I offer therapy and counselling support for women who want to slow down and cultivate a more meaningful and authentic life. I work with sensitive or soulful women who yearn for community and a place to feel heard and be seen as they are - no matter how messy. Many women I work with are nurturer's - often mum's, or carers or women who work in the caring profession.  They often describe feeling overwhelmed, depleted and disconnected. The overwhelm and depletion may be the result of years of tending to other's needs above one's own, or may be due to difficult life circumstances, fertility issues, loss, trauma and other stressors. 

- Kristy Howard

Meet Kristy

 Kristy is a recovering workaholic and perfectionist whose favourite footwear is either gum boots or bare feet.  She is a mum, love’s early morning walks and listening for the wild things.  
Kristy also happens to be a Registered Psychologist and qualified Therapeutic Horticulture Practitioner and has a postgraduate certificate in Human Nutrition, alongside other certifications and qualifications (see below) and is passionate about rewilding our health and healthcare (bringing in the wild things) and working with people using a holistic approach. 				
Kristy has a deep interest in and passion for exploring how food, nutrition, lifestyle and nature can support a person’s emotional health to thrive and be a powerful portal towards greater well-being, happiness and belonging. Kristy’s love of nature and understanding of the story of food has lent itself to a deep appreciation of the sense of interconnectedness and belonging to place that food can inspire.  
Rewilding our health is about reconnecting to our nature through nature and is a central theme to many of Kristy’s offerings.
 When she is not supporting her clients or running corporate training or group programs, you can find Kristy with her hands in the soil, preparing a nourishing meal for her family in the kitchen (using freshly picked produce from her garden!) and soaking up the quiet serenity at her Sunshine Coast Hinterland property on Jinibara Country. 

qualifications and affiliations

Kristy has over 15 years of experience and has been trained in a number of evidence-based therapeutic approaches (including ACT, CBT, Person-Centred, Biofeedback, Mindfulness, Psychotherapy, Exposure Therapy, Mindful Eating Awareness Training) to work with women struggling with their mood, anxiety, stress, perinatal concerns, fertility issues, motherhood, loss, emotional eating, self esteem and general wellbeing concerns.

Kristy has completed a Bachelor of Arts (Psychology) with Honors at the University of Queensland and a Master of Science in Behavioural Studies of Health from the University of Southern Queensland. She is a registered psychologist within Australia (AHPRA Registration: 0000956739). Kristy is also a Member of AAPi (Australian Association of Psychologists Incorporated), is a Professional Member of the Centre for Mindful Eating, and a Member of the Australasian Society of Lifestyle Medicine (ASLM).

Kristy has a particular interest in integrative healthcare and lifestyle approaches to support mental health. She has a post graduate certificate in Human Nutrition (Deakin University), completed training with the Mental health Integrative Medicine Institute, completed a certificate program in Nutritional Psychology from JFK University and is a certified Mindfulness Based Eating Awareness Training Instructor as well as completed the Foundations of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine course with the Australasian College of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine (ACNEM) and is currently completing a Fellowship in Lifestyle Medicine with ASLM.

Kristy’s love of the wild places led her to become a qualified Therapeutic Horticulture Practitioner and is a full member of Therapeutic Horticulture Australia. She has completed a Certificate 3 in Kai Oranga (Maori Indigenous Food Systems) and is a Kiss The Ground Soil Advocate. She is a regular contributor to the AAPi Ecopsychology Interest Group and continues to regularly participate in ongoing professional development in both integrative medicine, psychology, ecopsychology and horticulture.

Regardless of the approach used, Kristy is deeply committed to providing a safe, empathic and non-judgemental space from which you can explore yourself and the ways you interact in the world; to rediscover yourself as a woman separate to your role as a nurturer; to identify your needs and to gently tend to them; to understand some of the socio-cultural challenges of prioritising one's needs as a woman; to discover what you enjoy about yourself and your life, and to learn to accept all of you (even the messy bits). Kristy's role is to be present, listen, share observations, offer strategies or explanations and most importantly, provide a framework in which you can grow.