Saijel Dheda

Saijel Dheda is an ACA counsellor with five years' experience supporting people through family and relationship challenges. She works with parents, individuals and partners who are dealing with change, caring stress and intimacy concerns. Her style is warm and straightforward, aimed at helping people feel heard and find clear next steps.

Saijel trained at the University of Auckland and holds a Master’s degree in Counselling. She has worked across New Zealand and Australia with people from diverse cultural backgrounds. Her clinical work focuses on identity, migration, colonisation and intergenerational trauma, and she brings that context into conversations about parenting and family life.

In sessions she uses Client-Centred Therapy to prioritise each person’s experience and create space for their own solutions. She also draws on Mindfulness Therapy to help people manage overwhelming thoughts and reduce reactivity in relationships. The aim is practical change rather than theoretical talk.

Saijel often helps people handle body image worries, abandonment concerns and attachment struggles. She also supports those coping with domestic violence, caregiver stress, blended family issues and communication breakdowns. Her approach is steady and relational, focused on building trust so people can make different choices.

People who choose Saijel can expect clear, calm guidance and a down-to-earth conversation about next steps. She asks about values and day-to-day routines, and works alongside clients to set achievable goals.

How client-centred and mindfulness approaches translate online

Client-Centred Therapy focuses on listening and following the person’s lead. The therapist draws out what matters most to the client and helps them test new ways of relating. This approach is useful when people need support with parenting, attachment or communication problems.

Mindfulness Therapy teaches simple attention skills to reduce reactivity and rumination. It can help manage overwhelm, compassion fatigue and body image distress by building steady moment-to-moment awareness and calmer responses.

Finding the right approach is part of the work together. Saijel will talk with each person about goals and preferences, then try methods that suit their needs. That process is collaborative and can change as progress is made.

The therapist’s profile does not list specific online session types, so please confirm available formats before booking. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy week, reduce travel time and allow shorter check-ins when needed. They can also let someone join from a quieter space or use audio-only if video is difficult. Appropriately qualified counsellors adapt techniques like mindfulness and client-centred listening so they work well in remote appointments.