About me - Emma Heaney-Yeatts
Bachelor of Arts (hons) in Education and Art History, Bachelor of Counselling, MNZAC, EMDR Consultant in Training and Certified IMAGO Relationships Therapist
I have been practising as a Counsellor since 2014 and I have been operating mybestme since 2016. Between 2012 and 2019 I worked for PND Wellington (now Little Shadow Inc) to develop its counselling service and in the end I was the Counselling Service Director for a team of around ten counsellors. This is where I developed a passion for Supervision. I reluctantly left PND Wellington to focus on my private practice mybestme.
Between 2019 - 2022 I co-developed and facilitated a Group-based EMDR intervention for survivors of sexual violence. I have used this experience to develop Duo IMAGO EMDR. I continue to offer individual EMDR treatment for survivors of sexual violence. I believe in justice for people who have experienced non-consensual sexual experiences - and I have seen the benefits of individual EMDR treatment for many many survivors. I offered ACC compensated therapy for survivors of sexual violence for many years.
Presently I have a keen interest working with frontline health professionals. EMDR treatment helps process old trauma that may be triggered in this line of work, and also helps de-sensitise traumatic material that frontline health workers are readily exposed to in their work. This helps prevent cumulative trauma, which can further impact their work and life. I also work with other professionals, using EMDR, via EAP providers.
In 2023 I developed my Duo IMAGO EMDR therapy, which brings together the best of Group-Based EMDR and IMAGO concepts. Trauma often occurs in relationship - so relationships can be triggering AND, on the flip-side, healing too. IMAGO provides a communication method that is helpful in any relationship, and EMDR helps de-sensitise the triggers that arise in relationship so that communication can more readily occur.
My training
Upon the foundation of my Counselling degree I trained in Eye Movement Desensitisation Therapy (EMDR) and I am now an Accredited Practitioner working towards Consultant, I am also a Certified IMAGO Relationships Therapist.
How I became a counsellor
Before I retrained as a Counsellor I worked in government. I spent seven years working at the Ministry of Women's Affairs as a Policy Analyst. I learned a lot about historical and current issues facing New Zealand women today, for example barriers and inequities in work and education, and the enormous costs of violence towards women - but not a lot about the impacts of becoming a mother.
It wasn't until I had my own children that I learned that becoming a parent has impacts on every level - physically, emotionally, mentally, socially and situationally. After experiencing distress with my second child, which brought a number of challenges due to his reflux and undiagnosed allergies, I realised that others must also struggle with adapting to the challenges involved in parenting. I decided to pursue a lingering desire to finish my study as a Counsellor.
Since then my practice has broadened to include Relationships Therapy and EMDR, which is applicable for anyone with memories!
It wasn't until I had my own children that I learned that becoming a parent has impacts on every level - physically, emotionally, mentally, socially and situationally. After experiencing distress with my second child, which brought a number of challenges due to his reflux and undiagnosed allergies, I realised that others must also struggle with adapting to the challenges involved in parenting. I decided to pursue a lingering desire to finish my study as a Counsellor.
Since then my practice has broadened to include Relationships Therapy and EMDR, which is applicable for anyone with memories!
About mybestme
In 2016 I mustered up the courage to start my own counselling practice. One of the first steps was coming up with a suitable and palatable name...
The name of mybestme was born one afternoon driving home from school pick-up. I'd been pondering different names over several months, and I had asked some clients what they thought too. One client asked me 'What is at the heart of what you really do with your clients?'. I'd been reflecting on this and it came to me that day after school...
The name of mybestme was born one afternoon driving home from school pick-up. I'd been pondering different names over several months, and I had asked some clients what they thought too. One client asked me 'What is at the heart of what you really do with your clients?'. I'd been reflecting on this and it came to me that day after school...
Being your best you
I used to find school pick-ups quite overwhelming with the scurrying of parents and children all at once, and trying to acknowledge people you are getting to know, whilst trying to keep one eye on one child and searching for the other. I never felt I got it quite right! That day I reflected on this and I decided I wanted to feel good enough from within (even with the parts of me that are still work-in-progress). Then it came to me...I am my best me - my best version of myself.
My best me includes the parts of me I'm proud of and the parts of me I continue to work on - and that's good enough for me. To me this is empowerment. If this is something you want too - then we can work together to help you just be too.
My best me includes the parts of me I'm proud of and the parts of me I continue to work on - and that's good enough for me. To me this is empowerment. If this is something you want too - then we can work together to help you just be too.