Rochelle Watson
You don't have to navigate this alone.
About Rochelle
I’m Rochelle. A registered Educational and Developmental Psychologist, specialist educator, and parent.
And if you’re here, there’s a good chance you’re trying to make sense of something that doesn’t quite feel right for your child.
I want you to know, I understand how heavy that can feel.
Years in Education
Years in the Classroom
Years as RTLB
Qualifications and registrations
The training behind the practice.
Professional Registrations
Registered Educational and Developmental Psychologist
Registration: 9009009
Registered with the New Zealand Psychologists Board. Rochelle meets the professional and ethical standards required to practice as a psychologist in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Registered Primary School Teacher
Registration: 234101
Holds a current teacher registration, reflecting 17 years of classroom and leadership experience across early years, primary, intermediate and secondary education.
Resource Teacher: Learning and Behaviour (RTLB)
Seven years as a Specialist Teacher; currently employed as an RTLB, supporting children, whānau, and schools in navigating complex learning and behavioural needs.
Academic qualifications
Postgraduate Diploma in Educational and Developmental Psychology
With Distinction
Massey University – Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa
Master of Educational and Developmental Psychology
With First Class Honours
Massey University – Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa
Postgraduate Diploma in Specialist Teaching, Autism Spectrum
With Distinction
Massey University – Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa
Postgraduate Certificate in Specialist Teaching, Learning and Behaviour
Massey University – Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa
Certificate of Arts, Psychology
Massey University – Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa
Bachelor of Education, Teaching, Primary
Massey University – Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa
Where this work began
My path didn't start in a university lecture theatre.
It started when I was 11 years old.
I could see, even then, that the education system wasn’t built for every child. Including someone very close to me.
I remember noticing the gaps. The misunderstandings. The way difference was often treated as a problem to fix, rather than something to understand.
And I made a decision, quietly but clearly: I wanted to be part of changing that.
For the past 25 years, I’ve worked within education in a range of roles and settings. I began as a primary school teacher, spending 17 years in classrooms and leadership roles, working with children from early years through to adolescence.
That experience gave me something invaluable: a deep, real understanding of how children learn, relate, and navigate the world around them, not just in theory, but in everyday life.
My journey then moved into specialist teaching, with a focus on autism and neurodiversity. I became a Resource Teacher: Learning and Behaviour (RTLB), supporting children, whānau, and schools to navigate complex learning and behavioural needs.
"I wanted to be part of changing that"
“I truly believe Rochelle changed the trajectory of Alex’s life. School, which had been a source of struggle, became a place where he could succeed, and for that, we are forever grateful.”
Where personal and professional meet
This work is not abstract for me.
It's lived. It's personal.
I'm also a mum to three beautiful boys.
One of my children is neurodivergent.
And that experience changed everything, not just in what I know, but in how I hold whānau.
I know what it’s like to question.
I know what it’s like to advocate.
I know what it’s like to feel uncertain.
I know what it’s like to want the very best for your child.
What I bring to this work
Today, I bring together a breadth of experience that allows me to work across the full picture: home, school, child, and system.
25 years in education.
Classroom and leadership experience.
Specialist training in learning and behaviour.
Registration as an Educational and Developmental Psychologist.
Lived experience as both a parent and advocate.
How I work
We slow things down.
We understand what’s really going on. And we build from there.
Neuroaffirming practice
Your child is not something to fix. They are someone to understand.
Evidence-based understanding
Grounded in psychological and educational best practice. Clarity matters.
Practical application
Support must work in real life, at home, at school, and beyond the report.
Relational trust
You are a partner in this process. I don’t rush whānau or overwhelm with jargon.
I want young people to feel seen, heard, and understood.
To experience environments where they belong. Where their needs are met. Where their strengths are recognised. And where they are supported to thrive in their own way.
Rochelle Watson
Noticing. Questioning. Advocating.
You don't have to have all the answers yet.
We can find them together.
Stay In Touch
Office
19 Turret Road, Tauranga South, Tauranga, 3112, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand
Phone Number
neuropotentialnetwork@gmail.com
English