Areas of specialty Children Adolescents Couple Therapy Family Court counselling Family Court reports Professional supervision

Academic Qualifications

BSc (University of Canterbury)
BA Hons (1st Class) (University of Canterbury)
MA (with Distinction) (University of Canterbury)
Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Psychology (University of Canterbury)
PhD (University of Otago)

Professional Qualification

I am registered with the New Zealand Psychologists Board in the Clinical Scope of Practice

Professional Affiliations

Fellow of the New Zealand College of Clinical Psychologists (FNZCCP). I was awarded the Fellowship in 2007 by the NZCCP for “significant and pre-eminent contribution to the NZ College of Clinical Psychologists or the Psychology profession in general”.
Family Courts Association of New Zealand
Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, USA
Australia and New Zealand Association of Psychiatry, Psychology and the Law
Academy of Cognitive Psychology, USA
New Zealand Psychological Society

Experience and current work environments

I worked in the public health system for many years in the Child and Family area, and subsequently moved into private practice, starting the Child and Family Psychology Centre in Christchurch with another Clinical Psychologist, Prue Fanselow-Brown.

In my clinical practice I see children and adolescents with all kinds of psychological difficulties, including learning problems, anxiety, depression, and a wide range of behavioral difficulties. I see couples for therapy, and do Family Therapy with Prue. One of the biggest parts of my clinical work is the child custody evaluations I do for the Family Court and I also counsel parents who are struggling to reach agreement about the care of their children. I provide peer supervision to my colleagues in various areas and advise organisations on their work with clients.

I have been a lecturer at the University of Canterbury on and off for many years where I have taught Child and Adolescent Development, Family Psychology, Clinical Psychology, and Couple and Family Therapy.

I have published articles in academic journals and in popular magazines, two series of articles about children’s psychological difficulties in The Press (Christchurch daily newspaper) and a current series of articles in The Press about many psychological issues. These articles are available in the form of Client Fact Sheets on this website. I have also presented workshops on many topics over the years in New Zealand, Australia and North America.

Approach to the work

It is difficult to be explicit about my approach to the work, and I would not want to be rigid about any of this.

My assessment model involves assessing four areas of functioning (social, emotional, physical, and intellectual) within four contexts (the person’s own biology, the family, the school/workplace, and community).

My approach to therapy involves

Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)

with children at an age-appropriate level; parent training and psychoeducation; CBT and Family Therapy with adolescents; and an integrated model including various CBT approaches, interpersonal therapy and psychodynamic therapy for adults.

I am committed to peer supervision on a regular basis to ensure that my work is challenged by colleagues and that I have a forum for discussion and professional development. I attend formal professional development training courses in my areas of interest, and make presentations to various community organisations, medical practices, and schools.

Fees and services

I charge NZ$160 (GST incl.) per 50-minute session. However, a Child Assessment involving two sessions, questionnaires, and oral feedback with recommendations, costs NZ$380. A written report will incur further cost.

Availability

I am available for consultations on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10am to 5pm and I am usually booked up between 2 and 3 weeks in advance. However, there are times when I close my waiting list due to high demand. You will find a message to that effect on the voice mail of my consulting rooms (03 3665262).

Articles of interest written for The Press newspaper recently

Always Late!
Depression: Prevention and Treatment
Children who are Different
Anxiety: Afraid or Angry?
Thinking about Puberty
Gossip can be Good for You!
Sports fans – the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Adolescents and Facebook
Earthquake: Trauma and Stress
When does a Collection become a Hoard?
People and their Pets
Earthquake Aftermath
Getting Back Into the Building
The Highly Sensitive Person
CBT for Earthquake Anxiety
Multicultural-families
How to Tell Your Children You’re Separating
Daily Pleasure

Contact details

Dr Fran Vertue
Child and Family Psychology Centre
P O Box 7544 (for all postal mail)
67 Durham Street
Sydenham
Christchurch 8240

Tel: +64 3 3665262
Fax: +64 3 3665264
email: Fran@christchurchpsychology.co.nz