Anna Plessas Kafantaris
Tēnā koutou.
Ko Kirihi te whenua
ko Zante te motu
ko Ionio te moana
ko Bohali te maunga
ko Zakynthos te iwi
ko Ana toku ingoa.
Haere mai ki te Toi Haumanu o te Whanonga.
Anna was born to Greek parents in Adelaide, South Australia, where she started primary school. The family then repatriated to their home island of Zakinthos, Greece.
Anna studied Psychology in Greece, the UK and the USA. Her studies have been across psychology, with an emphasis on applied and experimental analysis of behaviour. Anna has over twenty years of experience in working with neurodiverse individuals with neurodevelopmental conditions and their families. She has worked in several European countries, where government funding of autism services was not available and treatment outcomes relied on establishing good relationships and collaborations.
Anna and Ignatios established the first Assosiation for training in Neurodevelopment (MONOROΔI) in Athens, Greece. The association worked as an institute that opened avenues for families and professionals to learn more on neurodevelopmental conditions and empower families to expect outcomes from the treatment they received. The repercussions of the financial crisis led Anna and her family to Aotearoa New Zealand by the end of 2015. Anna has succesfully earned her PhD with a scholarship in AUT and is expanding her research into the role of Artificial Intelligence in intervention design. Today she is a research collaborator with Behavior Data Science Research Lab at Endicott College in the USA. Anna has a passion for cultural adaptations of the practice of psychology; in her free time she studies the commonalities between Maori and Greek culture.
Ignatios Kafantaris Zeibeglou
Tēnā koutou.
Ko Kirihi te whenua
ko Atina te taone
ko Lykavitos te maunga
ko Ilissos te awa
ko Mikrasiates te iwi
ko Ignatios toku ingoa.
Nau mai ki te Toi Haumanu o te Whanonga.
Ignatios was bred and born in Athens, Greece. After finishing high school there, he studied Paediatrics in St. Petersburg, Russia, and subsequently served as House Officer in the Greek Army and the Greek province. He trained in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in Athens and started independent practice in 1998. Ignatios has worked for years in Community Psychiatry settings (municipal centres) across the Greater Athens and in Autism and disability settings. In those roles, Ignatios trained and supervised a lot of allied health professionals. Also in Athens, he co-founded the Association for Training in Neurodevelopment with Anna, whom he later married. The Association is now run by their former trainees.
Ignatios has worked in Lakes DHB since 2015, while Anna dedicated herself to academic research. They are raising two lovely and talented girls. Ignatios also has four adult kids and is looking forward to becoming a grandfather/koroua.
Ignatios has finished the He Papa Tikanga (Level 3) course with Te Wananga o Aotearoa. His other favourite activities are reading (fiction and non-fiction, such as philosophy and religion, history and current societal issues) and a range of musical genres.
Anna and Ignatios established Behavioural Health in 2021, having in mind the need for a readily available space to connect, explore, support and discuss diagnosis and therapy for those on the neurodevelopmental spectrum. Our goal is to empower people to find solutions and advocate for their needs.
We thank Rotorua for providing our family with a home during these troublesome times and we hope our endeavour becomes a seed in our community, where people can find the best they deserve.
We also seek collaborations with other specialities based on our clients’ needs.
Dr Thanos Kyritsis
Tēnā koutou katoa
Ko Kirihi te whenua
Nō Ātene ahau
Kei te noho au ki Tāmaki Makaurau
Ko Waipapa Taumata Rau te kura
Ko Thanos tōku ingoa
Haere mai ki te Toi Haumanu o te Whanonga
Thanos is an Evolutionary Coach handling Behavioural Health’s intakes and interdisciplinary assessments in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland.
Born and raised in Athens, Greece, Thanos received a German education and quickly discovered his passion for psychology and human behaviour. He studied psychology (BSc) and evolutionary anthropology (MSc) at the University of Athens and University College London (UCL) respectively, before moving to Aotearoa New Zealand. Here, Thanos conducted research in Evolutionary Psychology (PhD) at the University of Auckland, and also became a certified Life Coach.
“I have worked with a diversity of people to achieve various goals, including people with autism or other disabilities, people from different cultural backgrounds, LGBT people, students, adolescents, as well as professionals. With my diverse research, teaching, and coaching experience, I aspire to help clients realise their potential and achieve positive personal and professional outcomes.”