Paula

Ms Paula Risi

Registered Counselor

“An experienced counsellor, with a special interest in creative expression. Seeking therapy takes courage and time and your reaching out is of enormous importance and value.”

About Me

Seeking therapy takes courage and time and your reaching out is of enormous importance and value. As an experienced counsellor, I offer a special interest in creative expression. We can explore feelings and experiences using art and other gentle methods. This approach is ideal if words feel difficult, providing a unique way to understand complex emotions. My aim is to create a safe space for you to process and find new perspectives through creativity.

Approach

Getting here matters, and sessions move at your pace, often using creative media and soft techniques to translate feelings that are hard to name. I work with adolescents, adults and couples in Johannesburg and online in English, keeping each meeting calm, focused and collaborative. We notice patterns, gently process difficult memories and try small, practical steps between sessions to build safety and momentum. This approach tends to help people facing loss, trauma, life changes or strained relationships.
Contact Paula

Ask a quick question or arrange a time to meet.

Basic Information

In-person & Online

Services

Services Offered:

  • Counseling

    A form of talk therapy providing a safe, confidential space to explore feelings, thoughts, and behaviours with a trained professional.

    Learn more about Counseling
  • Trauma 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 Counseling
  • Relationship Counseling

    Counselling for couples or partners focused on improving communication, rebuilding trust, and strengthening emotional connection.

  • 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.

Works With:

  • Adolescents
  • Adults
  • Couples
  • Individuals
  • Parents

Area of Expertise

Scope of Practice:

  • Addiction

    A compulsive dependence on a substance or behaviour, such as alcohol, drugs, or gambling, that causes harmful consequences to health, relationships, or daily life.

    Learn more about Addiction
  • Adolescent Therapy

    Therapy designed for teenagers, using age-appropriate methods to address issues like anxiety, identity, peer pressure, and family conflict.

    Learn more about Adolescent Therapy
  • Behaviour 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 & Loss
  • Life Transitions

    Major life changes, such as relocation, retirement, parenthood, or career shifts, that disrupt routine and require psychological adjustment.

    Learn more about Life Transitions
  • 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.

  • Relationship Counseling

    Counselling for couples or partners focused on improving communication, rebuilding trust, and strengthening emotional connection.

  • 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 Namibia

Registered Counsellor

Qualifications

University of Johannesburg

Service Areas

+Paula Risi

In-person & Online

Bedford Gardens

Johannesburg, Gauteng

South Africa

Bedford Gardens, Johannesburg, South Africa