What types of problems does a psychologist treat?

Individuals seeking help from a clinical psychologist usually require assistance with both assessment and/or treatment of problems or certain conditions. Clients may present with various problems or symptoms for example:

Attention-Deficit and Disrupted Behaviour Disorder (including ADHD)
Substance-Related Disorders (Including Alcohol, Nicotine, and Drugs)
Schizophrenia and other Psychotic Disorders
Mood Disorder (Including Depressive Disorders and Bipolar Disorders)
Anxiety Disorders (Including Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Panic attacks, Phobias and Obsessive- Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
Personality Disorder (Including Antisocial-, Narcissistic-, Avoidant- and Borderline personality disorder)

What is a clinical psychologist?

A clinical psychologist is a person who holds a MA degree in clinical psychology and is registered with the Health Profession Council of South Africa (HPCSA).

This profession speciality is mainly concerned with diagnosing more serious mental, emotional and behavioural disturbances. Clinical psychologists tend to view emotional wellbeing in an integrated way by taking into consideration the related aspects of the environment, body, brain and the mind.

Why do people visit a clinical psychologist?

Individuals visit a clinical psychologist because they are troubled with problems, traumas or issues that they are not able to effectively deal with.

These problems mostly have a significant negative impact on various areas of their lives, and may include school-, work-, home or their relational/marital live.

How are appointments made?

Clients often make appointments for themselves when they have the need to.

But clients are mostly referred to psychologists by their General Practitioner (GP’s), certain Specialists, Pastors of their congregation, their schools or even by their employers.