MERICE DELPORT

Merice Delport is a qualified Educational Psychologist who is passionate about the multifaceted nature of development and learning, and appreciates the nuanced and interconnected aspects of a person's life. This solidifies her commitment to a well-rounded support experience while championing the rights of every person while also respecting and nurturing their individuality.

As a bilingual South African, she practices in both English and Afrikaans. Merice offers various services, including psychotherapy, play therapy, psychoeducational assessments, subject choice- and career assessments and guidance, parental guidance and workshops. In her practice, she employs an integrated systems-based approach rooted in the client-centred approach principles to address various challenges her clients may face. Merice believes that there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to supporting a client. Through the integrated approach, she utilises various modalities to design tailored and unique interventions specific to her client’s needs. She believes in a holistic approach that considers the interactive systems in which her clients find themselves, allowing her to consider her client’s contextual factors, relationships, individual abilities, and challenges. 

Merice’s university career started in 2014 completing a B. Ed Degree at the University of the Free State, followed by a B. A Honours Degree in Psychology at the University of South Africa. She then completed B. Ed Honours Degree in Educational Psychology (Cum Laude) in 2020, a Masters Degree in Educational Psychology (Cum Laude) in 2022 and has registered to start her PhD journey in 2024. 

Merice has worked as an educator in government and private schools for four years and was an active member of school-based support teams. While studying for her Masters, she supported the learners and teachers at the school where she was based. During her internship year, she worked with primary school children at a remedial school and with adolescents and young adults at a supported mainstream high school. 

Emma Steward M.Ed (Educational Psychology) (UJ)  was a high school teacher for 16 years but realised that the pressures of the modern world meant that learners required much more than merely academic support in the classroom. This led her on her journey into her psychology studies, culminating in a Master's Degree in Educational Psychology. Emma is passionate about assisting all ages with the pressures of modern day life and the anxieties and emotional turmoil this can bring. She works from a person-centered approach and believes in utilising an individual's strengths in order to harness therapeutic potential. She is a firm believer that individuals are part of a system and one must work systemically in order to maximise therapeutic efficacy. 

Her services include working with Adolescents, children, and families. 

   Emma has a special interest in; 

- Psychoeducational & Career Assessments. 

- Anxiety Disorders

- Attention Deficit Disorders

- Behavioural and Emotional Problems

- Career Issues

- Child Behaviour

- Depression

- Divorce and/or Seperation 

- Learning Disabilities

- Self-Esteem

Involving a therapy animal in my practice, whereby supporting the client’s therapeutic process, has always been a goal of mine. Current research around Animal Assisted Therapy, and the benefits of having an animal present during therapy sessions, can be seen to make the experience more natural, by humanizing what can be seen as a very clinical and difficult situation to the client. Research shows, that an animal can aid in multiple facets of development, including that of physical improvement. People that have attended therapy sessions assisted by animals have physically experienced lower blood pressure, improved cardiovascular health, lessened physical pain, reduced stress and anxiety levels, and higher levels of endorphins