Presenters

Dr Alison Burke, Head of Counselling, Westlake Girls High School
Alison completed her training at Auckland University, graduating with a Master’s in Education (Counselling specialisation) with First class Honours. She then went on to complete a PhD at Auckland University, researching the lived experiences of male victims of intimate partner violence in heterosexual relationships. Alison has had articles published in academic peer reviewed journals both in New Zealand and overseas. Alison has worked with young people firstly as a secondary school teacher and then as a counsellor and facilitator both in Auckland and the Bay of Plenty. She is currently Head of Counselling with a counselling role at a large secondary school on Auckland’s North Shore. Alison was involved in a research project with two other counsellors and counsellor educators from Waikato University that focused on counselling as a site of learning with particular reference to key competency use and development within the counselling space. Conference joint keynote presentation, workshops and published journal articles resulted from this research. Alison has also had personal articles published and been a reviewer for articles submitted for publication in peer reviewed academic journals both within New Zealand and overseas. Alison has been a fully accredited member of the New Zealand Association of Counsellors (NZAC) since 2007. She adheres to the principles of the NZAC Code of Ethics and is committed to on-going professional development, reading and supervision to ensure best practice.

Sean Lyons, Chief Online Safety Officer, NetSafe
Sean has been with Netsafe since 2006, and currently serves as the Chief Online Safety Officer, but has worked across most aspects of the work Netsafe does, including technology, communications & education. Working previously in both the IT industry and the education sector in the UK and New Zealand, Sean has a keen interest in how individuals use technology to perpetrate harm online and how technology can be better used to address those harms. He sits on a number of government and industry advisory boards and working groups on topics as wide-ranging as financial fraud and online pornography. He is also currently the President of the international INHOPE network and sits on the Meta Global Safety Advisory Council.