We would like to nominate Helen Packard to be recognised for her distinguished service to NZAP as she steps down from two terms on the Ethics and Professional Standards Committee as Complaints Convener and subsequent role of Complaints Liaison. Helen has handled these challenging and important complaints roles for NZAP with both empathy and integrity.
Since becoming a member in the early 90s Helen has been a very active, loyal member and always ready to lend her expertise where needed. She then commits wholeheartedly to whatever she undertakes and is known for her wise, practical, good humoured, reliable approach to these roles. At a national level she has been a valued member of Council and was the Honorary Treasurer from 2006 to 2011. She was on the Supervision Committee from 2007 -2012, the Professional Development and Supervision Committee, the Education Fund Committee and the Te Tiriti Bicultural Advisory Committee.
She has supported new people joining the organization and the profession through involvement with the Advanced Clinical Practice process, by being a supervisor and taking part on candidate panels. She has been appreciated for her honesty, integrity, and her wealth of experience in the field of trauma and in particular sexual abuse. In her professional life she worked in private practice as well as HELP and WASAC, which is now Family Action and contributed enormously to those too.
At a local level in Tāmaki Makarau she has been a Branch Co -Convener, involved in the group organizing several national conferences, welcoming new members and was a founder member of Ngā Ao e Rua.
—Northern Branch NZAP, 2023