (Iva) Draskovic, BSc (Psych), MPsych, MNZPS

Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychologist - TELEHEALTH ONLY

Ivana ("E-va") is a New Zealand registered Clinical Psychologist with a wide range of experience. Specializing in working with children, adolescents and families Iva uses a comprehensive range of therapeutic skills and models to help young people reach their potential and live lives they love. Iva works via telehealth only since returning to Croatia to be with family.

Bruce Holroyd, M.A. (Hons), PGDipClinPsych

Senior Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychologist (Takapuna Clinic)

Bruce is a highly experienced clinical psychologist who works with children, young people, families and adults where they are facing a range of difficulties and at times complex needs. Bruce believes in the capacity of individuals, parents and families to utilise the strengths and resources they have available with the support and expertise of someone who is non-judgmental, knowledgeable and sup

Dr Imogen Scott, BSc (Hons), DClinPsych, NZPS

Clinical Psychologist (Provisional) - Takapuna & Warkworth Clinics

Imogen is a Clinical Psychologist, having recently completed her clinical training with us at Totally Psyched and through the University of Auckland. Imogen is passionate about working with young people and their families, and prides herself on being friendly and approachable. She has experience in assessments and behavioural therapy, having worked clinically at Totally Psyched for the last year and a half and prior to that spent time working at Youthline and the Centre for Learning, Integration and Managing Behaviour.

Claire Baynes, GradDipHSc

Child & Adolescent Psychotherapist - Takapuna Clinic

Claire is a registered psychotherapist working within the specialty of child and adolescent practice. She is warm and empathetic and creates a non-judgemental and supportive space for young people and their families. Her personal and theoretical philosophy highly regards the significance of connection and the innate human need to be in relationship with one’s self and one another.

Dr Kathryn Rees, BSc (Hons), PGCert Counselling in Education, DChEdPsych

Child and Educational Psychologist - Takapuna

Dr Kathryn is a Child & Educational Psychologist registered with the New Zealand Psychologist Board. She trained and worked in the UK prior to moving to New Zealand in 2017. She is experienced in working alongside families and educational professionals to complete assessments and develop intervention plans to support children/young people to develop social and emotional skills and reduce barriers to learning. She also has extensive experience enjoying therapeutic work with individual children, small groups of children, and families. Dr Kathryn enjoys working with children/young people with a range of presentations and characteristics, having particular interests in working with those who present with social, emotional and mental health needs and in working alongside parents and families.

Anel Kloppers, B.A., M.A. (Clinical Psychology & Play Therapy), MNZPS

Senior Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychologist - Warkworth Clinic Only

Anel is a highly experienced Clinical Psychologist and Mindfulness Facilitator with a broad base of both knowledge, training and practice. She has worked in a busy private practice in South Africa as well as hospitals, including Weskoppies Hospital and Sizwe Tropical Disease Hospital. Anel has trained extensively in Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, Mindfulness and Play Therapy, Child Psychotherapy and Family Therapy. She is a qualified Circle of Security psychologist , with a keen interest in the integration of insight-orientated psychotherapy and evidence-based behavioural and lifestyle interventions. Anel is passionate about her work with children, adolescents and families and she enjoys working with a broad range of presenting concerns - healing the whole child.

Dr Darryl-Lee Prince, BSc Biological Life Science, BSc Med Science, MBBCh

Medical Doctor (Psychiatry)

Dr Darryl-Lee is a Medical Doctor (Psychiatry) with over 20 years experience working in psychiatry with children and adolescents. Having originally trained in South Africa, Dr Darryl has been practicing in New Zealand since 2002. She has held a broad range of roles, principally in psychiatry including maternal mental health, infant mental health, eating disorders, primary care liaison and general psychiatry but Dr Darryl has a particular interest in psychiatry in children and adolescents. As such, she has spent most of her career working within child and adolescent mental health.

Evita Meerding, B.A., M.A.,(Child & Adolescent Psychology)

Psychological Therapist / Counsellor - Takapuna & Warkworth

Evita has been a Registered Psychologist in the Netherlands for the past three years, having also spent time working in Hawaii before moving to New Zealand with her partner. Evita's passion in life is getting to know people and being able to make them see the beauty of their lives. Pinpointing what they can be grateful for as well as what they still need. To analyze the facts and clarify someone’s behavior is what makes me grateful for my work.

Anthony John, B.A., PGDipArts., M.A.(Hons), PGDipPsychPrac, NZPB

Child & Adolescent Psychologist - Warkworth

Anthony has extensive experience working with children, adolescents and families who are experiencing challenges with emotion and behaviour. He has worked in various Psychologist roles with behavioural support services including Youth Horizons Trust, Explore and in private practice.

Vicki Collier, BHS (Occupational Therapy), PGCert Health Sciences, NZROT

Senior Occupational Therapist / Practice Lead - Warkworth

Vicki has nineteen years experience as an Occupational Therapist and additional experience in leadership roles. Vicki is the Practice Lead at our Warkworth Clinic, responsible for matching your child/teen to the team member(s) that will take care of their specific needs. Clinically, she specializes in sensory modulation: in those on the Autism spectrum and who experience anxiety or ADHD related sensory sensitivities, social skills development and supporting children and adolescents to improve their health and restore them to full functioning.

Dr Loretta White

Clinical Psychologist - Warkworth

Loretta is a Clinical Psychologist with 13 years of postgraduate experience largely in Paediatrics, Health Psychology and a University Wellbeing context. She enjoys working with people at all ages of the lifespan and draws from a range of therapeutic models and approaches including ACT, CBT, EFT, DBT, Mindfulness, Narrative and Systemic Therapy. She also enjoys the richness and diversity of working in a multicultural environment.

Dr Persy Shroff, MBBS., FRANZCP

Consultant Psychiatrist (Takapuna Clinic)

Dr Shroff is a locally trained Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist accredited by the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (FRANZCP). He cares for the children and adolescents who he sees for advice, supporting their parents and is known having an easy and engaging manner and providing sound medical advice you can rely on.

Patricia Cruz, BSc (Psychology)., PGDipProfPsych, Master of Developmental & Educational Psychology

Psychologist

Pat is a warm and friendly Registered Psychologist who values making a genuine connection through empathy and shared understanding with her clients. She prefers to work collaboratively and is adaptable to the preferences of her clients.

Lee Willman, B.A., Dip. Counselling

Counsellor

Lee is an NZAC registered counsellor with an undergraduate psychology degree. Lee is warm, friendly and encouraging, and it is her privilege to work collaboratively with her clients to grow strengths and teach skills to enable them to walk with greater ease through their lives.