Piwakawaka Psychology:
Mobile Educational Psychology Service
The Role of an Educational Psychologist
Educational psychologists help children navigate learning and behavioural challenges. They work to understand the child's difficulties and partner with parents, teachers, and other important figures in the child's life to create tailored solutions that meet the child's specific needs and situations. This process may include evaluating for dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia and giftedness, as well as screening for conditions such as ADHD, executive functioning issues, or anxiety. They also offer support for concerns related to behaviour, social skills, self-esteem, and anxiety in both school and home environments.
Piwakawaka Psychology
Why Piwakawaka Psychology?
Piwakawaka, or Fantails, are friendly, chirpy birds native to New Zealand. They flit around the bush, offering companionship as you explore their environment. Just like the friendly fantail flitting about its surroundings, I will come to your environment, bringing a friendly, collaborative, flexible approach to my work to understand my client's needs.
I provide a Mobile Educational Psychology Service, meeting clients in their preferred environments. This approach helps children feel secure, relaxed and reduces the stress of unfamiliar settings for both parents and children. Along with saving travelling time for the whānau.
Kirsty Griffith
I am a mother of three adult children and a grandmother to five boys, living in a rural town with my husband, Dave. I was fortunate to grow up on a nearby farm, which shaped my early years. In the 90s, I became a solo mother, and despite always wanting to be a primary school teacher, I finally completed my training in 2000. After 14 years of teaching, I pursued a Post Graduate Diploma in Learning and Behaviour to provide more individualised support. This led me to become a Resource Teacher of Learning and Behaviour (RTLB).
Now, as an Educational Psychologist, I feel privileged to listen to my clients’ stories, conduct assessments to understand their needs, and offer recommendations that support their learning journeys. I firmly believe in taking the time to listen to my clients and collaborate with their support teams to better understand their needs and create tailored intervention plans. I still hold my teacher registration and am currently working within a school environment.
Qualifications and Experience
Registered New Zealand Teacher
Registered with New Zealand Psychologist Board
as an Educational Psychologist.
Accredited Circle of Security Facilitator
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) has been an area of interest for me, and I have been fortunate to have experiences that have deepened my understanding, allowing me to better support those with FASD in the school setting.
I developed a collaborative workshop to help teachers, teacher aides, and families better understand FASD and how to support individuals affected by it.
Classroom Teacher across Primary classes 2002 - 2013
Including Reading Recovery and individualised support.
Resource Teacher Learning & Behaviour (RTLB) 2014 - 2024. Supporting individuals or groups of children recognised by their school as having learning or behavioural challenges. Within this role, I worked with the team around the child to gather information, analyse and create a plan to support them. I had opportunities to share professional development with teachers and parents.
