Tēnā koutou, Mālō e lelei, welcome

We are a family run clinic with over 30 years' combined experience working in the mental health field. We see good mental health as not simply the absence of symptoms, but rather the ability to be fully present in a life with meaning and connection, and that treatment should support this aim.

About us

A family-run clinic

Dr Tony Muller, FRANZCP

Dr Tony Muller

FRANZCP · Psychiatrist

I studied medicine at the University of Auckland, in the city I was born and raised. A computer matching program sent me to Hamilton after graduation, and I have remained here since, enjoying the riches the Waikato has offered. I completed my specialist psychiatry training (FRANZCP) in 2019. In 2021 I was awarded my Certificate of Advanced Training in Psychotherapy from the RANZCP. Due to the depth of the field of psychotherapy, and more to the point, the depth of human experience, I will never "complete" training in psychotherapy, but rather continue a lifelong commitment to learning and developing as a therapist. I strongly believe though that this training is what allows me to be most helpful as a psychiatrist.

My experience is in general adult psychiatry, and I have completed training in psychedelic assisted psychotherapy (note: we are not currently offering this therapy); as well as training in supporting the mental health needs of survivors of high control groups (or "cults" in common parlance).

Fellow, The Royal Australian & New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (FRANZCP)
Toni Muller, Registered Nurse

Toni Muller

Registered Nurse

I completed my Bachelor of Nursing here in Kirikiriroa in 2007, I then went on to complete a Postgraduate Certificate in Health Sciences, specialising in Mental Health. I have 18 years of experience at Te Whatu Ora, working in mental health inpatient wards, adult community mental health teams and Consultation Liaison Psychiatry. I have held Clinical Nurse Specialist, education and clinical supervision roles, however my most important role is sitting and being with people at their best or at their worst; everyone has a story that needs to be heard.

Here at De-scribe Clinic, I will be providing nursing support for your Psychiatric and deprescribing treatment. I am also trained in Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT), so can offer this at the De-scribe Clinic.

I will be your first point of contact with the clinic, you will also find me answering the phone, booking appointments, answering emails and website queries and doing bits and pieces behind the scenes.

What we offer

Psychiatric deprescribing

We are one of New Zealand's first clinics to offer a dedicated psychiatric deprescribing service. Deprescribing is the planned, supervised process of reducing or stopping medications that may be unnecessary, ineffective, or causing problems.

Reasons people choose to reduce or stop

  • The medication is no longer providing meaningful benefit.
  • The medication helped you through a difficult time which has long passed and it is no longer needed.
  • The medications are causing problematic side effects such as emotional blunting, sexual problems or weight gain.
  • It may not have been appropriate or necessary treatment in the first place.
  • A desire to minimise medication use during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

It is not always as straightforward as just stopping the medications outright - it is becoming increasingly recognised that people coming off psychiatric medications can experience withdrawal symptoms which can make the process difficult. It is also not uncommon for the withdrawal symptoms (which can include changes in mood or sleep) to be confused for symptoms of "relapse" of the original condition that the medication was started for. The end result can be a mistaken belief that they "need" the medication, rather than understanding that they simply had difficulty coming off it.

How it works

Supported, individualised tapering

We offer supported, supervised gradual tapering of psychiatric medications. We provide nursing support in tandem with psychiatric care during the deprescribing process. We will discuss an individualised assessment and tapering plan, as completely withdrawing medication may not always be appropriate or possible.

A comprehensive GP referral including treatment history is thus essential for this service.

It is not a fast process, and it typically takes several months to successfully deprescribe psychiatric medications. Due to the longer-term input that can be required, we do offer Deprescribing Packages that can be discussed after the initial consultation.

We are able to see people based outside of Hamilton provided you attend the initial psychiatric consultation in person (with follow-up appointments online), and have an ongoing good relationship with a GP in your area.

Ask about deprescribing

If you have general enquiries about our deprescribing service, please make contact using this form. Please remember that a referral from your GP is essential to access this service.

Enquiry — Psychiatric Deprescribing
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Psychiatric consultation

General psychiatric consultation for most conditions is available. We can also review historic psychiatric diagnoses and determine if they are still current or require treatment.

Please note

What we don't offer

We do not offer court reports, immigration assessments, or other assessments required for financial or medico-legal purposes. We do not offer ADHD assessments. We see people from 16 years and older.

We do not offer Crisis Intervention. If you are in need of urgent support please visit: healthnz.govt.nz — where to get help.

A GP referral is required. This is to ensure that a psychiatric assessment is necessary and appropriate, and ensures an efficient assessment process. In some instances, referrals from other Mental Health Professionals (e.g. psychologists or counsellors) may also be acceptable. We will communicate with your GP initially, and make contact directly with you if we are able to work with you. If our clinic is not appropriate for your needs, we will notify your GP who will help you find appropriate help.

Add-on service

IMI administration

Administration of intramuscular medication — antipsychotics — $40. Conditions apply, please make contact with clinic to discuss first.

Ask about a consultation

Let us know a little about what you're looking for. Remember, a GP referral will be needed before we can book an initial appointment.

Enquiry — Psychiatric Consultation
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Psychotherapy

Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy

Tony has over 10 years of experience providing individual psychoanalytic psychotherapy, and also has training in Mentalization Based Treatment (MBT), Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT) among others.

What is psychoanalytic psychotherapy?

Unlike therapies which teach skills to manage symptoms, psychoanalytic psychotherapy is concerned with understanding the deeper roots of distress — how our past experiences, unconscious patterns, and relationships shape how we feel and function today.

Seven distinctive features of psychoanalytic technique have been described:*

  • A focus on our feelings and their expression
  • Exploration of attempts to avoid difficult thoughts and feelings
  • Identifying recurring themes and patterns
  • Understanding past experiences
  • Focus on relationships with others
  • Attention on the therapeutic relationship
  • Exploration of one's inner thoughts, and dream life

* Shedler, J. (2010). The efficacy of psychodynamic psychotherapy. American Psychologist, 65(2), 98–109.

Due to the depth of the work involved, psychoanalytic psychotherapy is a treatment requiring consistent work over a longer period of time — months to years, rather than weeks.

With Toni, RN

ACT — Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

Toni (Registered Nurse) is able to offer ACT — Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is about learning to stop fighting your difficult thoughts and feelings, so you can focus your energy on building a life you love and according to your values, we will also incorporate mindfulness activities into the sessions.

Sessions are 50mins and treatment typically takes 6-10 sessions.

ACT is comprised of 3 main pillars

01Open UpAllow those difficult thoughts to exist, treating those thoughts as words and learning how to make space for discomfort.
02Be PresentLearning how to be present and not caught up in the past or the future. Be able to look at your inner self without judgment or harsh words.
03Do What MattersConnect with your values, take meaningful steps to live the life you want.

Get in touch about psychotherapy

Tell us a little about what you're looking for, and we'll be in touch to talk through next steps.

Enquiry — Psychotherapy
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Supervision

Clinical & psychotherapy supervision

We both offer supervision for registered health professionals including doctors, nurses, and other health professionals, as well as psychoanalytic psychotherapy supervision.

Enquire about supervision

Let us know your professional discipline and what you're looking for, and we'll be in touch to arrange a session.

Enquiry — Supervision
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Fees

Fee schedule

Psychiatry

Initial psychiatric consultation — 90 minutes$800
Follow-up appointment — 30 minutes$280
Follow-up appointment — 60 minutes$520
Prescription (psychiatric medication only)$40

Nursing

Initial nursing assessment — 60 minutes$90
Follow-up Mental Health Nurse appointment — 30 minutes$40
IMI administration$40

Additional fees may apply for IMI administration.

Deprescribing

Follow-up package — 2 × 30 min psychiatric + 8 × 30 min Mental Health Nurse appointments$800

Additional deprescribing follow-up plans can be discussed.

Psychotherapy

Dr Muller — per 50 min session$200
Toni (Nurse) — per 50 min session$80

Supervision

Dr Muller — per 60 min session$200
Toni (Nurse) — per 60 min session$100

Miscellaneous

Phone calls longer than 10 minutes — first additional 30 minutes$40

Medical certificates or other administration tasks may incur a fee.

Ready to enquire about a service?

Each service page has its own short enquiry form.

For GPs & referrers

Refer a patient

Note: If you are attempting to send a referral for yourself, we ask that your GP make contact directly with us via this form.

Referral form

We will be in contact upon receipt of this referral to request relevant notes and other information from you.

Referral — GP / Health Professional
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