Rachel has a BA (Psychology & Education) and a MA (Psychology). Her thesis, titled “A New Model of Students’ Perceptions of the Primary School Classroom Emotional Environment”, has already been used for training purposes in Primary and Early Education settings. While studying, she was also working part-time in schools with children aged 5-12 years old. Many of these children had learning differences and/or behavioural issues, so she was working alongside Classroom Teachers, Special Needs Teachers, Principals, Resource Teachers, Educational Psychologists and families. Throughout this time she learnt that children are excellent survivors and will use all the tools they have to make it through each day, picking the most successful strategies as they grow.

Once she finished studying, she taught Psychology and Human Development at Massey University until having two beautiful daughters of her own. Now she’s working on balancing opportunities to work with families and community organisations and being the best mother she can be. Rachel is now a Family and Educational Consultant at Children Who Thrive, and is based in the North Island of New Zealand. Rachel is passionate about every child having the opportunity to become the best version of themselves. She does this by helping the adults in their lives have A-HA! moments that enable better choices to be made. Rachel has had the opportunity of learning from:

  • Genevieve Simperingham from the Peaceful Parent Institute
  • Dr Gordon Neufeld from the Neufeld Institute
  • Nathan Mikaere Wallis from Brainwave
  • and Lyn Worsley from The Resilience Doughnut – where she is now delighted to have become an Accredited Trainer, keen to present the model of The Resilience Doughnut to parents, carers and children.