Tēnā koutou katoa,
Ko Te Ao Wharepapa tōku maunga,
Ko Ilm tōku awa,
Ko East Sea tōku moana,
Ko Tiamana tōku iwi,
Ko Simon tōku ingoa.
Nō reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.
From Germany originally, I feel very fortunate to be able to call Whakatū/ Nelson my home. I emigrated to Aotearoa/ New Zealand 7 years ago and have been living in Nelson ever since. I have two little ‘kiwis’ at home, both my children were born in Nelson and keep me entertained outside of work. I am a keen Ultimate Frisbee player and enjoy tramping and live music.
I trained as a social worker in Germany with a specific focus on the impact of inclusion/exclusion on marginalised groups. As part of my studies, I completed a Certificate of Proficiency at the University of Canterbury in 2005. I have held social worker roles in the areas of Supported Employment, Youth work and Community Mental Health.
I joined the Early Intervention Service in Nelson in 2015. I enjoy the diversity of young people we support and the philosophy of intervening early to achieve positive health outcomes. I am particularly interested in the impact of trauma on people’s wellbeing journey and in supporting neurodiverse people with co-existing psychotic symptoms.