Theunis offers an accepting and non judgmental conversation where clients can talk honestly and express difficult emotions. He is experienced in working with clients from many different cultures and all walks of life, both in Australia and South Africa. He works with adults and young people (12+), offering psychotherapy in English and Afrikaans.
His areas of special interest are:
Theunis has an integrative therapy approach – meaning he draws on different psychological models to match the type of therapy with the client’s needs. His training and development have included:
In 2012, I completed my Master of Arts degree in clinical psychology at the University of Pretoria in South Africa. I also hold a Bachelors (Cum Laude) and an Honours Degree in psychology from North-West University, in my hometown of Potchefstroom.
As a student psychologist I gained experience in therapy and psychometric testing with young people living in African townships. I conducted research for my dissertation on the cultural narratives identified in the stories told by these young people. The dissertation was presented at the European Congress of Psychology, in Stockholm, in 2013.
After undertaking an internship and a year of professional community service at Sterkfontein Psychiatric / Forensic Hospital, I registered as a Clinical Psychologist with the Health Professions Council of South Africa in2013. At this placement I largely worked on fitness to plea assessments and rehabilitation of forensic patients.
I then worked for about 2 years at a medico-legal practice in Pretoria, writing court reports for complainants following road accidents, violence or medical negligence – assessing traumatic brain injuries and post traumatic stress. After hours, I also saw adult clients and couples for psychotherapy.
I immigrated to Australia in 2015 and started working at an NGO with a two-year stint as a residential youth worker in WA, caring for at-risk young people. In 2017, I took a position as a quality and systems manager / trainer for the same organisation in NSW. In this position I created positive behaviour support plans for the young people and trained youth workers in therapeutic crisis intervention.
During this time, I completed the APHRA transitional program for overseas qualified professionals and gained general registration as a psychologist in 2020. I am a full member with the Australian Psychological Society, and currently I am undertaking a registrar program for endorsement as a clinical psychologist in Australia. Since 2020, I have completed different training programs in EMDR.
After becoming registered, I returned to psychology practice in 2020, conducting therapy with young people and adults at Headspace centres in Sydney as well in private practice. I relocated to Perth in 2023 and continued private practice at Mindstate.
Theunis doesn't have any publications at this time.
