If you or your child are in immediate danger, or your child has hurt themselves or talked about it, get help now. Visit a nearby emergency service, hospital, or mental health clinic. Child helplines and crisis lines:
Crisis numbers in South Africa
- Childline South Africa: Tel: 116. 24 hours. For children up to 18, and adults worried about a child.
- SADAG Suicide Crisis Helpline: Tel: 0800 567 567. 24 hours.
- Cipla Mental Health Helpline: Tel: 0800 456 789 (24 hours) | Text: 31393 | WhatsApp: 076 882 2775 (8am to 5pm). 24 hours.
- LifeLine National Counselling Line: Tel: 0861-322-322 | WhatsApp: +27607154415. 24 hours.
- All crisis lines in South Africa
This page lists Child Counsellors in Sandton. 4 in all.
What the counsellors on this page do, and how to choose one
Assessment, diagnosis and medicine sit outside counselling; ask who provides them where you are. Open the profiles below to compare experience, language, fee, and whether they work online. Ask how soon each one can see you.
What a counsellor does, and how counselling differs from psychotherapy
Everyone on this page describes their work as counselling. A counsellor listens and helps you find your own solutions to problems.
The training emphasises the conversation itself. Sessions usually stay close to something happening now: a loss, a relationship, work, a decision. That focus is what most often separates counselling from longer psychotherapy.
A counsellor is not a medical doctor and does not prescribe or diagnose. Ask a counsellor what they work with, and for how long.
What this page filters on
These are the only filters: the specialism recorded as Child and the professional title counsellor.
The Sandton page answers more questions about therapy there.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is my child old enough for therapy?
Practitioners see very young children too, in a different form. Play is a natural way for children to communicate their thoughts, feelings, experiences and trauma. The practitioner picks the method to fit the child, not the other way round. Say your child's age at first contact and ask what a practitioner would do.
Will I be told what my child says?
Not all of it, and the arrangement is set before the work starts. Parents are treated as partners in the work rather than kept outside it1. What is shared and what is held differs with the child's age and with local law. Ask a practitioner to set out their arrangement at the first meeting.
What happens in a first session with a child?
Often a practitioner meets the parents first, or the parents and child together. Play, drawing and games are the way in rather than a break from the work. Ask how parents or carers will be involved in the work. Ask before you book.
Is this an assessment for school?
No. This filter lists practitioners who work with children therapeutically. Educational assessments, reports for schools and reports for courts are separate pieces of work, and not every practitioner does them. If a school has asked for a report, say so at first contact and ask whether a practitioner provides one.
Who registers therapists in South Africa?
The title you will see is Registered Counsellor. Search the register by name at Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA). Check that the name and title match and that the entry is current. If they do not, ask the practitioner why.
In South Africa psychologists and social workers must be registered to practise. No statute protects the plain title counsellor.
What these practitioners record
3 of the 4 have included their registration on their profile.
Nearby places and related listings
- Child Psychologists in Sandton
- Anxiety Counsellors in Sandton
- Couples Counsellors in Sandton
- Depression Counsellors in Sandton
- Family Counsellors in Sandton
- Grief Counsellors in Sandton
- Psychologists in Sandton
- Counsellors in Sandton
- Sandton: all therapists listed (133)
- Marriage counselling in Sandton
References
[1] Landreth, Play Therapy: The Art of the Relationship (2012), chapter 9. Parents as partners in play therapy.
Real choice. Authentic, independent, clinician-led care.
TherapyRoute is a clinician-led directory that champions independent practitioners who answer to you and their professional ethics. We don't take commissions, sell your data, or assign therapists by algorithm. You browse, compare, and choose.
Vincenzo (Enzo) Sinisi, Clinical Psychologist (HPCSA), Psychoanalyst (IPA/SAPA), Group Analyst (IGA)
