Clinical Psychologist – Esther

Esther van der Walt

I am Esther. Esther = Star. The stars are a reminder of my position and my context. Gazing upon my context from a distance, I see strong relations to community, creativity, slowness, being Western, being African, being Green.

I grew up in a wooden house in a forest in Mpumalanga – the place of the rising sun. There were bees nesting in the wood shavings that served as insulation between the double walls, and even today I find it hard to imagine any smell better than their sweetness. During early adolescence, I moved from the house in the forest in Mpumalanga to the city with my family. I matriculated at Pro Arte High School for artistic and performing arts. From within my intense existential-adolescent crises, I found my own irreverent voice and a love of photography, literature, healing practices, and the arts.

My formal studies include public relations, communications, brand management, and English literature. I completed a masters degree in Clinical Psychology (Cum Laude) at the University of Johannesburg, with an internship at Tara psychiatric hospital child- and adult clinics. I have worked at Sizwe Hospital for multi-drug resistant (MDR) and extreme drug resistant (XDR) TB until my child was born and I wished to venture into more flexible waters.

I believe in a basic aesthetic principle: that beauty is inherently good and should be striven for. My masters research dissertation On becoming a psychotherapist gave me some words to describe my often elusive impressions of aesthetic, and convinced me of its place in psychotherapy. I therefore work with my clients to integrate ways of communicating it in the psychotherapy experience.

I think of myself as a facilitator of healing. I am respectful of the connections between my clients and me, and I am honoured to be part of their healing processes. I believe in, and wish to often be reminded of the sacredness of this connection.

I often observe the dilemma of Western psychotherapy approaches being imposed on South African clients in an African context. As a psychotherapist in South Africa, I believe it important to be cognisant of the uniqueness of our society, an amalgamation of African, European, Asian, and American influences, and considering it in psychotherapy.

I have experience in individual adult-, and child psychotherapy, group-, and family psychotherapy, as well as adult psycho-education and training.

I particularly enjoy art psychotherapy, pregnancy and birth preparation, attachment work with parents and infants / toddlers, palliative therapies and bereavement work, clinical supervision, and self-care management.

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