Experience

I obtained my tertiary education at the University of Cape Town (Bachelor of Social Science), Rhodes University (Bachelor of Social Science, honours degree) and the University of Johannesburg in South Africa where I completed my professional training as a clinical psychologist (Masters degree).

After registering as a clinical psychologist with the South African Health Professions Council in 1989 I started work at a private clinical psychology practice in Windhoek, Namibia.

In 1991 I joined the Psychology Department at the University of Namibia as a lecturer. Working at the university gave me the chance to complete a doctoral degree (DLitt et Phil) at the University of South Africa. My doctoral thesis dealt with individual processes of change in the context of social transformation. The concrete situation that inspired the thesis was that of Namibia gaining independence after more than a hundred years of colonial rule in March 1990.

I was head of department 1991-1994 and 2001-2003.

2003 I took up the position of Director of P.E.A.C.E. (People’s Education, Assistance & Counselling for Empowerment) in Windhoek, Namibia. PEACE was a Namibian NGO that provided psychosocial services to traumatised persons, in particular those, who are marginalised and who do not have access to medical aid. My responsibilities in addition to managerial duties included fundraising activities; liaising and co-operating with partners in government and civil society; training activities including development of training manuals, facilitating workshops and psychotherapy.

While working at the University of Namibia and at PEACE I maintained my psychotherapy practice – for the joy of doing this work and to ensure the development of my professional skills.

Working languages in my psychotherapeutic practice and in the other settings described above were English, German and Afrikaans.

At the end of 2009 I moved to Germany to embark on training as dance- and expressive therapist at the Centrum für Integrale Tanz- und Ausdruckstherapie/ Coaching  (Centre for Integrated Dance- and Expressive therapies/ Coaching) CITA, Munich, graduating in August 2012.

In Germany I first worked as a psychologist at Opferhilfe Land Brandenburg, providing trauma counselling for people who had become victims of criminal acts and developing a concept for crisis interventions to deal with traumatic events.

January 2011 I took up employment as a psychologist at the Psychotherapeutic Centre, Kitzberg Clinic. I was responsible for case management in collaboration with a multi-disciplinary team, conducting individual- and group psychotherapy with patients suffering from a wide range of disorders.

Since 2015 I have been working as a psychologist in private practice in Finland. See more under Services.