Ms Vasintha Pather, MA

Art Psychotherapist

Verified

“A warm, whole-person, whole-system approach to psychotherapy for adults healing from trauma and complex trauma, navigating life transitions, or seeking deeper understanding of identity, relationships, meaning and the direction of their lives, including how these experiences may affect our capacity to show up as our best selves professionally and as leaders. My approach is relational, trauma-informed and integrative, drawing on expressive arts therapy, embodied practices and Jungian perspectives. In-person in Johannesburg; online internationally from South Africa. ”

About me

Developmental, systemic and intergenerational trauma can shape the ways we experience ourselves, our bodies, our relationships and the world around us. Sometimes what we are struggling with in the present has roots that reach much further back which can influence how we respond to closeness and separation, conflict and uncertainty, achievement and failure, and even our sense of who we are and what is possible for us. Often these patterns are adaptive responses to what we have lived through, rather than signs that something is wrong with us. My approach to psychotherapy is grounded in the understanding that healing and growth involves more than an intellectual relationship with our experiences. They also involve developing an embodied relationship with our emotions and imagination, and the contexts that have shaped us, in ways that cultivate safety, meaning, creative aliveness, and deeper connection. Therapy can offer opportunities to develop these capacities, and to discover possibilities for renewal and restoration. I am particularly interested in the ways developmental, systemic and inter-generational trauma can influence how we show up in our professional lives, including confidence, visibility, authority, boundaries, decision-making, relationships, creativity and our capacity to work and lead under pressure.

Approach

My approaches support clients to metabolise and integrate complex life experiences, deepen emotional embodiment, and restore connection with innate wisdom, creative aliveness, and inner resources. Through the therapeutic process, we open pathways to deeper meaning and healthier connection. I work relationally, creatively and in trauma-informed ways, drawing on Expressive Arts, Somatic Experiencing, Integral Somatic Psychology, Systemic Constellations, and Resource Therapy, underpinned by Jungian depth and Eastern psychology perspectives. These approaches allow us to work not only with thoughts and memories, but also with the body's responses, emotions, imagery, relationships and the different parts of ourselves. Somatic approaches can help us develop greater awareness of our responses while building capacity for regulation, choice and connection. Expressive arts provide different language and pathways to restoring wellbeing and wholeness. Story, imagery, psychodrama, archetypes, art-making, family constellations, these are some of the doorways through which we might explore your experiences, healing and aspirations. Resource Therapy offers a way of working with different parts of the self with curiosity and compassion, recognising that even patterns that create difficulty may have developed in an attempt to protect us. Rather than trying to eliminate or fight these parts, we can begin to understand their intentions and develop more flexibility in how we respond.

Contact Vasintha

Ask a quick question or arrange a time to meet.

Basic information

Languages:

English

Fees:

Direct payment

Sandton, South Africa

In-person & Online

Services

The aim of therapy is to support my clients' to deepen their capacities to integrate and heal from difficult life experiences, to embody their emotions, and to restore connection with their innate wisdom, creativity and joy. Growth through the therapeutic process offers possibilities for deeper meaning, inner freedom and choosing what feels life-giving. I work with adults experiencing a range of concerns, including the effects of developmental, systemic and inter-generational trauma. Anxiety, grief and loss, relationship difficulties, life transitions, questions of identity and belonging, burnout, emotional overwhelm and a loss of meaning or direction - these are some of the challenges you may require support with. I work with leaders and professionals navigating the intersections of healing and professional life. I spent over 25 years in organisational leadership internationally, most of these needing me to integrate my own childhood and systemic challenges. I get what it takes to function effectively whilst walking the path of personal healing and recovery. Our world needs healthy leaders and organisations; I offer a restorative, safe space with deep understanding of the journey.

Services Offered:

Corporate Workshops
Mental health and well-being workshops delivered in workplace settings, covering topics like stress management, resilience, and communication.
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
Group Therapy
Therapy conducted with a small group of people who share similar concerns, using peer interaction and diverse perspectives as part of the healing process.
Learn more about Group Therapy
Individual Psychotherapy
In-depth one-on-one therapy that explores the deeper roots of a person's difficulties, often drawing on psychodynamic or psychoanalytic models.
Online Therapy
Therapy sessions conducted over video call, phone, or secure messaging, using the same professional methods delivered remotely.
Learn more about Online Therapy
Somatic Psychotherapy
A form of therapy focused on the connection between mind and body, using body awareness and movement to release held tension, trauma, and emotion.
Systemic Therapy
A therapy that looks at people within their relationships and wider systems — family, couple, or group — and addresses difficulties as patterns of interaction rather than problems located in one individual.
Coaching
A goal-oriented practice focused on identifying objectives, overcoming obstacles, and taking action, centred on the present and future rather than past difficulties.

Works With:

Adults
Couples
Organisations
Groups

Area of expertise

Scope of Practice:

Relationship Issues
Difficulties in romantic relationships, including communication problems, trust breakdowns, conflict patterns, or uncertainty about the relationship's future.
Learn more about Relationship Issues
Abuse
Emotional, physical, or sexual mistreatment by another person that causes lasting psychological harm and disrupts a person's sense of safety.
Anxiety
Persistent worry, nervousness, or fear that is disproportionate to the situation and interferes with daily functioning.
Learn more about Anxiety
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.
Stress / 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 / Burnout
Cross-Cultural
The psychological challenges of living between two or more cultures, including identity conflicts, acculturation stress, and difficulties with belonging.
Identity & Self-Image
A person's sense of who they are, including their values, beliefs, roles, and self-perception, and the distress that arises when this sense is unclear, fragmented, or negative.
PTSD
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, a condition that develops after a traumatic event, causing flashbacks, nightmares, hypervigilance, and emotional numbness.
Learn more about PTSD
Trauma
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 Trauma
Self-Esteem
A person's overall sense of their own worth and value. When chronically low, it can drive self-doubt, avoidance, and difficulty in relationships.
Learn more about Self-Esteem

Professional Title:

Art Psychotherapist
A psychotherapist trained to use visual art as the primary medium for emotional exploration and therapeutic change. No artistic ability needed.