Information

GENERAL

What is therapy?

 

Therapy is a confidential, professional space to explore your thoughts, emotions, and behaviour with a trained psychologist.
It’s not “advice from a friend.” It’s structured support to help you understand what’s happening inside you and why you react the way you do.

Will You Tell My Family / Employer / Partner?


No. Therapy is confidential.
There are only a few legal limits to confidentiality: if someone is in immediate danger, if a child is being harmed, or if a court order is involved. These limits will always be explained to you.

How Many Sessions Will I Need?


It depends on your goals. Some people need short-term focused support. Others want ongoing, deeper work. We discuss this together so you stay in control.

Can Teenagers Come for Therapy?

 

Yes. Teen mental health matters. Teens often talk more honestly in a neutral space. As a parent, you are still included in the process, but we also protect the young person’s dignity and privacy.

Is It Weak to Ask for Help?

 

No. It means you’re taking responsibility for your life instead of letting pain run the show. That is a strength.

Do You Offer Online Sessions?

 

Yes we do.

"It's okay to not be okay, just don't stay there alone"

ONLINE THERAPY

What is online therapy?

 

Online therapy is a live session with a psychologist via video call. You receive the same professional support, from wherever you are.

Who Is Online Therapy Good For?

 

  • Clients outside Durban

  • People with transport / schedule limitations

  • Busy professionals who take sessions during lunch / between meetings

  • Parents who can’t easily leave home

  • People who feel safer opening up from their own space

When Online Therapy Is NOT Ideal

 

  • If you are in immediate crisis or at risk of harming yourself or someone else

  • If you do not have privacy (e.g. someone in the room listening)

  • If a child needs formal assessment/testing (that must be in person)

How to Prepare

 

  • Choose a private, quiet space

  • Use earphones for confidentiality

  • Be honest about your safety and current state

  • Please be on time — online sessions are still booked time

Payment

 

Online sessions are billed at the standard session rate and must be paid before or on the day of the session to keep your slot.

“Taking care of your mental health is an act of self-love.”

PRIVACY POLICY

Your Privacy Matters

 

1. Confidentiality of Sessions

 

All sessions are confidential. Information discussed in therapy is not shared with third parties without your informed, written consent — unless required by law for safety reasons.

 

2. Record Keeping

 

Session notes and assessment records are kept securely in line with ethical and legal standards for mental health professionals in South Africa. Access to records is restricted.

 

3. Online Therapy & Digital Communication

 

While reasonable steps are taken to protect privacy in online sessions, no digital platform can be guaranteed 100% secure. You are encouraged to use a private, quiet environment and personal earphones.

 

4. Reports and Letters

 

Any psychological report, summary, referral letter, or feedback document is shared only with you (or a legal guardian, in the case of a minor) unless you provide written permission to release it.

 

5. Children & Adolescents

 

Parents/guardians have a right to be involved. However, it is important that young clients have a level of privacy so they feel safe to speak honestly. This balance will be discussed openly at the start.

 

By booking a session, you acknowledge that you understand and accept these confidentiality boundaries.
 

ARTICLES


Falling in love as an adult can feel exhilarating the butterflies, the deep connection, the sense of being truly seen. But for many people who have lived through childhood trauma, love can also stir up something far less romantic: old fears, pain, and patterns that were born years before their current relationship.

This isn’t because you’re “broken” or “bad at relationships.” It’s because close bonds have a way of waking up the parts of us that were shaped by our earliest experiences.

 

WHY OLD WOUNDS SHOW UP IN NEW LOVE

 

As children, our first relationships usually with caregivers teach us what love feels like, how safe it is, and whether we can trust it. If those early relationships were marked by neglect, abuse, unpredictability, or emotional absence, the nervous system adapted for survival, not for ease in intimacy.

When you fall in love as an adult, the closeness and vulnerability of a romantic bond can act like an emotional time machine, pulling you back to those early states of need and fear. Suddenly, the present-day relationship feels like the past all over again.

 

COMMON WAYS CHILDHOOD TRAUMA GETS ACTIVATED

 1. FEAR OF ABANDONMENT

 

 • You may become hyper-alert to signs your partner might leave.
 • Small changes in tone or availability can feel like the end of the relationship.

 

 2. FEAR OF REJECTION OR CRITICISM

 

 • Even gentle feedback can feel like a deep personal attack.
 • You might withdraw, get defensive, or over-please to keep the peace.

 

 3. DIFFICULTY TRUSTING

 

 • Trust may feel unsafe because it once led to hurt.
 • You might test your partner’s loyalty or hold back parts of yourself.

 

 4. EMOTIONAL FLASHBACKS 

 

 • Without realizing it, you react to your partner as if they were the person who hurt you in childhood.
 • Your body feels the same panic, shame, or anger from long ago.

 

WHY THIS HAPPENS IN LOVE (The Science Bit)

 

Romantic relationships activate the attachment system the same biological mechanism that bonds infants to caregivers. The brain doesn’t fully separate “then” from “now.” Instead, when a situation feels similar, it reactivates the same emotional and physiological responses you had as a child.

This is why a partner’s temporary silence can feel as threatening as a parent’s neglect once did even though the two situations are completely different.

 

STEPS TOWARDS HEALING IN LOVE
 1. RECOGNISE THE TRIGGER 


 • Notice when your emotional reaction feels “too big” for the moment — that’s often a sign an old wound is active.

 

 2. NAME THE FEELING AND THE ORIGIN


 • Ask yourself: Am I reacting to my partner, or to a memory my body holds?

 

 3. COMMUNICATE OPENLY 


 • Share with your partner what you’re feeling and why, without blaming.

 

 4. SELF SOOTHING PRACTICES 


 • Ground yourself through deep breathing, journaling, or a short walk before reacting.

 

 5. THERAPY FOR DEEPER WORK

 

 • Trauma-informed therapy can help separate the past from the present and build new relational patterns.

 

A GENTLE REMINDER 

 

Your triggers are not evidence that you are “too much” or “unlovable.” They are invitations to heal. In fact, a healthy romantic relationship can become a safe container for that healing —a place where old wounds can finally receive the care they needed years ago.

Love doesn’t erase the past, but with awareness and support, it can help rewrite the story.