Philosophy

I believe that meaning can be found in any situation whether it is loss, trauma or a transitional phase. I’m a spiritual person and I have a deep respect for all people and believe that each person has the potential to grow and to be great. I love my work and have a positive outlook on life. I work hard and am dedicated to the wellbeing of my clients.

Description

Elma is a Clinical Social worker and an internationally accredited Logotherapist with more than 30 years’ experience in the private therapy, institutional, educational and commercial spheres. Her grounding as a therapist was obtained at the Institute of Child and Parent Guidance at UJ, as director of FAMSA in Potchefstroom and as a group facilitator at the psychiatry department of Milpark hospital, Johannesburg.

As a part time lecturer in Social Care at the Pretoria Technicon she guided students but also continued her own professional development over the years. She completed various extensive courses on counselling, trauma therapy, handling difficult children, addictions, divorce, narrative therapy, play therapy as well as logotherapy. She was trained in doing TIR (Trauma incident reduction) and am also a level 1 TRE (trauma release exercises) specialist. Elma is involved with various Wellness Centres as a wellness consultant and therapist. She has done various trauma debriefings for individuals, groups and companies after loss and trauma. She has done trauma debriefing and trauma therapy for Investec, Careways, De Beers and Venetia mine as well as ISOS in Liberia and is comfortable working with people from all walks of live. She is also involved with VSO, a British NGO and has done training for them on sexual assault in Africa as well as Bangkok.

In her private practice, Elma is actively involved in supporting people in finding balance, resilience and meaning in times of turbulence and loss. Her private practice involves the following:

-      Marital, relationship, divorce and family therapy;

-      Logotherapy in order to find meaning in situations of loss;

-      Personal growth therapy as well as working with stress, depression, addiction and anxiety;

-      Trauma debriefing (onsite), trauma therapy and bereavement therapy;

-      Complex family issues, Court reports as well as Parenting plans.