Hi, I am HANNELIE SPIES

Educational Psychologist

 

As an Educational psychologist I am skilled in the areas of psychotherapy and assessment with a special interest in supporting individuals who suffer emotionally because of challenges or trauma experienced during different developmental stages in their lifespan.

 

MY QUALIFICATIONS

M Ed Psych; B Soc Sc Hons (in Psychology); B Soc Sc (with majors in Psychology and Industrial Psychology), HED, DIP Special Ed

CERTIFICATIONS & ACCREDITATIONS

Brain Working Recursive Therapy (BWRT®), Advanced Practitioner (Psychology of Identity and Behaviour)
Meyer-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI®)
JST ADHD Coaching, Children 8-12 and Adolescents and University Student
International Society for Coaching Psychology (ISCP)
Gestalt Play Therapist certification
William Glasser Institute Advanced Practitioner (Choice Theory®, Reality Therapy, and Lead Management)
Autism Spectrum Disorder: Accredited in the Diagnostic Interview for Social and Communication Disorders framework (DISCO).

Buzan Advanced Trainer:  I am a qualified Buzan Instructor, which authorises me to present workshops and use Buzan intellectual Properties and registered trademarks.

Audiblox:  Advanced Trainer a system of cognitive exercises aimed at the development of foundational learning skills. Audiblox develops and atomises the foundational skills of reading, spelling, writing, mathematics and the skills required in learning of subject matter.

I am certified to implement the Learning Receptiveness Profile – LRP: The LPR is the ultimate brain-based learning and development tool to accurately identify your unique neurological wiring, indication how you process information and your thinking learning preferences and strengths are. It provides feedback on nine brain profiles, eleven intelligent preferences and indicates to which extent stress and nutrition impact your performance. One can use the LRP Toolbox as a powerful tool to develop and polish your unique potential.

MY BACKGROUND

I am a registered Psychologist in private practice in Stellenbosch, South Africa. I completed a Master’s Degree at the University of Stellenbosch where after I completed the full time prerequisite internship. After passing the Health Professions Council of South Africa’s (HPCSA) board exam with distinction, I registered as a Psychologist in the category of ‘Independent Practice Educational Psychologist’ at the HPCSA.

WORK EXPERIENCE

I started my career as a Mathematics teacher in mainstream education, held a position as a remedial teacher in a mainstream school and had a private practice as a remedial/special education teacher for 10 years. During that time I also lectured prospective special education/remedial teachers at The University of the Free State in South Africa.

I lived in Canada for 16 years where I worked as a Student (leaner) Support Coordinator in a fully inclusive education system.  As team manager of a multidisciplinary team I supported kids and adolescents with emotional, behavioural, social and academic challenges. The individuals I worked with had varied challenges that may have included but is not limited to Anxiety Disorders, Depressive Disorders, Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Trauma-and Stressor Related Disorders, Obsessive Compulsive Related Disorders, Disruptive, Impulse Control, and Conduct Disorders, Hearing- and Visual Impairment, Velo-Cardio-Facial Syndrome, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Acquired Brain Injury and an array of other challenges.

MY PSYCHOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK

As a Psychologist my vision is to enhance and facilitate optimal emotional, social and behavioural functioning. My goal is to promote positive personality change, growth and development, and identify and evaluate personality dynamics and functioning according to an individual’s life. This includes resolving trauma or challenges and diagnosing barriers to learning, wellbeing, mental health or development by applying psychological interventions and strategies to cope with everyday life challenges. Ultimately, I want my clients to lead a happier, more successful and satisfying life.

One of my objectives is to maximise the chance of success in helping a client change their behaviour or response to a given situation or trigger. To obtain this objective I use BWRT® – BrainWorking Recursive Therapy® – a new completely unique model of psychology and psychopathology that fits comfortably with current thinking on neuroscience. It is determinedly solution-focused and evidence-based, thus fulfilling the requirements of modern therapies.

BWRT® has been designed to remove emotive responses from memories that are deeply troubling and create new, adaptive neutral pathways that do not have the old undesirable responses attached to it. The therapy extends the neural pathways so that the patient’s brain knows the patterns to use in future. Every new experience creates a new template. In other words BWRT® uses the idea of learning a new way of reacting and behaving via repetition, rehearsal and reflection on successes. In doing so the brain provides a new neural pathway network. The only difference is that rather than acquiring a new behaviour, it is about changing an undesired behaviour in favour of a better behaviour. In fact, immediately the therapy is finished, the client can no longer feel any negative response to the usual trigger for their presenting symptom, no matter how hard they try to ‘fire it up’.