My Story to becoming a Clinical Drama Therapist
I’ve spent two decades of my life serving people. As a teenager I headed numerous organisations, served at my local church and entered into advocacy for the disabled community. In 2007, during my honours year, I was involved in a car accident which changed the course of my life permanently. I incurred multiple facial injuries, a fractured forehead, broken ribs, internal abdominal bleeding and fractured discs on my vertebra.
Being bed bound for 4 months I received around the-clock-care at home. After a year of hospital visits, I moved from Durban to Johannesburg and entered the world of public relations. I worked for two leading communications houses, namely, Platinum Public Relations and Ogilvy. During this time, I worked on brands such as Cell C, Wits Business School, Sasol and PPC Cement. Chasing the adrenaline seemed like a sure-fire way of winning. I was promoted twice in 4 years and won an award for work executed via mobile public relations management. Unfortunately, my health regressed significantly as I experienced 2 abdominal relapses and began to experience debilitating upper body pain.
In 2012 I quit my job to seek medical attention. My doctors unanimously advised that I should not return to the industry. I knew by then that I needed to pursue a career which combined my innate passions: dramatic arts and psychology. In 2015, I began an honours in drama therapy. Despite numerous health challenges, I graduated in 2019 with a master’s degree, merit award and distinctions.
I have since worked in numerous fields treating both adults and children alike. I have also dedicated a portion of my life to unveiling stories: those which make us feel human, cry, relate, be still, get busy, laugh, be inspired, and mostly, those which give us hope.
my experience
I have had the privilege of working and partnering with the best bunch of people in the industry
Eskom hosts information days in which they invite guest speakers to address various topics. I had great fun sharing my story with a core group of engineers and exploring the notion of bravery. Bravery has been oversimplified as an attribute which kids need to climb trees. We shattered this notion and discussed what it means to live a life of worth.
KOKO at Wits University - "Koko, Nqonqo, Knock Knock!" is a hybrid arts intervention launched by Wits University's Drama for Life Arts Centre in collaboration with Rhodes University's drama department. The project aims to create meaningful dialogue and connections that will be used to de-stigmatise student mental health problems. I was employed to facilitate a therapy group with students from different faculties as they navigated through the complexities of student and personal life.
The Making Amends Foundation was formed by Mosaic Drama Therapy and funded by the National Arts Council. The Foundation was created to make mental health care accessible to artists. I lead individual group sessions on face-to-face and online platforms. I also assisted with supervising intern therapists
my qualifications
BA (Media & Communications)
University of Witwatersrand
2006
Psychology I, II and III
UNISA
2013 - 2015
Honors in Drama Therapy
University of Witwatersrand
2016
Masters in Drama Therapy
University of Witwatersrand
2019