Kia ora, I’m Bear
Counsellor : Facilitator : Wilderness Rites of Passage guide
Master of Counselling, University of Canterbury
Australian Counselling Association member - Level 2
Kia ora! I’m Bear and my place of belonging is Ōtautahi Christchurch, Aotearoa New Zealand. I’m a first generation pākeha kiwi with ancestry from South Africa, Zimbabwe, England, and Ireland. As a descendant of many immigrants, it is no surprise to me that the intergenerational and mythic process of belonging lives as the centre of my mahi (work).
My calling is to guide people into a deeper relationship with the world as a way to break intergenerational patterns of separation and violence.
My work is influenced by the Rites of Passage Foundation, Joseph Campbell, Bill Plotkin, Joanna Macy, David Whyte, Martin Shaw, the non-dual yoga traditions, and Contact Improvisation dance practice. My counselling is influenced by the transformative work of Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg.
I’ve been working as a wilderness rites of passage guide for 6 years with the Rites of Passage Foundation in Golden Bay. Men’s work is close to my heart with years of experience facilitating closed group men’s circles, retreats, public community gatherings, and places of refuge.
I’m a passionate liver of life with many curiosities alive at once. The wilderness of the elements brings me alive, and I can be often found in the surf, rock climbing, paragliding or tending fire. I apprentice myself to Contact Improv Dance and non-dual Yoga practices which provide plenty of space to move my body. Writing poetry and sharing song are also passions of mine which weave themselves into my life.
I acknowledge the Arakwal people of the Bundjalung Nation as traditional custodians of the land on which I live and work. I acknowledge Māori as the traditional custodians of the whenua of Aotearoa New Zealand. May our work and gifts be in service to a world that honours indigenous people and wisdom. May we learn to care for each other and this one planet we share.
