Hi, I'm Stephen Brassett. I want to first acknowledge that you have just lost someone dear to you and to offer you my condolences. I'm sure the last thing you want to be doing right now is trawling through profiles. Thank you for taking the time to give it consideration.
Who am I? I grew up near Wellington, but I call the West Coast my home now after also living in the UK, South Korea and Australia, Dunedin/Ōtepoti and Motueka in between.
I have had many careers, including dog training/handling; personal training; soldiering; teaching; and instructing martial arts. More recently, youth work, health coaching and now, counselling. I graduated from University of Canterbury with a Master of Counselling (merit) and have worked predominantly with Te Hono o Ngā Waka, based in Hokitika. There, you can find people who know me and how I work if that is important to you.
I currently offer my service remotely, by phone or video conference on weekends exclusively. I know how hard it can be to take time out of your work week and that it can be a hassle to get to town centres when you don't live right in town. I also understand some of the other challenges of living on the Coast and heaps of the unique benefits. I'm a plain-speaking guy who I hope you can relate to because life after loss is hard enough as it is.
Suicide is all too common and those of us who are left behind often have a hard road in its wake. I take the privilege of helping you through that seriously and I welcome you to reach out for support.