Jonathan Fay

Jonathan Fay is being honoured for his contribution to NZAP and psychotherapy training in New Zealand.

Jonathan was born in Madison, Wisconsin to very committed Quaker parents. They later moved and Jonathan grew up among the rural villages and hills of Vermont. A life imbued with the Friends beliefs of simplicity, pacifism, the inherent value of hard work, compassion and belief in the equality and worth of all people have influenced forever Jonathan’s value system and what he brings to his work.

Jonathan studied Religion and Philosophy at Reed College in Oregon and eventually did his PhD in Clinical Psychology at Duke University, North Carolina, where he and Margaret Morice married and where their son Rush was born. Jonathan gained an internship with the National Institute for Mental Health Research at Saint Elizabeth’s Hospital in Washington DC — and their eldest daughter Anna was born there. In 1987 the family moved to Portland, Connecticut when Jonathan was appointed the Clinical Leader of a dual diagnosis unit in a private psychiatric hospital. During this time Jonathan expanded Clinical Psychologists on staff with the provision of supervised clinical placements which over the years of his tenure, flourished into a reputable internship programme. However, during this time also, massive changes were occurring in access and delivery of psychiatric services — essentially, the rationing (restriction) of services to meet demands primarily to maintain or increase profitability. The decision to move to Aotearoa New Zealand was made in a trip back to visit Margaret’s whanau in 1990. It was for Jonathan, a delight and a great relief to meet the very inclusive, pioneering and dedicated folks at AUT Psychotherapy Training Programme and he became a member of the staff in January 1991. The family was completed with the arrival of Zoe in May of that same year. Once at AUT, Jonathan was instrumental in shaping and developing psychotherapy training in Auckland so that graduates were intellectually well grounded, with a personal and professional breadth and depth.

Jonathan presented a paper on Borderline personality disorder and dual diagnosis to the Northern branch of NZAP and was accepted as a member shortly after joining AUT, and in 1993 became part of and the first Chair of the newly formed National Supervision Committee. From there he was elected on to Council for the first time in 1994 until 1996. Supervision and the development of high professional standards in psychotherapy has been a passion for Jonathan, with his long involvement in the National Supervision Committee and his supervision of many of us in Auckland. He has also been a long serving member and chairperson of the Northern Branch of NZAP supervisors group.

Jonathan was re-elected onto Council 1999–2007 and, fitting well with his personal and professional beliefs and values, he has been Chairperson of the Ethics and Professional Standards committee for that time, encouraging and holding all of NZAP to increasingly high standards.

In line with his personal beliefs of equality for all, Jonathan lived and worked to raise consciousness about racial prejudice and inequality. In 2004, encouraged by Haare Williams, NZAP’s pae arihi, Jonathan, with others, invited members of NZAP Northern branch and other Maori counsellors and psychotherapists to form a group that became known as Nga Ao Rua, with the aim of increasing our cultural understanding and awareness. We have been working together for five years now and the 2008 NZAP conference at Te Tii Marae at Waitangi was much influenced by Jonathan’s passion and commitment to encourage NZAP to become more open to Maori Psychotherapists and developing a bicultural psychotherapy.

Jonathan Fay has been an immensely generous and important person for a huge number of people in the profession with all the activities that he’s been engaged in and we are tremendously grateful for his heart, passion and wisdom that he has shared with us as an Association.