Our People

Sue Brewster – (Trustee) Executive Director, Auckland Medical Research Foundation

Sue knows that real change happens when passionate people come together with a shared purpose. With over 25 years leading not-for-profit organisations, she’s turned vision into reality time and again – like growing Alzheimers Auckland’s income from $318K to over $1M while expanding their team from 5 to 18. Her secret? “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

From hockey fields to boardrooms, Sue brings the same energy and strategic thinking that’s made her a force in healthcare, sports, and social services. She’s not just about the numbers (though she’s brilliant with those too) – she’s about making a difference through people, and that’s exactly the kind of leadership Open Closed Doors needs.

Megan Jones – (Trustee) Founder, Kindred Films

When Megan couldn’t find the support her whānau needed for OCD, she just went out there and created it. The Facebook-based community group “Fixate” she founded has now grown to more than 2,500 members under its current administrators, becoming a lifeline for New Zealanders living with OCD or supporting someone living with OCD.

Her determination to advocate for social change has shaped her 30+ career as an award-winning documentary filmmaker. From investigating social justice issues as a journalist to producing impactful documentaries like “No Māori Allowed,” Megan knows how to shine a light on issues that matter.

Gilli Sinclair – (Trustee) CEO, Storytime Foundation

Gilli doesn’t just talk about inclusion – she makes it happen. During her time leading the Cerebral Palsy Society, she increased employment of staff with cerebral palsy from 20% to 70%. That’s not just good leadership, that’s revolutionary thinking in action. Her superpower? Co-designing services with the communities they serve, because who better to guide the solutions than those who need them most?

With an MBA, nursing qualifications, and two decades transforming healthcare and disability services, Gilli brings serious credentials. But it’s her heart that sets her apart – 13 years as a volunteer board member of Make-A-Wish International shows someone who truly believes in the power of hope and possibility.

Yvonne Tse – Management Consultant & OCD Advocate

Yvonne didn’t plan to become a mental health advocate – she was busy building high-
performing organisations. But when she was diagnosed with OCD at 29 after a mental health crisis, everything she thought she knew about the condition was wrong. It didn’t look like the media stereotypes at all, and looking back, she realised she’d been living with undiagnosed OCD her whole life. That moment of recognition changed everything.

What makes Yvonne powerful isn’t just her diverse skill-set across innovation,
transformation and delivery. Her career path hasn’t been linear because she’s constantly looking for ways to do things differently. Now she’s bringing that same innovative thinking to Open Closed Doors, determined to make the life-changing therapy that helped her accessible to all New Zealanders who need it.

Tania Hayes – Treasurer

Tania knows that behind every great mission is rock-solid financial stewardship – and she’s exactly the person you want holding the purse strings. As a Principal Accountant at Catapult Partners leading a national practice, she brings serious financial expertise. But what makes her perfect for Open Closed Doors isn’t just her professional credentials – it’s her heart. Having supported a close family member through hoarding disorder, she’s seen firsthand how compulsive behaviours can quietly devastate lives and families.

This isn’t just another board position for Tania – it’s personal. Her unique combination of high-level financial acumen and genuine empathy, forged through raising two kids while building businesses and earning her degree extramurally, means she understands both the numbers and the human story behind them. When she’s not ensuring our financial health, you’ll find her exploring hiking trails or catching up with friends over good red wine, always ready with practical wisdom and a down-to-earth perspective.

Emma Chapman – Senior Psychologist (Team Leader & Board Member)

Emma is committed to making evidence-based treatment for OCD accessible, timely and affordable for clients and their whānau. She understands that OCD is not just about the person struggling, it’s about the whole whānau walking this journey together. That’s why alongside her 1:1 ERP work, she runs the SPACE programme for families, because she knows that support ripples outward. With over 15 years of experience facilitating groups from ERP child and adolescent groups to mindfulness retreats, she’s mastered the art of creating safe spaces where healing happens.

Whether she’s working with a 7-year-old learning to challenge their fears or a teenager ready to reclaim their life, Emma brings warmth, expertise, and genuine hope to every session. Her toolkit is impressive – EMDR, ACT, CBT, DBT – but it’s her ability to connect and inspire that makes the real difference.

She’s also heading our clinical team.

Mihiroa Gillies (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Kahungunu) – Senior Psychologist, Te Whatu Ora

Mihi brings something special to our clinical team – the ability to weave together cutting-edge psychology with cultural understanding and real-world wisdom. Working in the South Island’s Child and Adolescent Inpatient Unit, she sees the most complex cases and knows that effective treatment isn’t one-size-fits-all, especially in our beautifully diverse Aotearoa.

As both a practicing psychologist and university lecturer, Mihi is shaping the next generation of mental health professionals while delivering life-changing intervention for young people and their whānau. Her passion for integrating evidence-based practice with cultural authenticity makes her exactly the kind of leader we need.

Ben Sedley – Psychologist & Author

Ben never set out to be a psychologist – he was drawn to the disengaged kid in the corner, the one everyone else had given up on. That curiosity about why people struggle, rather than just how to manage their behaviour, led him down a path that’s now helping young people around the world. His book “Stuff That’s Loud” speaks directly to teens battling OCD, giving them permission to feel what they feel while showing them how to live meaningfully alongside their struggles.

With over 20 years of experience and a PhD exploring how young people understand mental health, Ben brings something rare to our team – the ability to make complex therapy accessible and real. As New Zealand’s only peer-reviewed ACT trainer, he’s not about quick fixes or telling people they’re broken. He’s about self-compassion, resilience, and helping people create lives filled with purpose, even when their minds get loud.

Dr. Marthinus Bekker – Consultant Clinical Psychologist & Senior Lecturer, University of Auckland

Marthinus is the kind of clinician who sees the bigger picture – not just how to help individuals, but how to transform entire systems. His enthusiasm for disseminating innovative treatment approaches, like the Bergen model, into New Zealand’s postgraduate education and professional development pathways shows exactly the strategic thinking we need. When he talks about integrating OCD treatment into systems to make its delivery sustainable, it’s part of a vision for creating lasting change across our whole mental health system.

With over 15 years of experience spanning everything from paediatrics to forensic services, Marthinus brings serious clinical expertise – he’s Linehan Board Certified in DBT and is the Director of the Infant Child and Adolescent Mental Health programme at the University of Auckland. His volunteer roles on national organisations gives him the connections and influence to make real change happen. Plus, he’s just a top human being with brilliant ideas and complementary skills that make our whole team stronger.

Dr. Keri Brown – Founder, Pure OCD Therapy & Vice President, Fearless Camps

When Keri saw that kids with OCD had nowhere to just be kids – no camp where they could roast marshmallows without their intrusive thoughts taking over – she didn’t accept it. She created Fearless Family Camp, the first overnight therapeutic camp for children with OCD and their families. Because sometimes the most powerful medicine is realizing you’re not alone, and that healing can happen around a campfire just as much as in a therapy room.

With over 15 years specializing in OCD treatment and a PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Keri has walked every path from academia to clinical leadership to private practice. Her journey from the Menninger Clinic’s residential program to founding Pure OCD Therapy shows someone who never stops asking “how can we do this better?” Her heart for innovation and deep clinical expertise make her an invaluable voice for our mission.

Dr. Bjarne Hansen – Co-Creator, Bergen 4 Day Treatment & Director, Bergen Center for Brain Plasticity

When Bjarne saw that people with severe OCD were waiting months or years for treatment that often didn’t work, he didn’t accept “that’s just how it is.” Instead, he and his colleague Gerd Kvale created something revolutionary – the Bergen 4 Day Treatment that’s now helped over 3,000 people reclaim their lives. What started as a bold idea in Norway has become a global movement, with teams from Sweden to Singapore to Kenya signing up to deliver this life-changing treatment.

Being named one of Time Magazine’s “50 People Transforming Health Care” in 2018 is impressive, but what drives Bjarne isn’t the accolades – it’s his unwavering dedication to ensuring every OCD patient has access to evidence-based treatment. As director of the Bergen 4 Day Clinic and professor at the University of Bergen, he’s published over 70 articles and given 200+ presentations, but his real legacy is the 30 OCD teams he established across Norway and the international network he’s building to bring hope to corners of the world where effective OCD treatment was just a dream.

Dr. Thröstur Björgvinsson – Co-Director, OCD & Anxiety Program of Southern California & Associate Professor, Harvard Medical School

When Thröstur partnered with Bjarne Hansen to bring the Bergen 4 Day Treatment to the world, he didn’t just want to copy what worked in Norway – he wanted to prove it could transform lives everywhere. As the researcher who led the first B4DT pilot study in the USA, he’s the bridge between Norwegian innovation and global implementation, co-leading the international dissemination that’s now reaching from California to Kenya.

With over 150 published articles and 400+ presentations under his belt, Thröstur has built his reputation as a clinical innovator. From developing the nationally recognized OCD program at the Menninger Clinic to directing Harvard’s IDEA Laboratory, he’s spent his career proving that evidence-based treatment can work for even the most severe presentations. His dedication to research isn’t academic – it’s about ensuring every breakthrough reaches the people who need it most.

Amelie Coggan – Youth Advocate

Amelie Coggan is a 20-year-old mental health advocate and social entrepreneur from Christchurch. Diagnosed with severe Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder at 15, Amelie’s condition manifested through compulsive rituals, overwhelming intrusive thoughts, and numerical fixations that eventually prevented her from attending school by age 16. Despite the debilitating effects of OCD, she has transformed her personal struggles into a powerful force for advocacy and support within the mental health community.

Through her business Little Joys, Amelie creates uplifting characters and messages of hope that have raised thousands of dollars for mental health initiatives. Her advocacy extends beyond fundraising to direct community support, including donating wellbeing resources to hospitals and youth mental health units, and placing anonymous gifts with handwritten letters in public spaces for struggling individuals. Amelie created the logo for Open Closed Doors and is also writing an illustrated book about her mental health journey. Her work with Open Closed Doors reflects her unwavering commitment to making the world a gentler place for young people experiencing mental health challenges, particularly those living with OCD.

Scott Kara – Media Consultant

Scott (Ngāti Ruanui, Ngāruahine, and Te Whānau-ā-Apanui) knows the power of a well-told story. Whether it’s raising awareness of important issues or helping organisations speak with impact. With a journalism background, he’s spent more than two decades helping organisations across the not-for-profit, corporate, and consumer sectors communicate with clarity and purpose.

Scott volunteered to help Open Closed Doors after seeing a whānau member’s struggle with severe OCD, and realising the immense difficulty of accessing effective help.

When he’s not working his day job at Boyd PR, you’ll find him hanging with his wife and two daughters, riding bikes or listening to death metal – loudly.