About Me
My Journey
Jopie van Rooyen & Partners
I had the privilege of working for this amazing, trend-setting psychological assessment company. It was here that I was able to learn the value of psychological assessment and the diversity of measures that can be used to assess clients, keeping in mind their uniqueness. Here, I also found my passion for training and developing others through presentations, workshops or general group discussions, to impart skills and knowledge to others.
University of Limpopo - Medunsa Campus - Academic
I was trained in a very unique and inspiring manner. Having been trained under two outstanding trainers, namely Professor Charl Vorster and Dr. Warwick Phipps, who had many years of clinical experience, I was taught an enlightening method on how to assist clients with their difficulties effectively.
Witwatersrand circuit - Community Clinics
The community clinics exposed me to clients from an array of different cultures, races, ages and religions. It also introduced me to how unique each and every client’s concerns and difficulties are, which instilled in me the importance of working with each client in an individualistic manner.
Charlotte Maxeke Hospital - Child, Adolescent and Family Unit
Having experts in child and adolescent psychology as my supervisors, I learnt how to effectively assess and conduct therapy with children and teenagers. In addition, I found my interest of working with parents in parental counselling.
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University of Limpopo, Medunsa Campus – Dissertation
Love, relationships, marriages… How come some relationships last a lifetime? How come some relationships fail dismally? What makes couples compatible or incompatible? These were the questions that drove me to gain clarity and understanding on this interesting phenomena. With these burning questions in mind, I wanted to explore what makes relationships work and what tears them apart. I then decided to conduct my dissertation for my Master’s degree on couples’ relationships. I identified which interactions or ways of communicating partners used, that made their relationship incompatible. With this knowledge at hand, I am now able to work meaningfully with couples as to try and assist them to either better their relationship or to take a long hard look at whether they want to work on their relationship at all.
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Kopanong Hospital, Vereeniging
Kopanong Hospital exposed me to the ‘world of psychiatry’. I was able to work and assist clients who were diagnosed with a variety of different psychological / psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders; bipolar disorder; depressive disorders; anxiety disorders; trauma-and-stress-related disorders; eating disorders; somatic symptom disorder; gender dysphoria; disruptive, impulse control and conduct disorders; substance use and addictive disorders; neurocognitive disorders; and personality disorders. I worked thoroughly with patients: (a) admitted into the psychiatric wards, (b) admitted into the medical wards but experiencing psychological problems, and (c) outpatients in terms of maintaining their psychological well-being.
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Nurture Health, Vereeniging Rehabilitation and Sub-Acute Hospital through Charis Psychological Services
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Working at a physical rehabilitation and sub-acute facility really gave me the opportunity to work with and assist patients living their darkest days in terms of their health. The array of difficulties included:
(a) Patients who had undergone traumas such as car accidents, work-related injuries, victims to terrible crimes;
(b) Patients who were diagnosed with debilitating and life-changing illnesses such as strokes, cancers, Guillain Barre, brain injury, heart diseases, lung problems etc.
(c) Patients who were struggling with physical disabilities - not being able to walk, talk, work, move, eat etc. as they previously did.
The journey to physical healing does not only including your body feeling better but also working through the psychological impact this time of their life had on their mental well-being as well as preparing patients for their new life that may now be filled with new adjustments.
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Private Practice, Vaal Triangle & Amanzimtoti
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Having a private practice allows me the space to really help clients that want to work on themselves - they voluntarily are seeking to change their lives, improve their psychological well-being and allowing themselves the opportunity to look after themselves so that they continue to make a difference in their own environments outside therapy. Watching the process from first consults which are usually laden with difficulties, feelings of powerlessness and 'stuckness' to seeing clients gain more skills to assist themselves, confidence and independence in their ability to take on their lives optimally again and parting ways with them in a happier psychological space - is the reason I became a psychologist in the first place.
My Qualifications
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Formal Education
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M. Sc. Clinical Psychology
University of Limpopo, Medunsa Campus
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B. A. Honours. Psychology
University of Johannesburg
(Cum Laude)
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B. A. Psychology
(Majoring in Psychology and Industrial Psychology)
University of Johannesburg
Registrations & Memberships
Registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa as a Clinical Psychologist; Independent/Private Practice (HPCSA)
Member of the Golden Key International Honour Society
Member of the Psychological Society of South Africa (PsySSA)
Registered with the Board of Healthcare Funders of Southern Africa (BHF)
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