The therapeutic support is adjusted to suit the diagnosis, needs and ages of the individual. Individual therapy is also called psychotherapy or “counselling”.

Individual therapy is a process through which clients work one-on-one with the therapist to explore their feelings, beliefs, or behaviors, work through significant memories and/or events, identify aspects that they would like to change, adjust to change, better understand themselves and others and work toward desired growth. People seek therapy for a wide variety of reasons, from coping with major life challenges or trauma, to dealing with learning or behavioural difficulties, anxiety or other mood disorders, to simply desiring personal growth and greater self-knowledge.

Family therapy is a type of psychological counseling (psychotherapy) that helps family members understand and improve the family dynamics, communication and resolve conflicts. It may include all family members or just those able or willing to participate. Family therapy is often short term. The specific treatment plan will depend on your family’s situation. Family therapy sessions can teach you and the family members skills to deepen family connections, facilitate growth and get through stressful times, even after you have completed the therapy sessions.

Parental guidance forms an integral part of the treatment when working with children. It assists parents in exploring options, alternatives, or adjustments to the family’s current way of functioning and wellbeing within the family system. The parents receive support with parenting challenges that they may be experiencing. The parents are also guided to identify and use the strengths within the child and the family and other systems to the benefit of the child and the whole family system.

The adults and the entire family system of the child have a significant influence on the child’s functioning.  Therapy can be compared to the building of a wall of knowledge, skills, change and growth.  During therapy a building block is laid down.  Through the parental guidance sessions, parents or caregivers of the child are guided to appreciate the challenges and manage these challenges while utilising the strengths within the family. In so doing, they are able to reinforce at home, that which is initiated in the therapy sessions. Parents can therefore be vital contributors to the building of this wall in order to promote success, happiness and/or optimal functioning within the family.  Involved parents are incredible assets to any therapy with a child.  This valuable asset is utilised by the therapist

Interventions focus on debriefing, supporting and guidance with trauma associated with amongst other, death of a friend, family member or partner, divorce and other school or family related incidents. Children are often part of and negatively impacted by trauma that happens to themselves and in the lives of their parents or caregivers.  

Trauma is seen as significant and in need of effective processing if the event is too large for an individual’s system to effectively process. Maladaptive responses, such as flashbacks, dreams, and many other symptoms can be triggered by present stimuli and need to be processed.

Unresolved and/or repressed trauma can have a significant impact on the over-all functioning of an individual. Unresolved trauma can manifest in many ways, including:

• Intrusive memories (flashbacks)
• Anxiety
• Panic attacks
• Nightmares
• Phobias
• Obsessive – compulsive behaviours
• Trouble sleeping
• No energy, feeling tired, being “slowed down”

Trauma counselling and debriefing is a good way of coping with the experience. You can go for individual or group therapy sessions.  During trauma counselling, therapy techniques most often focus on activating the traumatic memory through visualization, discussing the memory and making sense of it through logical analysis and then acknowledging the body sensations and reactions associated with the memory of the event.

These therapeutic techniques result in the decrease or elimination of the negative emotional charges associated with the trauma, enhancing emotional well being and optimizing daily functioning.

Tele-psychology is within the practice of psychotherapy when a psychologist uses online tools to assist clients. Some tools may include, but are not limited to: Skype, Zoom, email, or video phone call.

Why would I want to use tele-psychology?

• Increased access to therapy for individuals with physical, medical and/or mobility disabilities.
• Increased access to specialists regardless of geographic area.
• Increased access to services in areas with few mental health resources.
• Increased access to psychologists with training and experience.
• Access to therapy in native language.
• Increased access to therapy for individuals who may have difficulty attending therapy on-site

Psych-educational presentations can be presented to school staff, parent groups and learners.

• Discipline
• Learning difficulties
• ADHD
• Building a safe house
• Secure parenting
• Teenagers and mental health
• Children in need
• Emotional intelligence
• Children and Fear
• Meltdowns and tantrums
• Mobilising parents as co-partners
• Motivation in the school context
• Family rituals
• Parenting and motivation
• ADHD and social skills
• Study methods
• Reading difficulties
• Emotional support for our young ones

• Bereavement therapy or grief counselling
• Bullying
• Anxiety and phobia
• Bed wetting
• Discipline
• Positive psychology
• Personal learning, development guidance and support
• Relationship challenges

These interventions assist in identifying an individual’s current level of emotional functioning and address specific emotional and behavioural concerns.

An Educational Psychologist can assists with:

• Anxiety
• Low mood
• Low self-esteem
• Temper tantrums
• Stress
• Dishonesty
• School refusal
• Oppositional behaviour
• Discipline challenges
• Adjustment problems
• Social skills
• Aggression
• Bullying and so forth

These interventions assist in identifying an individual’s current level of cognitive and academic functioning. Specific challenges related to reading, spelling, mathematics, learning difficulties, neurological functioning and concentration affecting academic performance may be identified.  

An Educational Psychologist can assists with:

• Learning difficulties
• Poor concentration
• Distractibility
• Hyperactivity
• Impulsive behaviour
• Performance anxiety
• Mathematical anxiety
• Underachievement
• Poor progress
• Learning backlogs
• Challenges with Study methods and motivation
• Indecision about subject choices
• Determining the need for concessions and/or accommodations
• Optimizing use of assets (ability, skills, talents)

Distractibility, poor concentration, hyperactivity and impulsive behaviour may contribute to learning difficulties, emotional concerns and behavioural challenges. After the Intake Interview, an assessment is conducted.

Several concerns from teachers or parents may include:

Inattention

• Careless mistakes in schoolwork
• Difficulty sustaining attention
• Does not seem to listen when spoken to
• Struggles to organise tasks
• Forgetful and loses things
• Distracted by external stimuli
• Fails to finish tasks

Impulsivity

• Talks excessively
• Interrupts or intrudes on others
• Answers before question is completed
• Has difficulty awaiting turn

Hyperactivity

• Motor activities
• Fidgets with hands and feet
• Cannot sit still or participate in quiet activities
• Runs about or climbs inappropriately (in adolescents or adults, may only be feeling of restlessness)
• Leaves seat inappropriately

A team approach is needed. After the assessment assistance is recommended and may include amongst all coordinated:

• Cognitive control therapy
• Emotional stabilising
• Discipline
• Diet
• Medication / conservative treatment
• Optimal use of assets (ability, skills, talents)
• Appropriate channelling or use of energy (extramural activities)
• Acquiring skills in planning and time management
• Social skills training
• Concessions

Sometimes a Cognitive Intelligence measurement is required for school placement, to determine certain assets or growth areas.

There are also other different types of intelligence and some are:

• Logical-mathematical Intelligence
• Linguistic Intelligence
• Spatial Intelligence
• Musical Intelligence
• Bodily-kinesthetic Intelligence
• Intrapersonal Intelligence
• Interpersonal Intelligence
• Naturalistic Intelligence

Study methods or strategies are approaches applied to learning. These abilities are critical to succeed in school and tertiary institutions. Study method sessions concentrate on improving an individual’s manner in which they process and organise new information, retain information or dealing with tests and examination.

We need to understand what happens when we need to learn and master some skills.

Some methods include:

• Study motivation
• Study planning
• Learning styles
• Learning strategies
• Exam stress
• Exam preparation
• Time management
• Listening Skills
• Memory strategies
• Thinking strategies

A school readiness assessment is a formal assessment, done by a qualified person, (usually an educational psychologist), to determine if your child is ready to enter primary school.

School readiness assessments assist in determining a child’s cognitive, social and emotional readiness to start school.

Each and every child has the right to be ready for school from the start of his/her school career.  This is the first step towards happiness and success in school.

Not all children of school-going age are ready to start school.

Pre-schoolers imagine the “big school” as an ideal place where they will be happy and learn new things. A child can however only enter this wonderful new phase in his life with self-confidence and success if he/she is school-ready. The process that culminates in school readiness begins at birth and ensues progressively with the development of the child.

The following developmental tasks need to be completed during the child’s toddler and pre-school years:

• Fine and gross motor skills
• Adequate concentration and attention
• Memory skills
• Numerical abilities
• Language comprehension
• Communication abilities
• Control over emotions
• Positive self-concept
• Social and emotional relationships with parents, siblings and peers
• Socialisation, i.e. to communicate and establish relationships with others in a socially acceptable manner
• Moral development, i.e. the ability to distinguish between right and wrong, and the development of the conscience

The child’s ability to successfully master the development of later stages depends strongly on the success with which he/she has progressed through the developmental tasks during his younger years.  The child who is school-ready should be able to adapt socially, emotionally, physically and perceptually in the formal learning situation.

During a school-readiness assessment, the educational psychologist focuses on the evaluation of the child in totality in order to determine if the child is ready for school or not.  Attention is therefore given to the intellectual, emotional, perceptual and physical development of the child. Feedback is given to the parents on these aspects so that the child’s strengths can be highlighted and the problems, if any, be effectively addressed in time.

Subject choice planning assessments can assist in exploring and providing recommendations for subject choices options. Assessments in Grade 9 help equip learners to make informed and responsible subject choices.  After the assessment guidance and recommendations on the fields of study and subject options are outlined.

It is particularly in grade 10 that making subject choices becomes critical.  Making discerning subject choices has a significant effect on making wise career choices.

In order to make meaningful subject choices the child’s current scholastic achievement in subjects, aptitudes, interests, dreams and ideals should be taken into account. Self-exploration and planning are also included in the assessments. Assessments can assist in determining the child’s aptitude and interests. Different schools offer different elective subjects from grade 10 to 12 which the learner can choose from to provide in his / her needs.

The following are important:

• Determining one’s aptitude profile
• Determining one’s interest profile
• Personality profile
• Self-exploration
• Future planning
• Exploring meaningful subject combinations

Career planning assessments assist the learner in the process of making accountable career choices. This investigation can already be done in Grade 11 so that early preparations can be made for the post-school education and / or professional life.

The following are important:

• Determining one’s aptitude profile
• Determining one’s interest profile
• Personality profile
• Self-exploration
• Career-oriented self-knowledge
• Future planning

Choosing the correct subjects in grade 10 is important for effective career planning.  For this reason it is important to do career guidance assessments in grade 9 already when subjects need to be chosen for grade 10.  The educational psychologist can assist with both of the above-mentioned assessments.

Play therapy aims to utilize play as a mode of communication when working within a therapeutic relationship with a child. The child expresses their emotional difficulties by means of play within a safe environment.

Play therapy can be used for:

• Processing of trauma
• Acquiring coping skills
• Awareness and management of emotions
• Self-empowerment
• Improving self-control
• Strengthening self-worth
• Assertiveness and taking risks
• Healthy venting of aggression
• Treatment following sexual and other abuse
• Relaxation techniques

Situations where play therapy can be applied:

• Divorce
• Parental conflict
• Terminal illness or death of a close relative
• Armed robbery, car hijacking, burglaries
• Hospitalisation of child
• Children with depression or anxiety
• Children with behavioural or disciplinary challenges
• Children with social challenges
• Preparing for emigration
• Challenges with peers

The therapeutic support is adjusted to suit the diagnosis, needs and ages of the individual. Individual therapy is also called psychotherapy or “counselling”.

Individual therapy is a process through which clients work one-on-one with the therapist to explore their feelings, beliefs, or behaviors, work through significant memories and/or events, identify aspects that they would like to change, adjust to change, better understand themselves and others and work toward desired growth. People seek therapy for a wide variety of reasons, from coping with major life challenges or trauma, to dealing with learning or behavioural difficulties, anxiety or other mood disorders, to simply desiring personal growth and greater self-knowledge.

Family therapy is a type of psychological counseling (psychotherapy) that helps family members understand and improve the family dynamics, communication and resolve conflicts. It may include all family members or just those able or willing to participate. Family therapy is often short term. The specific treatment plan will depend on your family’s situation. Family therapy sessions can teach you and the family members skills to deepen family connections, facilitate growth and get through stressful times, even after you have completed the therapy sessions.

Parental guidance forms an integral part of the treatment when working with children. It assists parents in exploring options, alternatives, or adjustments to the family’s current way of functioning and wellbeing within the family system. The parents receive support with parenting challenges that they may be experiencing. The parents are also guided to identify and use the strengths within the child and the family and other systems to the benefit of the child and the whole family system.

The adults and the entire family system of the child have a significant influence on the child’s functioning.  Therapy can be compared to the building of a wall of knowledge, skills, change and growth.  During therapy a building block is laid down.  Through the parental guidance sessions, parents or caregivers of the child are guided to appreciate the challenges and manage these challenges while utilising the strengths within the family. In so doing, they are able to reinforce at home, that which is initiated in the therapy sessions. Parents can therefore be vital contributors to the building of this wall in order to promote success, happiness and/or optimal functioning within the family.  Involved parents are incredible assets to any therapy with a child.  This valuable asset is utilised by the therapist

Interventions focus on debriefing, supporting and guidance with trauma associated with amongst other, death of a friend, family member or partner, divorce and other school or family related incidents. Children are often part of and negatively impacted by trauma that happens to themselves and in the lives of their parents or caregivers.

Trauma is seen as significant and in need of effective processing if the event is too large for an individual’s system to effectively process. Maladaptive responses, such as flashbacks, dreams, and many other symptoms can be triggered by present stimuli and need to be processed.

Unresolved and/or repressed trauma can have a significant impact on the over-all functioning of an individual. Unresolved trauma can manifest in many ways, including:

• Intrusive memories (flashbacks)
• Anxiety
• Panic attacks
• Nightmares
• Phobias
• Obsessive – compulsive behaviours
• Trouble sleeping
• No energy, feeling tired, being “slowed down”

Trauma counselling and debriefing is a good way of coping with the experience. You can go for individual or group therapy sessions.  During trauma counselling, therapy techniques most often focus on activating the traumatic memory through visualization, discussing the memory and making sense of it through logical analysis and then acknowledging the body sensations and reactions associated with the memory of the event.

These therapeutic techniques result in the decrease or elimination of the negative emotional charges associated with the trauma, enhancing emotional well being and optimizing daily functioning.

Telepsychology is within the practice of psychotherapy when a psychologist uses online tools to assist clients. Some tools may include, but are not limited to: Skype, Zoom, email, or video phone call.

Why would I want to use telepsychology?

• Increased access to therapy for individuals with physical, medical and/or mobility disabilities.
• Increased access to specialists regardless of geographic area.
• Increased access to services in areas with few mental health resources.
• Increased access to psychologists with training and experience.
• Access to therapy in native language.
• Increased access to therapy for individuals who may have difficulty attending therapy on-site.

Psych-educational presentations can be presented to school staff, parent groups and learners.

• Possible topics are:
• Discipline
• Learning difficulties
• ADHD
• Building a safe house
• Secure parenting
• Teenagers and mental health
• Children in need
• Emotional intelligence
• Children and Fear
• Meltdowns and tantrums
• Mobilising parents as co-partners
• when teaching children
• Motivation in the school context
• Family rituals
• Parenting and motivation
• ADHD and social skills
• Study methods
• Reading difficulties
• Emotional support for our young ones

• Bereavement therapy or Grief counselling
• Bullying
• Anxiety and Phobia
• Bed wetting
• Discipline
• Positive psychology
• Personal learning, development guidance and support
• Psycho-educational Presentations
• Relationship challenges