My approach to helping people involves using
person-centered and solution-focused therapy techniques.
This helps me to gain a better understanding of what’s going on.
I put solutions in place to help you overcome your problems.
About Us
A Change For Better (ACFB) is a web-based platform for members of the public and mental health professionals alike. ACFB is a safe place to learn, interact, and gain support. Professionals can research and study best practices, while public members can search for providers, access our ever-growing database of mental health knowledge, and find the support they’ve been longing for.
With mental health issues on the rise across the globe, current systems have become overburdened and ineffective. ACFB fills this gap by providing resources, accurate information, and access to professionals that many seeking help simply cannot find when they need it.
FOUNDER
Hello, I am Ashley!
- Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
- Southbridge
- New Zealand
My name is Ashley Cairns and I am the founder behind A Change for Better (ACFB). I provide numerous services helping people with personal development, wellness, and problem-solving. Through my one-to-one counselling in Auckland through my various membership programs and resources provided for free, I look to make sure that everyone has open access to the support and assistance they need in life.
However, I also know that Auckland has many other great experts in the art of wellness. So, why choose A Change for Better? Let me explain. For over 15 years, I have been working in the Mental Health and Community Services sectors in the US and New Zealand. I hold a Masters degree in Mental Health Counseling and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. Both were achieved in New York with honors.
I have dedicated my career to helping others better understand themselves so they can achieve success. People choose to attend counselling when they are looking for answers to life problems. I excel at helping you come up with the answers to these questions.
I’ve been lucky enough to live and work in three amazing countries; the United States of America, Canada, and New Zealand. In each country, I’ve enjoyed working well with people from various backgrounds and facing numerous challenges. From people with mental health issues to those who are in need of intensive in-patient treatment through to home treatments and skill building, I’ve worked across various fields. Every field, though, shared something in common: making life better for someone.
This is my passion, my drive, and my energy. It’s what gets me out of bed in the morning, and what makes me so driven. I have run various courses on how to work with people with challenging behavior. I have helped people cope with children who have autism, and I’ve played a role in creating workshops to help promote positive, progressive parenting techniques. Through my various enterprises, I want to give people the opportunity to move forward in their life. Instead of being stuck in a rut, I look to step in and provide people with the help that they need to get out of a tough situation.
CO- FOUNDER
Hello, I am Joe!
- Chief Technology Officer (CTO)
- Southbridge
- New Zealand
Hi there! My name is Joe Cairns and I am the technical Co- Founder of A Change for Better. I have been working in IT now for over 20 years with all of that based in Auckland, New Zealand aside from a 2 year stint in Toronto, Canada from 2017 to 2019.
My latest role outside of A Change For Better has been with Visa as a Cyber Security Specialist. My experiences with this such a large global player as Visa have given me insight into the processes that a successful software company must follow. I am bringing this experience to A Change For Better and hope to use it to give us an edge.
“I enjoy technical challenges and resolving issues others shy away from. The journey we are on with this platform is not necessarily hugely technical but will be a growth opportunity for me as it is a perfect meld of software and people. I’m excited to be able to help us carve out our niche in the online portal sector.”Â
 ~Joe Cairns
CO- FOUNDER
Hello, I am Amy!
- Clinical Lead - ACFB and The ACFB Fund
- Sioux Falls
- South Dakota
Hello! I am Dr. Amy Marschall! I received my Psy.D. from the University of Hartford in September 2015. I have been with A Change for Better since July 2020. I chose to come on board because I feel strongly that everyone around the world deserves access to adequate and affordable mental health care, and ACFB is working to do this ethically and legally while still ensuring that clinicians are paid a living wage.
My dissertation focused on sexual assault on college campuses and institutional response. I completed an APA-accredited internship through the Heart of America Psychology Training Consortium (now known as the Psychology Training Consortium) and my postdoctoral residency at Family Psychological Center, P.A. in Harrison, Arkansas.
My clinical interests are varied and include child and adolescent therapy, TF-CBT, rural psychology, telemental health, sexual and domestic violence, psychological assessment, and mental illness prevention.
I presently work in the Child and Adolescent Therapy Clinic at Sioux Falls Psychological Services in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where I provide individual and family therapy and psychological assessment to children, adolescents, and college students. As well as this I also facilitate an art therapy group for adolescents and college students with anxiety and depression. I offer telemental health services to children and adolescents across the state of South Dakota. Dr. Amy Marschall is certified in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Telemental Health and holds practicing certificates in South Dakota and New Zealand.
