Mark Donaldson
Kia Ora - I'm Mark, founder of Pulse360 Supervision & Training and a professional supervisor with 20+ years of frontline, leadership, and clinical experience across youth justice, care and protection, addiction services, and community development - the majority in South Auckland. My work has taken place across homes, custody units, residential rehabilitation, courts, prisons, and community programmes - supporting young people impacted by trauma, violence, long-term addiction, and intergenerational harm, alongside the practitioners who carry this work. As Clinical Lead and Operations Manager within New Zealand's first successful Social Bond programme, I worked at the intersection of relational practice, outcomes accountability, and funder scrutiny - managing complex, high-risk caseloads and providing clinical oversight across multidisciplinary teams. I understand the weight of youth development mahi from the inside. My role as a supervisor is to provide a grounded, honest space where youth workers can reflect on their practice, stay anchored to their judgement, and sustain themselves in demanding work over time. I offer supervision online and in-person, individually and for teams, and I'm available to work with youth workers and youth development practitioners at any stage of their career - from those just starting out to experienced practitioners carrying complex caseloads.
My Approach
My approach to supervision is relational, reflective, and grounded in the realities of frontline practice - not theory alone. I draw on 20+ years of direct experience in high-pressure, high-stakes environments to provide supervision that is honest, practical, and shaped to each supervisee's role and context. I meet people where they are - not where a framework says they should be. Sessions create space for youth workers to reflect on complex situations, process the emotional weight of the mahi, navigate ethical tension and risk, and stay connected to purpose under sustained pressure. I pay close attention to what people bring and what they're avoiding - and I ask the questions that are sometimes hard to sit with. I hold a strengths-based orientation while remaining direct when clarity is needed. I am committed to working in ways that are culturally responsive, and I bring particular experience working alongside practitioners supporting Māori and Pasifika young people and whānau in South Auckland communities. Supervision with me is confidential, consistent, and genuinely focused on the person doing the work - not just the work itself.
Qualifications
Professional Supervision Certification (Learning Cloud - 100hrs)
Section 13 Pathway in progress (submitted February 2026)
YLS/CMI Clinical Lead Experience - NZ First Social Bond Programme
Profesional Association
Section 13 Submitted Feb 26 - pathway to registration with SWRB.