MA (Hons), B. Counselling, NZCATT .

Position

Lecturer and Academic Research

Teaching areas

Counselling

Biography

Fia was born and raised in Samoa, mother of 4 adult children and grandmother of 7 grandchildren. Lived with her family in Auckland, Wellington, Hong-Kong and now in Mangere Bridge, Auckland.

She joined MIT in 2017 as the first Pasifika Lecturer for the Bachelor of Counselling programme. She works part-time as a Lecturer and also for many years, operates a private practice, providing counselling, supervision, mentoring and mediation for clients and their whanau from all walks of life.

Her passion for the success and prosperous future of the learners is demonstrated by her commitment to ensure their health and wellbeing is in order, as well as being fully supported to succeed and graduate in the end. Her personal and professional experience in the industry of many years is profitable for MIT, and as a Pasifika woman leading the way in this field of discipline, is an asset. Outside of MIT, she represents the Pasifika people in Aotearoa, New Zealand on various national advisory committees in the areas of ACC Sensitive Claims, MSD-Whanau Ora and Family Violence Death Review, to name a few.

As a member of the National NZAC interview panel and supervision committee, her goal is to make sure that Pasifika counsellors are supported to become members of the New Zealand Association of Counsellors organisation and that the cultural supervision is included in the policy as a requirement (for practitioners/counsellors who work with Pasifika clients, which would ensure they are culturally competent).

Why I love MIT

I love MIT for its diversity in nature, having students and staff from diverse cultural backgrounds, and becoming one team. Also, how MIT demonstrates in action authentic ways to help the learners succeed.

Publications

Co-author of the book ‘Penina Uliuli – Using Mea-alofa in a Holistic Model for Pasifika Clients – A Case Study. Contemporary Challenges in Mental Health for pacific Peoples’- Culbertson, P., Agee, M. N., Makasiale, C. ‘O. (2007).

Research interests

• Integrative Counselling Model for Pasifika People (Integrating theory and practice in a culturally appropriate approach)
• Introduction to Pasifika counselling models of practice (Why is there a need for such course?)

Scholarly activities

Memberships and affiliations

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