Dr Karen Faisandier
Clinical Psychologist
Dr Karen Faisandier
“My mission is to highlight the relationship between physical and psychological health, to promote holistic wellbeing, and to shape a healthier, happier world.”
Dr Karen Faisandier (DClinPsych) is an integrative clinical psychologist and founder of The Integrative Practice; a holistic psychology service she has run in Wellington, New Zealand, since 2016.
Dr Karen’s innovative service integrates psychological, nutritional and lifestyle strategies into a practical recovery framework for adults experiencing mental health concerns resulting from chronic stress, anxiety and overwhelm.
Dr Karen enjoys lifelong learning focused on nutrition, integrative medicine, and holistic mental health. In addition to her psychology degrees from Massey University (BA Psych Hons; DClinPsy) she has completed postgraduate modules with the Australasian College of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine (ACNEM) and papers in clinical nutrition. She is also a full member of the New Zealand College of Clinical Psychologists and keeps up to date with the research in psychological science and integrative medicine.
She is passionate about educating and inspiring the public about using an integrative approach to mental health through her clinical work as well as writing articles on her Blog.
Dr Karen’s Approach
Dr Karen draws on an evolutionary health philosophy that explores the relationship between physical and psychological health and our modern environment. Her integrative approach personalises nutritional and lifestyle solutions that can reduce psychological difficulties such as anxiety, exhaustion, and emotional overwhelm, and instead optimise well-being and vitality. This includes comprehensive assessment, blood labs for specific nutritional issues related to mental health, and (when indicated) prescribing targeted nutraceuticals for mental health (e.g, B vitamins, magnesium), as well as using nutritional modifications to improve psychological functioning, psychological interventions for anxiety or mood, liaison with other health disciplines, and referrals to complementary specialists.
Dr Karen can provide practitioner-only products which are of high quality and available with a consultation only and can also advise on how to select appropriate therapeutic-grade over-the-counter products. When indicated, she may recommend referral to a nutrition expert or other health practitioner (e.g., gastroenterologist, nutritionist or naturopath) and to work together as a team with you.
The practice offers a warm, genuine, and compassionate style. Dr Karen considers that consultations involve a joint effort working towards goals that are set collaboratively. There are times when we may decide that working together is not viable, and in these instances, other referral options will be provided that may be more suited to your goals and needs.
Psychology Affiliations
Karen is registered with the New Zealand Psychologists Board (#90-05394) and is a member of the New Zealand College of Clinical Psychologists. She participates in ongoing training and remains current with research in effective therapies for various psychological difficulties. The main modality that informs her therapeutic philosophy is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. However, she also draws on learning from her doctorate research and tools from other therapy models she has trained in (such as compassion-focused therapy, motivational enhancement therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy, and eye movement desensitisation reprocessing therapy) as determined by each individuals presenting concerns.
Integrative Affiliations
Karen is affiliated with the Australasian College of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine (ACNEM) where she has completed various introductory and advanced papers. She participates regularly in ongoing professional development in both integrative medicine and clinical psychology.