Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy
About me
I obtained my masters degree in Clinical Psychology in South Africa where I worked as psychologist both in public and private settings. After moving to New Zealand, I worked in Department of Corrections for a few years and I have been in private practice since 2017. I have experience in working with a variety of client populations including adults, adolescents, couples, forensic populations as well as a range of complex mental health difficulties.
I specialise in psychotherapy for low self-esteem and identity issues, trauma (specifically attachment and sexual trauma) and dissociation, intimacy difficulties, problems with attachment, difficulties in forming connections with others and personality disorders. I also have an interest in working with individuals who have experienced major life changes such as emigration.
I have completed a three year certificate and a two-year advanced certificate with the International Masterson Institute Australia. It is a form of psychoanalytic psychotherapy based on the work of Professor James F. Masterson, which integrates developmental, attachment, and object relations theories with recent findings in neuro-biological brain research. It focuses on client's defences to facilitate emergence of the real self. I am currently a faculty member of the International Masterson Institute Australia where I lecture and supervise postgraduate students.
Qualifications and Memberships
BA Drama
BSocSci Honours in Psychology
MA Clin Psych (Cum Laude)
Certificate Masterson Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy International Masterson Institute Australia (3-year postgraduate programme)
Certificate in Masterson Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy International Masterson Institute (2-year advanced programme)
Member of New Zealand Psychologist Board
Member of New Zealand Psychological Association
Member of Health Professions Council South Africa
Faculty Member International Masterson Institute Australia
My approach
Our backgrounds - this includes our relationships with our caregivers, life experiences such as loss, disappointments and illness - affect the way we
come to view ourselves and other people and how we feel in our bodies. It also shapes the way we respond to others, relate to ourselves ourselves and cope in our daily lives. Through these early experiences, we may become disconnected from our true sense of self and develop what I like to regard as core sensitivities. For example, being sensitive to criticism or not having our esteem honoured, feeling easily rejected, having fears of abandonment or be prone to feelings of unsafely in the world/with others. We may also develop symptoms such as depression, anxiety, addiction, as well as problems with intimacy.
In my work with clients, I offer a compassionate and non-judgemental space
to gain an understanding of these experiences, symptoms and the relationship with the self and others. We also look at the barriers (our defences) that might be standing in the way of expressing ourselves. During the process we also hope to uncover your core sensitivity. I feel passionate about working towards understanding your inner experiences and developing healthier ways of coping when life throws its challenges. Most of all, my passion sits in working with clients to facilitate the emergence of their real self.
My primary approach is psychodynamic and psychoanalytic psychotherapy, informed by attachment theory, neurobiology and trauma. I specifically draw from the Masterson model which aims to help clients connect with their real selves, which may have become suppressed in response to less than ideal childhood experiences, trauma or other life stressors/losses.
I am also trained in various shorter-term modalities such as mindfulness-based interventions and cognitive-behavioural therapy, which may be integrated depending on the client's needs.