Hi, my name is Emily Makhlouf, an Occupational Therapist .

My story starts with a strong passion and desire to help others, coupled with my fascination with the human body’s anatomy and physiology. My love for psychiatry grew from this and learning about how the human brain manifests human behaviour, specifically day-to-day task engagement. 

My passion and love for both the fields of occupational therapy and psychiatry continued to grow throughout my undergraduate university career at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits). Upon completion of my undergraduate degree, I was very fortunate to have been placed in the rural Eastern Cape where I completed my year of community service. The pace was fast and ‘making a plan’ was key at this under-resourced rural hospital. Here, I gained a new perspective and understanding of mental health in South Africa that drove my desire to further my education in occupational therapy and mental health. I then went on to pursue my postgraduate studies and completed my Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy at Wits. 

After my community service year, I returned to Johannesburg where I have continued to build on my enriched experience in the rural Eastern Cape. I continued to work in the public sector as my passion extended to public healthcare.  I worked in an acute psychiatric unit at a tertiary hospital. It is here where I gained the majority of my clinical experience and applied my skills to work within a closely-knit multidisciplinary team (MDT). Upon leaving the public sector, I opened my own practice in the private sector. I continued to prioritize the MDT approach and worked within a psychology and psychiatry practice. 

In addition to my clinical work, throughout my career, I have been involved with undergraduate student training at Wits and as a guest lecturer at the University of Pretoria (UP). I am currently a sessional academic tutor at Wits and continue to give guest lectures at UP. I thoroughly enjoy and feel strongly about the teaching, training, and development of future professionals in the occupational therapy profession. Furthermore, since my postgraduate studies, I have had a growing interest in contributing to our profession’s future through research. Upon completion of my Master’s degree, my research was accepted to be presented at the 2022 “IFSSH, IFSHT & FESSH COMINED CONGRESS” in person in London. At this congress, I also co-authored and presented on the topic of ‘Burnout’. 

Clinical experience:

I have extensive experience working with a variety of psychiatric conditions: schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, personality disorders, substance use disorders, and neurocognitive disorders. I have experience working with all age groups – children, adolescents, and adults – in a variety of settings: acute psychiatric units, chronic units, placement facilities, primary health establishments (both urban and rural), and home visits. My experience extends to treating in and outpatients on both an individual and group basis, facilitating family meetings, and family support groups. I have also gained experience in program development for in-patients in an acute unit as well as outpatients in a chronic setting. 

I work with all mental health conditions, but my areas of interest are:

• Schizophrenia and other Psychotic disorders
• Bipolar and related disorders
• Substance use disorders
• Neuropsychiatry
• Sensory stimulation as a treatment modality