Yvonne Dobson
Counselling Psychologist (MA Counselling Psychology. U.P.E.)
Bachelor of Social Sciences Degree
Honours Degree in Psychology
Masters Degree in Counselling Psychology
Yvonne Dobson is a Counselling Psychologist with more than 23 years of work experience in the field of psychology, and 17 years in private practice.
She obtained a Bachelor of Social Sciences Degree at Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa in 1984,and an Honours Degree in Psychology, and Masters Degree in Counselling Psychology at the University of Port Elizabeth (U.P.E.), South Africa. Her Master’s thesis subject was: ‘A Factor Analysis of the Life Role Inventory.’
Her internship included 6 months at Student Counselling services at U.P.E., and 6 months at the university Child and Family clinic. The work entailed counselling students for a range of difficulties, child and family assessments, neurological assessments, assessments for ADHD and learning difficulties, and psychotherapy for adults, adolescents, children and families.
From 1990 till 1996 she worked in the Counselling Department of the Department of Labour and her work responsibilities entailed therapy and assessments for public service employees, career counselling (group workshops and individual), personnel selection and placement assessments, researching, designing and development of training programmes (e.g.: “Entrepreneurship”, “Career Counselling”, “Human Relations” and “Client Services”), as well as psycho-educational programmes (e.g. ‘Short Course in Basic Career Guidance Skills for Youth Workers), presentation and implementation of these programmes in the communities and within the public service, supervision and training: of youth workers, psych technicians, psychometrists and counsellers and other appropriate personnel within the government with regard to using and applying all psycho-educational programmes and with regard to test interpretation, selection and placement recommendations, report writing, acting manager of portfolios, e.g. ‘Bursaries for Disabled Persons’ and ‘Community Workshops for Youth Workers.’
Yvonne has been in private practice since 1994 focussing on scholastic assessments, neurological assessments, career counselling, and personnel selections for companies, individual and group trauma debriefing and psychotherapy with children, adolescents and adults.
For the past 10 years, Yvonne has worked mostly with adults, ranging from 17 years to 85 years working with a range of mental health conditions which includes: depression; anxiety (obsessions, compulsions, fears, etc.); addictions (relationships, sex, work, drugs, alcohol, gambling, etc.); stress and adjustments to life changes (work/career, divorce, death, ‘mid-life crisis’, stress and burnout, etc.); abuse (sexual, physical, emotional); acute and chronic stress and trauma and relationship difficulties.
Yvonne also offers supervision to psychologists, provides an ongoing pro-bona service to the community, and previously provided voluntary assistance with supervision and debriefing for trauma counsellers who work in the community.
In 2007 Yvonne developed and ran personal growth groups which included teaching clients skills and techniques to release stress and enhance personality development.
Her therapeutic approach is eclectic and draws on Existentialism, Developmental psychology, Psychodynamic and Self-psychology, Meditation, Hypnotherapy, Mindfulness Psychology, Transactional Analysis, Narrative Therapy, CBT and RET. Her professional development includes qualifying as a trained EFT (Emotional Freedom Therapy) practitioner, a certified Demartini facilitator and hypnotherapist.
Yvonne has a special interest in chronic trauma and has explored tools to assist clients with personality development and trauma release. For this purpose she is a certified A.R.T. practitioner using the technique effectively with clients experiencing aggression, depression, anxiety, childhood trauma, low self-esteem, and work-related difficulties.
