Individual Psychotherapy
“Fear is the cheapest room in the house, I would like to see you in better living conditions.” – Hafiz
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“Moenie slaap nie, kyk! Agter die gordyne begin die dag dans met n’ pouveer is sy hoed.” – Anon
Psychotherapy is the process of slowing down for an hour, once a week, once every two weeks, or once a month. A moment to pause, reflect and take stock. A time to orientate yourself in your day or your life, your relationship, your parenthood, your occupation, or in your life in general. The psychotherapeutic space provides a safe harbor, free of judgment or criticism, to engage in gentle conversation about where you find yourself, what is bothering you, what happened to you or what is happening to you, what you have done, or what you did not do. The room and the therapeutic relationship becomes a place that provides the opportunity to unpack all of the past, the goings-on of the present or the anxieties for the future, allowing you to map it out, see direction, make decisions, to observe a situation from different perspectives and has the potential to find clarity.
Women & Mothers
“A woman in harmony with herself is like a river flowing. She goes where she will without pretense and arrives at her destination prepared to be herself and herself only.” – Maya Angelou
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“Ek is, ek is, die Here hoor my, n’ vry f***n vrou.” – Anjie Krog
My work as a psychotherapist over the past 15 years has brought me intimately close to the unique challenges faced by women and mothers—I have seen women in every imaginable situation, and have witnessed first hand the resilience, the fortitude, the mental load, the held-back heartbreak and silent struggles faced. I have heard the stories of loss, of love, of trying to find and maintain balance, the stories of the brutal initiation and relentless love that is motherhood, and I stood respectfully at both the breaking point and the rising of each woman and mother I have had the privilege to work with.
Psychotherapy with women is a person-centered process which allows for each woman to find the sound of her voice, to tell the truth of her experience, and to have the safety and the space to find her way to herself and experience the excavation of who she is and what she truly needs. The process is gentle, sometimes with a little guidance, and with self-empowerment as its respected path, irrespective of what that looks like for each individual woman and mom.
In my work with mothers, themes are often centered around the newborn stage, bonding and attachment (that can involve bringing baby along to facilitate building a strong attachment between mom and baby), the balancing of the various roles fulfilled by moms, challenges that arise in the intimate partner relationship following having a child, the emotional load of navigating the adolescent and young adulthood life stages of older children, loss and grief following miscarriage or divorce, post-partum depression and post-partum anxiety.
Essentially, all things feminine.
Wholistic Mind-Body Integration Therapy
“Yoga is the practice of accepting the consequences of being yourself.” – The Bhagavad Gita
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“Ek is n’ simplicitypatroon vol ou knope en vrot gare. Ek gaan sit en die nate trek los. Dit pla my nie, ek is wat ek is.” – Jeanne Goosen
To explain the process simply, trauma and pain, when left unresolved, not only establishes itself in the psyche, it also finds its resting place in the body which can result in an endless list of physical complaints and at its most extreme, disease.
Mind and body are connected, if one is hit, the other feels it and holds it.
Wholistic Body-Mind Integration Therapy is a 10-session program that combines psychotherapy and yoga therapy. Yoga therapy (not to be confused with yoga for exercise or anything religious) uses elements of yoga (such as physical postures, breathing practices, guided relaxation and meditation) to address specific health issues or conditions under the guidance of a trained yoga therapist.
Mind, psyche and body are treated at the same time to allow for healing of the whole being.
If you would like to understand more, please feel free to get in touch.