MY BACKGROUND, TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE

After completing a research masters degree in Psychology, with special study of Aging, and a thesis on aspects of self-acceptance, I worked for six years as a University academic, lecturing in Developmental Psychology and Learning Theory. At this time, I started a personal journey of intensive psycho-analytically oriented psychotherapy and later undertook an analysis. After the birth of my youngest daughter, I studied Clinical Psychology and registered with the South African Medical and Dental Council as a Clinical Psychologist in 1973, after two years as an intern at Tara Hospital H. Moross Centre in Johannesburg.

My early experience as a Clinical Psychologist was in a Children’s Clinic at a Psychiatric Hospital where I was trained in Psycho-analytical approaches to psychotherapy with children, as well as in Play Therapy techniques. At the end of my internship at the Hospital, I worked at a remedial school and rehabilitation centre for children and adolescents with emotional, learning and neurological problems. My work involved psychological assessment and individual and group psychotherapy with children, adolescents and their parents. I started teaching part-time, lecturing at Schools of Nursing attached to Johannesburg General Hospital and Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto. At the same time, I started my first Private Practice, working mainly with children and adolescents.

I continued my analysis, exploring my own personality and the troubling issues in my life. I continued with the study of Rogerian (Client-Centred) Therapy, and renewed my long-term interest, dating back to my undergraduate years, in Existentialism and Existential Analysis.

After coming to Perth in 1979, I was appointed (in 1980) to the School of Health Sciences, Curtin University (Nursing Department) as a tenured lecturer and taught there until 1990. In 1983 I registered as a Clinical Psychologist with the WA Psychologists Registration Board. At Curtin University, I lectured in Developmental Psychology and Health Psychology, (covering such areas as Stress, Stress Related Health conditions and Stress Management) Group Work and Family Dynamics. I drew on my training in Sociology and Anthropology to teach on social and cultural issues related to health and health behaviour.

I also started part-time work at a private psychiatric hospital in Perth, where I ran groups for the hospital clients and designed group psychotherapy programmes leading to accreditation of the group psychotherapy programme. The groups included insight oriented, cognitive-behavioural, psycho-educational and dream therapy groups in programmes focussed on women’s issues, post-natal depression, men’s issues groups, trauma and abuse. At Family Planning Association I provided professional supervision for counsellors, and at Hospice Palliative Care in Claremont, I worked with the terminally ill and their families. I also ran numerous workshops, (including residential workshops), focussed on personal growth and on relationship enhancement for couples. I built up my skills in group psychotherapy with training at the Wasley Institute and extended my knowledge and skills into many different approaches to psychotherapy.

After the deaths of my parents, I re-entered psychotherapy in 1981 to resolve my grief at their premature loss and deal with other losses. At the same time I started meditating at the WA Buddhist Society, and this continued practice and study has been an enduring influence in my personal and professional life.

In 1990 I resigned from Curtin University and resumed full-time private practice, which I have continued to the present. I continued my consultancy at a private psychiatric hospital until 2000.

Since 1990 my practice has focussed on individual work with adolescents and adults, couples counselling and group psychotherapy. I have extended my early interest in the issues facing us as we get older and now work with a number of clients in their 70s and 80s and with adults with aging parents. A feature of my practice has been the ability to use a range of models to meet the needs of a diverse group of clients who come with a wide range of issues.

What are the issues that have brought people to work with me?

In 2006 year adult and teenage clients have come to see about:




I supervise psychologists for registration with the WA Psychologists Board. I also offer ongoing professional supervision for individual practitioners and group supervision for health professionals in organizations.