- Family and parenting
- Mindfulness skills
- Client-centred care
About Saijel
Saijel Dheda is an ACA counsellor with five years of clinical experience across New Zealand and Australia. She trained to a master's level in counselling at the University of Auckland and has worked with people from diverse cultural backgrounds. Her early work focused on family and identity concerns linked to migration and intergenerational experiences.
Saijel takes a straightforward and compassionate approach. She aims to build rapport quickly and make conversations feel natural. Sessions often focus on practical steps clients can try between meetings, and on restoring everyday routines that help families and individuals cope.
Her areas of focus include family issues, parenting challenges, intimacy and relationship concerns, coping with life changes, and compassion fatigue. She also works with themes such as abandonment, attachment issues, blended family dynamics, adoption and foster care, and caregiving stress. Saijel supports people dealing with domestic violence, body image, communication problems and related difficulties.
Saijel draws on Client-Centred Therapy to keep the person's perspective central, and on Mindfulness Therapy to teach simple attention and grounding skills. These approaches are used to help people manage strong emotions, improve relationships, and rebuild a sense of stability after difficult events.
People who value a warm, down-to-earth counsellor tend to find her style helpful. She aims to be present, reliable and non-judgemental while helping clients set achievable goals and practical plans for change.
How her approaches fit with online therapy
Client-Centred Therapy focuses on listening closely and following the person's lead. In practice this means the counsellor reflects what she hears, asks what matters most to the client, and helps set goals together. This approach suits people who want to be heard and to clarify their priorities.Mindfulness Therapy teaches simple attention and grounding skills. These are short exercises that help with strong emotions, anxiety, and stress. Clients often learn breathing, attention and body-awareness techniques they can practise between sessions.
Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will talk with the person about their needs, goals and preferences and together decide which methods to use. Adjustments are made over time if something doesn't feel helpful.
Session formats are not specified in the supplied biography, so please confirm current options before booking. Online sessions can make it easier to fit counselling into a busy week, reduce travel time and allow quicker check-ins when life gets hectic. Some people find audio-only check-ins need less bandwidth or suit a short catch-up, while others prefer a fuller conversation with visual contact. Discuss practical preferences when you schedule so sessions can fit into everyday routines.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
5+ years
Credentials
Australia
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What issues does she help with?
She works with family concerns, parenting difficulties, intimacy and relationship problems, coping with life changes and compassion fatigue, plus related issues such as attachment, abandonment and blended family stress.
What is her approach in sessions?
Sessions are grounded in Client-Centred Therapy, which keeps the person’s experience at the centre, and Mindfulness Therapy, which teaches attention and grounding practices to manage strong feelings.
How long has she been practising?
She has five years of clinical experience working across New Zealand and Australia with diverse cultural backgrounds.
What credentials and location are listed?
She is listed as an ACA counsellor and practices in Australia.
Which languages are supported?
Sessions are offered in English only.
Can international clients work with her?
She does not accept international clients at this time.
How are fees and payment handled?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be cancelled at any time.
How do I begin therapy with her?
Click the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule sessions according to the therapist's availability.