Offering Counselling, Workshops & Training In Pretoria Since 2010

Offering Counselling, Workshops & Training In Pretoria Since 2010

Counselling Services

You Are Not Alone: A South African Guide for Men’s Mental Health Month

By |2025-06-10T13:10:31+02:00June 10th, 2025|

June is Men’s Mental Health Month – a vital reminder to pause and ask, “How are you really doing?” In South Africa, many men bear the weight of being providers and protectors, often silently. The stigma around vulnerability can lead to devastating consequences – men are nearly four times more likely to die by suicide than women, according to the World Health Organization (2019). It’s time to change the narrative. Men often mask emotional struggles with anger, isolation, or substance use. But healing begins with a single step: acknowledging the pain and reaching out. You don’t need to have all the answers. Just saying, “I’m not OK,” is enough to begin the journey toward wellness.

Navigating Grief

By |2025-06-10T09:42:22+02:00June 10th, 2025|

Grief is the intensely personal emotional, cognitive, behavioural, and physical response to a loss, most commonly the death of someone dear, but also experienced after divorce, job loss, or other major life changes. It is more than just sadness—grief can feel like a tangled web of anxiety, guilt, relief, and shock. As the world continues moving, the bereaved often feel disconnected, like life should have paused but didn’t. Models such as Kübler-Ross’s five stages—denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance—offer a framework, but grief rarely follows a linear path. Dr. Richard Wilson’s metaphor of the “Whirlpool of Grief” captures the unpredictable emotional turbulence: life shifts from a calm river to a chaotic swirl of emotions. Over time, with self-compassion and support, people often find themselves drifting back into steadier waters, while still honouring the memory of their loss.

Navigating the Quarter-Life Crisis

By |2025-05-22T16:56:27+02:00May 22nd, 2025|

The quarter-life crisis is a real and rising challenge, especially for young adults facing job scarcity, social pressure, and constant comparison. In a world that clings to outdated ideals—like being settled by 30—many feel stuck, anxious, and inadequate. But this crisis can also be a turning point. Through self-reflection, mindset shifts, and prioritizing mental well-being, young adults can turn uncertainty into growth. It’s not about having it all figured out—it’s about learning to live authentically, one step at a time.

When Caring Becomes Too Much: Understanding and Coping with Compassion Fatigue

By |2025-05-13T13:53:28+02:00May 13th, 2025|

Compassion fatigue is emotional and physical exhaustion from caring for others, often leaving you drained, irritable, or disconnected. It can affect anyone — parents, friends, caregivers and is especially common in cultures where helping others is a core value. Recognising the signs and taking steps to care for yourself through rest, boundaries, and support is essential. Remember: you can’t pour from an empty cup.

Preparing for Postpartum with the Mom’s Mental Wellbeing in Mind

By |2025-05-12T13:50:50+02:00May 12th, 2025|

Postpartum is like a garden. If you don’t know how to care for it you’ll always feel like you’re getting it wrong. But when you understand the seasons, rhythms and gentle care it needs, you’ll watch it grow into something beautiful. The right knowledge, tools and mindset can transform the postpartum experience. Motherhood can be so deeply beautiful and at the same time devastatingly brutal. Sometimes it is difficult to express and identify exactly why. We know our bodies will physically change... But less commonly acknowledged are the intense changes to our biology, our identity, our beliefs, our independence or our purpose.

Repair, Don’t Repeat – How To Break Destructive Argument Cycles: Can We Attempt To Fight More Fairly In Our Relationships?

By |2025-05-12T13:51:49+02:00May 12th, 2025|

Every couple fights—it's a natural part of being in a relationship shaped by differing experiences and expectations. But conflict doesn't have to be destructive. By approaching disagreements with the mindset that it’s "me and my partner versus the problem," we can shift from rivalry to teamwork. Constructive communication involves listening to understand, managing our emotions, and choosing respect even when tensions rise. When we argue fairly and complete conversations with kindness and clarity, conflict can become a pathway to deeper connection rather than division.

Finding Your Calm During Stress Awareness Month in South Africa

By |2025-04-11T11:11:20+02:00April 10th, 2025|

Think of anxiety as that overly sensitive alarm system within us. It's designed to alert us to potential threats, but sometimes it misfires, sounding even when things are fundamentally okay. During Stress Awareness Month, we're encouraged to tune into these internal alarms and explore ways to gently quiet them. This April, as we collectively turn our attention to stress and well-being, let’s consider some accessible practices you can weave into your day to gently ease anxiety and cultivate a sense of calm. These aren’t instant solutions, but they are meaningful steps you can take towards greater peace.

Managing Life With Multiple Jobs/ Employment

By |2025-02-20T13:11:05+02:00February 20th, 2025|

Balancing multiple jobs is a reality for many South Africans, but it often comes at the cost of mental and physical well-being. Juggling different roles can lead to exhaustion, stress, and work-life imbalance. Research shows that job overload and work-family conflict negatively impact overall health and performance. To navigate this, setting firm boundaries, prioritising self-care, and seeking support are essential. Small, mindful adjustments can help prevent burnout and create a more sustainable routine. If the pressure becomes overwhelming, reaching out for professional guidance can make all the difference.

Grief Beyond Grief: A Dive into Secondary Loss

By |2023-05-15T13:52:33+02:00January 25th, 2022|

. In our lives, a loss, such as the death of a loved one, serves as the pebble in our pond. When we lose something or someone significant to us, the grieving process does not end with the mourning of that singular loss. Rather, the singular loss triggers a chain of events known as secondary losses, which often cause us to feel as if we've lost everything and that the sorrow will never end.

Better Together: The Benefits of Group Therapy

By |2023-05-15T13:53:09+02:00December 15th, 2021|

Let's be honest, deciding to see a therapist is not something that comes easily to everyone. To truly benefit from the process, one must be willing to be honest and completely open with their therapist as well as themselves. As a result, you will often find yourself revealing things about your experiences and your thoughts that you would not normally share with your friends or family, let alone a complete stranger.

EMOTIONAL MATURITY: What it looks like & how to work on it

By |2021-02-16T11:45:52+02:00February 16th, 2021|

We are currently living in ever-changing times and emotional maturity might be just be one of the things that will keep us sane. Emotional maturity consists of two components, firstly your ability to understand and identify your emotion and being honest about your feelings. Secondly being able to manage that emotion no matter what circumstances you find yourself in. Emotional maturity are the little golden nuggets of life.

The importance of counselling

By |2021-01-07T15:14:01+02:00January 7th, 2021|

I often get asked the question "Why should I go to counselling" as if there is a textbook, one size fits all answer. There is no straightforward way to sum up the importance of counselling, because in my eyes the benefits of counselling is personal in nature and therefore, infinite.

Hold that space!

By |2021-01-07T10:11:26+02:00November 23rd, 2020|

There is nothing I have so keenly needed on my own journey than someone just sitting down with me in the mud; in the hurt and in the breaking. There has been nothing so comforting and endearing as someone just really seeing me. Acknowledging me, my feelings, my thoughts and my behaviours. Being so attuned to my every movement in that moment that I feel overwhelmingly heard and understood.

From the counsellor’s couch

By |2020-12-03T19:33:29+02:00November 23rd, 2020|

Admitting to yourself that you need professional help can be quite daunting.  After you have finally plucked up the courage to make the appointment, you might find yourself wondering about – even researching – the person that is about to hear your life story.  Can you really trust them?  How much should you say?  Are they really all a little crazy? – I mean they chose a profession where they listen to people’s problems all day!!  Will he / she be analysing me the whole time?

Legal information that every practitioner working with children should be aware of

By |2020-08-20T10:24:24+02:00August 19th, 2020|

In this article, we answer some pressing questions with regards to what the law says about various child-related issues that may pop up in your practice. Parental consent, best interest of the child and limitations of confidentiality are discussed. We also, very briefly touch on how to safeguard yourself when it comes to payments of your sessions.

What is the goal of counselling?

By |2024-12-23T22:53:56+02:00March 16th, 2020|

It is heartbreaking that many people judge the psychology world by the picture that Hollywood has painted for us. In countless movies the psychologist is portrayed as a know-it-all guru who traps people in an extended, dependency driven relationship. There is a big fluffy couch where the patient will lie down and share their story, while the distracted ‘shrink’ continuously asks “how do you feel about that” and bluntly stops the session the moment time is up. In many movies the client never resolves issues and is just told to come back next week. In light of this I am overjoyed to tell you that most counsellors sees this portrayed image and goes out of their way to break and correct this view of the counselling world.

My Child is Gay, What did I do Wrong?

By |2019-09-28T19:17:37+02:00September 24th, 2019|

So your child comes to you and tells you he is gay or she is lesbian. You feel that the earth has dropped out from under your feet. You look at them and try to read their faces. A million questions go through your mind. You look at them and wait, are they joking? Your mind screams, “Please just laugh and say I’m only joking”. It does not come. You realise this is real. You feel for a moment you’re in a Mexican standoff.

How on earth do I keep all the balls in the air? When motherhood becomes just too much.

By |2019-08-10T13:58:23+02:00June 20th, 2019|

Oh, but the TIREDNESS. I will never forget. Never ever, ever, ever!! It lasted for 18 years (sorry my dearest sisters). One night I woke up and I couldn’t find my sweetheart last born - oh my freak! She was lying on the carpet! What was happening to me? How did she land there? Was I going to be arrested for child abuse? I could just see the headlines: “Social worker abandons newborn on floor”.

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