Jodie Mackay, M.A.

I am a clinical psychologist trained at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. I have 22 years of clinical and therapeutic experience. My style of psychotherapy is based on psychodynamic principles and is built on a dialogue and developing a meaningful therapeutic relationship between myself and my client.

I work with adolescents, students and adults experiencing a wide range of difficulties such as anxiety, depression, adjustment issues, acute stress, and health difficulties. I also work with couples going through times of strain in their relationships. Further, I support clients presenting with trauma and use EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) when working with these deep seated issues. I also have a keen interest in health and wellness.

Apart from working in South Africa, my home country, I have lived and worked in Japan for a period of 5 years and found the experience of working with the expatriate community in Japan extremely rewarding. I enjoyed working with and developing an understanding of the unique stresses experienced outside of one's passport country, and how that impacts on individual personalities. Living abroad can raise past issues that are unexamined and unprocessed, as well as emotional loss which is part of relocating. I help my clients with some of these difficulties, which in turn builds emotional resilience and a willingness to engage with the process of living in a new place.

On a more personal note, ballroom dancing is my hobby and passion. I have facilitated workshops with professional dancers struggling with issues such as perfectionism and burn out.

I look forward to meeting you at our first appointment.

My Philosophy

I view the client less as a patient requiring a therapeutic intervention and more as an individual expressing the need to be heard, held and accompanied for a way on their journey. My approach has been influenced by Existential-Humanistic philosophy, which believes that everyone has an inherent capacity for making rational decisions, achieving self acceptance and reaching their maximum potential. Questions of meaning and purpose and our quest to answer these questions lead many to psychotherapy, and I’m always honoured to be a part of someone’s journey.

Educational Qualifications:

• B.A. in Psychology from the University of Cape Town
• M.A. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Cape Town
• Qualified EMDR Practitioner, Cape Town

Licenses and Professional Memberships:

• Dubai Health Authority (DHA)
• Health Professional Council of South Africa