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 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. Today Anna is a PhD Candidate with a scholarship in AUT, finishing her research into the role of Artificial Intelligence in intervention design choices. 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.