BACKGROUND

After obtaining a Consumer Science degree from the University of Pretoria, I worked in retail for a year and then proceeded to work as a content manager and strategist in digital marketing and advertising agencies. Although I mostly enjoyed this work, I often found myself reminiscing back to profoundly meaningful volunteer work I did with an orphanage in the year that I graduated, and knew deep down that I wanted to pursue a more people-centric career.

For as long as I can remember, I have been immensely interested in human behaviour and the underlying motivations behind why people act, think and feel the way they do. I decided to pursue Clinical Psychology as it not only has an endlessly fascinating theoretical component that stimulates my mind, but it touches my heart in the way it relates directly to people and has the potential to impact lives in a very meaningful way.

Upon making this decision, I started studying psychology part-time through UNISA. While doing so came with numerous sacrifices and challenges (especially related to balancing studies with a full time job), I have not spent a single day regretting that decision since. Studying psychology at that time also added an extra layer of richness to my world and, through it, I gained a deeper sense of understanding and purpose.

Towards the end of my UNISA degree, I volunteered at LifeLine as a telephonic counsellor, largely working with depression, suicidal ideation, anxiety, trauma, relationship problems, loss and bereavement and familial difficulties. After finishing my UNISA degree, I completed both my BA Honours in Psychology and MA in Clinical Psychology at the University of the Witwatersrand on a full time basis.

After Masters, my internship year was completed at Tara the H. Moross Psychiatric Hospital in Johannesburg. I was placed at their Children’s Unit for the first six months of the year, where I worked with inpatient children and outpatient adolescents experiencing a range of behavioural, social and emotional difficulties. For the second half of the year, I worked at Tara’s Personality Disorders Unit. Here I was involved in conducting DBT and psychology groups, as well as doing therapy with individuals diagnosed with personality and mood disorders.

Thereafter, I completed my community service year at Witrand Specialised Hospital in Potchefstroom. At Witrand, I worked with inpatients at the adult psychosis, mood disorder and substance abuse wards; as well as inpatients at the child and adolescent ward. I also saw children, adolescents and adults as outpatients.

Upon completion of my community service year, I returned to Johannesburg where I started working as a Clinical Psychologist in private practice. While I have experience in various concerns, most of my work has been focused on individuals struggling with depression, anxiety, childhood trauma, bereavement and interpersonal or relationship difficulties.