I am a clinical psychologist with a MA degree in clinical psychology obtained at the University of the Witwatersrand, and have obtained several postgraduate and undergraduate qualifications from other academic institutions. I have practiced in both the public and private sectors.

I, like most health professionals, consider mental health to be affected by three main areas encapsulated in the bio-psychosocial model shown in the diagram below by Seth Falco.

Based on this approach, I offer several evidence-based psycho-therapeutic techniques according to your current situation identified in our initial findings. This research-based approach takes into account the whole person incorporating four evidence-based practices, in which I have advanced training:

• Dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT)
• Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
• Psychodynamic psychotherapy
• Family therapy

These four approaches are effective in addressing a wide range of concerns, restoring people to a place of greater ease and balance. They work very well in conjunction with each other.

The quiet office after hours or at the water's edge triggers necessary natural signals to our hard-wired and over-activated biology during the workday.  A barrage of naturally occurring chemical messengers reminds our body that it's time to retreat from the high-alert settings of the typical day.

The biological settling process that ensues encourages our daily mental pace to slow down.  Many people find that this process enables them to hear themselves with increased sensitivity.  Arrangements can be made for clients who wish to avail themselves of this service.

I've found that the sustained change that most people aspire to lies in the unbounded intelligence of our bodies rather than simply in our heads. The changes that propel many of us through the emotional difficulties that we wrestle with at any given time, resulting in a movement toward increased peace and self-awareness, often emerge due to experiences that shift our view of and understanding of ourselves.

I completed my undergraduate studies at the University of Cape Town, and was accepted into the prestigious master's program in the department of clinical psychology at the University of Witwatersrand, where I completed my training as a clinical psychologist.

At the Emthonjeni centre at the University of the Witwatersrand, my paper on the "Effect of being a white psychologist within the predominantly black patient population" was highly acknowledged.

Before reading for my master's degree, I worked as a counselor and became interested in the methods clinical psychologists in South Africa use to assess, formulate and treat co-occurring substance use and post-traumatic stress disorders. This interest became the basis of my master's research dissertation. This interest has persisted, I continued to review the experiences of my clients.  My findings and experience indicate that trauma and PTSD are highly associated precursors to addiction rather than the opposite. At present, no other research has studied this association in South Africa and I will carry this work further.

During my community service year, I worked in the Psychiatric Department at the Red Cross memorial hospital, developing invaluable experience with children and teenagers.

My next appointment was as a psychologist at Akeso psychiatric hospital in Milnerton, Cape Town. Later, I was given the position of the head clinical psychologist of the Dual diagnosis inpatient Unit, which allowed me to continue to work on and refine my evidence-based addiction treatment program. I have also incorporated the advanced training in Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT), Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR), psychodynamic therapy and Family Therapy into this program.

I next worked at the Akeso Kenilworth Clinic in Cape Town, where I continued to develop my addiction outpatient treatment program. During this period, I incorporated additional internationally recognized therapies to treat PTSD and trauma, including Polyvagal therapy, somatic experiencing, and internal family systems.

As an adjunct to this scientific-based approach to treating mental health disorders, I encourage my clients to adopt a bio-psychosocial, holistic approach. This is becoming one of the most recognized models of treating many conditions, incorporating the biological, psychological, social and meaning-based elements of treatment.

I acknowledge that the focus on the body (biological) is generally under-serviced. As such, I has also begun to point my clients to evidence-based sources regarding exercise and nutrition that can produce faster results when combined with the physiological, psychological and social techniques outlined above.

I work in private practice in Rondebosch and Simon's Town, where I reside.

I bring all of treatment elements, outlined above), into my practice, adapted to the specific needs of each client in my people-centred approach.