Nardus Saayman, Ph.D

I am a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in working with adults who grapple with different difficulties. I trained at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, where I also obtained a PhD in psychodynamic psychotherapy. I mainly work from a psychodynamic perspective and the focus for me is the relationship between myself and my client.

I work primarily with adults who experience anxiety, depression, acute stress and burnout, relational difficulties,  autism, psychosis, and sexual difficulties. I also provide couples and family therapy. Furthermore, I work with individuals who want to obtain a better and deeper understanding of themselves in order to learn how to engage life in an enriching and fulfilling manner – often this can mean working through what life doesn’t offer, or has taken away.

My Philosophy

Life can be joyous and profound, but it can also be deeply painful. In the many years that I have practiced as a psychotherapist I have found that people only really heal from past injuries and discover ways of building the lives and relationships that they want when they can be truly honest with themselves. In order to be truly honest with ourselves we need to know and understand ourselves. We need to explore the different ways in which our relationships and experiences have shaped us to shed light on how we view the world around us, and on the areas where we do not see so clearly.  This is what makes therapy a deeply personal process for each individual as we all find unique ways of carrying suffering and pursuing meaning. Therapy is as much about learning who one truly is as it is about finding better ways to live. 

Educational Qualifications:

• B.Soc.Sci in psychology from the University of Pretoria (SA)
• M.A. in Clinical Psychology from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (SA)
• PhD in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (SA)

Licenses and Professional Memberships:

• Dubai Health Authority (DHA)
• Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA)
• Member of the Ethics Committee of the South African Psychoanalytic Confederation (SAPC)
• Member of the International Advisory Panel of the British Journal of Psychotherapy

Languages

• English
• Afrikaans