Meet Kiralee

 

Kia ora, I’m Kiralee. I’m a registered psychologist with the New Zealand Psychologists Board (NZPB)  based in West Auckland, and I’m passionate about making sure every individual has access to the support they need to navigate life’s ups and downs.

 

I specialise in supporting people with their overall wellbeing and navigating through life stressors, such as

  • anxiety and anxiety disorders
  • depression
  • trauma
  • grief
  • major life change
  • communication
  • assertiveness
  • adjustment to or management of chronic illness
  • health related behaviour change

 

My goal is to create a safe, supportive space where people feel heard, understood and empowered to find ways forward.

 

I have a lot of experience across a range of physical health services including diabetes, renal, critical care (intensive care and high dependency unit), spinal cord injury, and cancer. I have also been highly involved in various staff wellbeing initiatives and thus am delighted to offer professional supervision to healthcare professionals through Anchor Psychology.

 

I believe hope is the anchor that secures our whole being, and my goal is that through working together, you find hope to move forward into a life that is meaningful and joyful despite the challenges that may come across your path.

My approach

I understand that each person is unique, and so I tailor my sessions accordingly. I like to take a collaborative approach, and work together to come up with an approach that works for you! Sometimes only a couple of sessions can make a huge difference!

I am trained in ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy), CBT (Cognitive Behaviour Therapy), EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), Prolonged Exposure, as well as Self-Compassion, positive psychology and Focused ACT (FACT) approaches. My main goal is that you find helpful strategies to sustain you going forward, and that you feel confident to approach life without regular psychology sessions.

Qualifications and affiliations

  • Master of Health Psychology (Honours) (2016-2017)
  • Postgraduate Diploma in Health Psychology (2018-2020)
  • Registered Psychologist with the New Zealand Psychologists Board (NZPB) since 2018
  • Member of the New Zealand Psychological Society (NZPsS)

Research and Publications

Schache, K., & Serlachius, A. (2018, April). A pilot randomized controlled trial of a gratitude intervention for adolescents with type 1 diabetes. In Annals of Behavioural Medicine, (Vol. 52, pp. S480-S480). Presented at Society of Behavioural Medicine in New Orleans, LA, 2018.


Schache, K., Consedine, N., Hofman, P., & Serlachius, A. (2019). Gratitude – more than just a platitude? The science behind gratitude and health. British Journal of Health Psychology, 24(1). 10.1111/bjhp.12348


Schache, K., Hofman, P., & Serlachius, A. (2019). Using a gratitude intervention to improve glycemic control in adolescents with type 1 diabetes (A randomized controlled trial). Presented at New Zealand Society for the Study of Diabetes in Napier, New Zealand, 2019.


Schache, K. R., Hofman, P. L., & Serlachius, A. S. (2019). A pilot randomized controlled trial of a gratitude intervention for adolescents with Type 1 diabetes. Diabetic Medicine, 37(8), 1352-1356


Serlachius A., Schache K., Kieser A., Arroll B., Petrie K., & Dalbeth N. (2019). Association Between User Engagement of a Mobile Health App for Gout and Improvements in Self-Care Behaviors: Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth , 7(8), e15021. 10.2196/15021

 

Boggiss, A. L., Consedine, N. S., Schache, K. R., Jefferies, C., Bluth, K., Hofman, P. L., & Serlachius, A. S. (2020). A brief self‐compassion intervention for adolescents with type 1 diabetes and disordered eating: a feasibility study. Diabetic Medicine, 37(11), 1854-1860.


Serlachius, A., Schache, K., Boggiss, A., Lim, D., Wallace-Boyd, K., Brenton-Peters, J., ... & Thabrew, H. (2020). Coping Skills Mobile App to Support the Emotional Well-Being of Young People During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Protocol for a Mixed Methods Study. JMIR Research Protocols, 9(10), e23716.


Hoyle, L., & Schache, K. (2021). Audit of referrals to diabetes health psychologists at Counties Manukau Health. Presented at New Zealand Society for the Study of Diabetes in Wellington, New Zealand


Perera, A., Thomas, M., Petrie, K., Frater, J., Dang, D., Schache, K., Akroyd, A., Ritchie, S. (2021). Reducing expectations for antibiotics in patients with upper respiratory tract infections: A primary care randomised controlled trial. Annals of Family Medicine, 19(3), 232-239.


Boggiss, A., Consedine, N., Schache, K., Wallace-Boyd, K., Cao, N., Hofman, P., & Serlachius, A. (2021). Exploring the views of adolescents with type 1 diabetes on digital mental health interventions: What functionality and content do they want? Diabetic Medicine, 38 (11), e14591.


Selachius, A., Boggis, A., Lim, D., Schache, K., Wallace-Boyd, K., Brenton-Peters, J., Buttenshaw, E., Chadd, S., Cavadino, A., Cao, N., Morunga, E., & Thabrew, H. (2022). Pilot study of a well-being app to support New Zealand young people during the COVID-19 pandemic. Internet Interventions, 26. 100464

 

Loseby, P., Schache, K., Cavadino, A., Young, S., Hofman, P. L., & Serlachius, A. (2022). The role of protective psychological factors, self‐care behaviors, and HbA1c in young adults with type 1 diabetes. Pediatric Diabetes, 23(3), 380-389.


Thabrew, H., Boggiss, A. L., Lim, D., Schache, K., Morunga, E., Cao, N., ... & Serlachius, A. S. (2022). Well-being app to support young people during the COVID-19 pandemic: randomised controlled trial. BMJ open, 12(5), e058144.


Ng, L., Schache, K., Young, M., & Sinclair, J. (2023). Value of Schwartz Rounds in promoting the emotional well-being of healthcare workers: a qualitative study. BMJ open, 13(4), e064144.


Symons, J., & Schache, K. (2023) Learning Climate Experience Review Narrative (LERN) by registrars in the Middlemore Intensive Care Unit: A Pilot Study. Submitted to the Aus/NZ College of Intensive Care (CICM)

 

Ng, L., Schache, K., Young, M., & Sinclair, J. (2025). Emotional after-effects of the New Zealand Whakaari eruption on burns and theatre healthcare workers. The New Zealand Medical Journal, 138(1609), 70-77