About Our Team
Our Philosophy
The highs and lows of life can be challenging sometimes. Finding the right person to listen to you and walk with you through your struggles makes the world feel a lot more manageable.
We have a passion for supporting people during their hardest times. If you’re feeling anxious, depressed, confused, overwhelmed, stressed, or anything in between, we can help.
Our philosophy with therapy encompasses an empathetic and holistic approach to ensure you walk away feeling heard, seen, and equipped to handle life.
Our Team
Leah Sellwood
Counsellor | Registered Social Worker
Email: Leah@thetherapyproject.co.nz | Mobile: 027 266 2937
Kia ora! Leah is a compassionate therapist dedicated to helping adolescents and adults unlock their inner strength and navigate life’s challenges. She believes that everyone has the ability to move through difficult experiences and live a purposeful, meaningful life—even when past experiences make us feel stuck, unsafe, or “not okay.”
Leah’s approach centres on building a safe and supportive relationship where challenges are understood and explored collaboratively. She guides clients to unhook from unhelpful patterns and take intentional steps toward the life they want to live. For Leah, therapy is about taking that first breath of hope, finding courage, and discovering the resilience within.
Using a mixed modality approach, Leah draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), person-centred counselling, strengths-based techniques, neuroplasticity, emotion-focused therapy, and trauma-informed practices. She is ACC Sensitive Claims registered and an Aoake te Rā provider, offering professional support for those navigating trauma, emotional challenges, and life transitions.
Patrick Timm
Certified Mental Health Coach
Email: Patrick@thetherapyproject.co.nz | Mobile: 020 435 0250
Kia ora, I’m Patrick. I became a Mental Health Coach after years of seeing how many of us struggle with the same patterns. Overthinking, self-sabotage, putting others first until we are burnt out, or staying stuck even when we know what matters most. It’s all about creating a space where people could learn not just to talk about their struggles, but to build lasting skills and a new way to move through them.
My work is present and future focused, supporting you to take meaningful steps from where you are now, helping you move towards the kind of life you want and be the person you want to be. I draw on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), the science behind it, and practical philosophical approaches that help us explore values, meaning and purpose. Together we look not only at managing challenges, but at how to live with greater depth and authenticity.
Clients often tell me they appreciate that our sessions shift not just what they do, but how they experience themselves and the world around them.
I work with people experiencing mild to moderate anxiety, low moods, relationship and dating challenges, ADHD, stress and burnout, phone overuse, anger, health and wellbeing, and questions of meaning and purpose. I am especially passionate about helping those who feel stuck in cycles of self-sabotage find a way forward.
Above all, I aim to create a safe and compassionate space where you feel understood, supported and empowered to flourish!
Please note: I am a certified Mental Health Coach, not a registered therapist or counsellor. My services focus on coaching and skill building and may not be suitable for all mental health needs.
Deb Phillips
Counsellor | Registered Mental Health Professional
Email: Deb@thetherapyproject.co.nz
Deb is a registered social worker and mental health professional. She holds an Honours Degree in Social Work from Massey University, a Postgraduate Certificate in Health Sciences (Child & Adolescent Mental Health) and a Postgraduate Diploma in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), as well as other therapy-focused trainings throughout her career. Deb has been practicing for 20 years and across that time has worked in both public and private services, in private practice and in specialist mental health services including child & adolescent & maternal mental health.
Deb brings a warm, compassionate and humorous approach to therapy and is committed to a collaborative, client-centred journey of discovery, developing strategies and understanding that will support you to find the answers you’re looking for. She draws on a number of therapeutic models and modalities in her work, including Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFT), Solution-Focused Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitisation & Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR), Circle of Security Parenting and Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction. Deb currently works with adults from all backgrounds and can support people experiencing the effects of trauma, stress & anxiety, depression, adjustment & life transitions, parenting challenges, interpersonal conflict, relationship problems, grief & loss, attachment & bonding difficulties and more.
Deb is available for private client bookings.
Kristen Tandy
Registered Counsellor | Provisional NZAC #15817
Email: kristen@thetherapyproject.co.nz | Mobile: 022 530 6744
Kia ora! I’m Kristen, a dedicated and compassionate counsellor originally from California. I earned my Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from California State University, Chico, and went on to complete my Master of Arts in Counseling and Career Development at Colorado State University. With over five years of experience, I’ve had the privilege of supporting individuals, couples, and families across all stages of life.
I believe that many of life’s challenges trace back to our relationships, whether with family, partners, colleagues, or ourselves. My work is rooted in helping clients explore and strengthen these connections while navigating issues such as anxiety, trauma (past and present), life transitions, work-related stress, and interpersonal conflict.
My approach is integrative and tailored based on the unique needs of my clients. I draw from a range of modalities including CBT, DBT, ACT, Internal Family Systems (IFS), and EMDR. I also bring specialized training in Relational Life Therapy (RLT) for couples, premarital therapy, and I am a certified perinatal and postpartum mental health practitioner (PMH-C).
I’m especially passionate about working with diverse identities and communities, including LGBTQIA+ individuals, those living with chronic illness or disability, and clients exploring identity, values, and purpose. My counseling journey began in career development, and I continue to support clients with career exploration, processing career-related trauma, and understanding how learned experiences from family and childhood impact career decisions.
Above all, my hope is to show up for my clients as a fellow human in the room. My aim is to create a warm, safe, and collaborative space where you feel seen, heard, and supported. Together, we’ll work toward meaningful change at your pace, and with intention.
Richelle Muscroft
Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner and IAYT Certified Yoga Therapist | C-IAYT, SEP™
Email: Richelle@thetherapyproject.co.nz
Richelle is a somatic practitioner with eight years of experience supporting individuals impacted by stress, trauma, chronic pain, anxiety, depression, and grief. She has worked in private practice, non-profits, community programs, and social services, and spent four years in an integrative clinic providing one-to-one support for chronic pain, PTSD, stress, and mental health challenges.
Previously, she coordinated the Squamish Pain Program in Canada, leading a multidisciplinary team and facilitating both groups and individual yoga therapy. She also teaches the chronic pain module for the Vancouver School of Healing Arts’ Yoga Therapy program and has recently trained in Pain Reprocessing Therapy, a neuroscience-based approach to neuroplastic pain.
Her approach combines Somatic Experiencing®, yoga-informed practices, and nervous system education, helping clients build awareness, compassion, and resilience. Informed by her own healing journey, Richelle creates supportive spaces for clients to experience greater ease, connection, and meaningful change.
Note: Richelle is not a registered counsellor or psychologist. Her work complements, but does not replace, talk therapy or other mental health modalities.
Kelsey Powell
Practice Owner | Registered Counsellor | MNZAC: 99451
Please Note: Kelsey is going on Parental Leave at the end of October
Kia ora! I’m Kelsey, the founder of The Therapy Project in Queenstown, New Zealand. With a Master of Arts in International Disaster Psychology from the University of Denver and over a decade of global experience, I specialize in trauma therapy, cross-cultural counselling, and workplace mental health.
My goal is to walk with you through the challenges you are experiencing, whether it's anxiety or depression, issues at work or with friends/family, or even childhood experiences you want to work through. I am originally from the US and have been living in Queenstown since 2016.
My career spans high-profile crisis interventions in Colorado, mental health advocacy in Ghana, and supporting refugees and individuals navigating life transitions. At The Therapy Project, I use evidence-based modalities such as CBT, ACT, Psychodynamic Theory, Internal Family Systems, and mindfulness to create a compassionate, client-centered space for healing. I offer trauma therapy, workplace EAP services, and cross-cultural counselling tailored to each client’s unique needs.
Whether you’re processing trauma, managing stress, or navigating change, I’m here to help you build resilience and thrive.
Lynne Wright
Intake Coordinator
Email: hello@thetherapyproject.co.nz | Phone: 022 474 8048
Warm, welcoming, and endlessly organised, Lynne is the first point of contact for many of our clients—and she makes that first impression count. Originally from Scotland and now proudly calling Queenstown home, Lynne brings over a decade of experience in administration, project coordination, and client support across health, community, and tourism sectors.
With a background in managing complex logistics and supporting people through high-stress transitions (including coordinating locum doctors and leading client services), Lynne understands the importance of clear communication, confidentiality, and compassion. She’s skilled at keeping systems running smoothly behind the scenes while building genuine rapport with every person she interacts with.
Whether she’s answering your questions, helping you find the right therapist, or ensuring your intake experience is seamless, Lynne brings a calm and capable energy to everything she does. She’s passionate about community connection and creating a safe, supportive entry point into therapy for all who reach out to us.