How Trauma Could Be Affecting Your Health
Childhood trauma can shape far more than our memories. Growing evidence suggests that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) may influence everything from mental well-being...
Ms Karla Cloete
Registered Counselor
Verified“You're ready to feel understood, and to learn tools that actually help. I believe change happens when we feel seen and safe. In our sessions, I combine art- and play-based techniques, psychoeducation, and strengths-based strategies to build emotional skills, increase insight, and support sustainable growth.”
About Me
I am a Registered Counselor in Waterkloof, Gauteng, South Africa. I help individuals, adolescents, and families manage life transitions, relationships, grief, stress, and trauma. I offer counseling, trauma counseling, child and adolescent therapy, and family therapy in a confidential setting.
Approach
In our sessions, I combine art- and play-based techniques, psychoeducation, and strengths-based strategies to build emotional skills, increase insight, and support sustainable growth.
Choosing a counsellor is a big step- and it matters that you feel a connection. If anything here resonated with you, please feel free to reach out. I'd be happy to answer any questions or set up a free brief phone consultation to see if we're a good fit. You don't have to do this alone!
Contact Karla
Ask a quick question or arrange a time to meet.
Basic Information
Services
Are you feeling overwhelmed, unmotivated, or stuck in survival mode? Maybe your child is acting out, or perhaps you're quietly navigating grief, anxiety, or a deep sense that something just isn’t right. You’ve tried to push through, but you’re tired of people-pleasing, procrastinating, or second-guessing yourself. My clients often come from complicated family dynamics, have felt misunderstood or too sensitive growing up, or have had to be “the strong one” for too long. Whether you're a student burnt out from pressure, a creative struggling with self-doubt, or a parent trying to support a child who doesn’t seem to fit the mould.
You're ready to feel understood, and to learn tools that actually help. I believe change happens when we feel seen and safe. In our sessions, I combine art- and play-based techniques, psychoeducation, and strengths-based strategies to build emotional skills, increase insight, and support sustainable growth.
Choosing a counsellor is a big step- and it matters that you feel a connection. If anything here resonated with you, please feel free to reach out. I'd be happy to answer any questions or set up a free brief phone consultation to see if we're a good fit. You don't have to do this alone!
Services Offered:
Child / Adolescent Therapy
Therapy for children and teenagers using age-appropriate methods, such as play, art, or adapted talk therapy, to address emotional and behavioural difficulties.
Learn more about Child / Adolescent TherapyCounseling
A form of talk therapy providing a safe, confidential space to explore feelings, thoughts, and behaviours with a trained professional.
Learn more about CounselingCrisis Counseling
Immediate, short-term psychological support during an acute mental health crisis such as a panic episode, suicidal thoughts, or overwhelming distress.
Family Therapy
A form of therapy that works with family members together to improve communication, resolve conflict, and strengthen relationships within the family system.
Learn more about Family TherapyTrauma Counseling
Counselling specifically for people affected by traumatic events, focused on processing what happened and reducing symptoms like flashbacks and hypervigilance.
Learn more about Trauma CounselingOnline Therapy
Therapy sessions conducted over video call, phone, or secure messaging, using the same professional methods delivered remotely.
Learn more about Online TherapyPlay Therapy
A therapy for children that uses play as a natural form of communication, allowing them to express feelings and process difficult experiences.
Learn more about Play TherapyCBT
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, a structured, evidence-based approach that identifies and changes unhelpful thinking patterns and behaviours.
Learn more about CBTStress Management
Techniques and strategies for managing the body and mind's response to excessive demands, including relaxation, cognitive restructuring, and lifestyle changes.
Learn more about Stress ManagementTrauma Counselling
Counselling specifically for people affected by traumatic events, focused on processing what happened and reducing symptoms like flashbacks and hypervigilance.
Learn more about Trauma Counselling
Works With:
- Adolescents
- Children
- Families
- Individuals
- Parents
Area of Expertise
Scope of Practice:
Life Transitions
Major life changes, such as relocation, retirement, parenthood, or career shifts, that disrupt routine and require psychological adjustment.
Learn more about Life TransitionsRelationship Issues
Difficulties in romantic relationships, including communication problems, trust breakdowns, conflict patterns, or uncertainty about the relationship's future.
Learn more about Relationship IssuesBehaviour or Conduct Issues
Persistent patterns of defiant, aggressive, or rule-breaking behaviour in children or adolescents that significantly disrupt home, school, or social life.
Grief & Loss
The emotional, physical, and psychological response to the death of a loved one or another significant loss.
Learn more about Grief & LossStress / Burnout
The body and mind's response to prolonged or excessive demands. When sustained, it can lead to emotional exhaustion, detachment, and reduced functioning (burnout).
Learn more about Stress / BurnoutTrauma
The lasting psychological impact of deeply distressing events, such as violence, abuse, accidents, or disasters, that overwhelm a person's ability to cope.
Learn more about TraumaParenting Support
Guidance for the psychological challenges of raising children, including discipline, communication, co-parenting, and managing the emotional demands of parenthood.
Personal Development
The ongoing process of self-awareness, self-improvement, and reaching one's potential, pursued not because something is wrong but to live more fully.
Trauma Therapy
Therapeutic approaches specifically designed to help people process and recover from traumatic experiences.
Learn more about Trauma Therapy
Professional Title:
Registered Counselor
A counselor who is formally registered with a professional or regulatory body.
Credentials
Registrations
Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA)
Registered Counsellor
Psychological Society of South Africa
Registered Counsellor
Qualifications
SACAP
North-West University
North-West University
Meehan Mental Health Services
CINDY Strydom Psychologists
Service Areas
Waterkloof, Pretoria, South Africa
