Meet Louis Steenkamp – Marriage, Couples And Relationship Counsellor
INDIVIDUAL COUNSELLING (SOLUTION FOCUSED THERAPY)
I am professionally registered in both South Africa and the United States of America as psychological counsellor and marriage and family therapist. While living in the USA, I chose to complete a Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy and Counselling (MA. MFTC) degree.
I believe marriage and family relationships have a profound impact on how the individual is shaped as a person and contribute significantly to the level of emotional well-being. With the privilege of learning how to integrate numerous evidence-based theories of counselling and family therapy, I am now able to help people gain a better understanding of themselves and the family system or relationships in which they live and function. Every relationship has more than one side to “the story,” and it is essential to listen and understand each individual accurately before one can work towards personal growth and satisfying relationships.
People get hurt in relationships but they also heal in relationships. Forming a safe relationship with a professional helper where confidentiality and accurate empathy, understanding, and input are all put together forms the climate for change where the client is then able to find solutions for personal problems. People have remarkable abilities to solve their own problems, but those abilities can often be blocked away when depression, contempt, self-criticism, relational conflict, addiction or general life problems such as trauma get in the way. In addition to marriage or couples therapy I have practiced as:
Out-patient therapist and addictions counsellor
Working alongside several psychiatrists and psychologists at the Community Mental Health Centre in Vicksburg, Mississippi (2008-2009) in the process of obtaining the necessary 3500 hours towards professional licensure in the state of Mississippi. Services I rendered included couples therapy, family therapy and parenting, group therapy and individual counselling.
Inpatient therapist at Psychiatric Clinic for Children
Once licensed as a professional counsellor I was employed at MCHS or Mississippi Children’s Home Services in Jackson, Mississippi, an inpatient psychiatric facility for high risk teenagers. at MCHS I worked as a full time therapist, providing individual, group and family therapy for emotionally troubled teenagers and their families.
Employee Wellness Program (EWP) Affiliation
ICAS Southern Africa is part of ICAS International, one of the world’s leading behavioral risk management service providers to companies across the globe. Many of the top companies in South Africa are contracted with ICAS to provide employee wellbeing assistance such as face to face and telephonic counselling to employees and their families as well as group trauma interventions. I have been fully affiliated with ICAS for over 3 years and work in South Africa and also internationally as an ICAS counsellor.
Inpatient counsellor at Clearview Clinic
Clearview Clinic is an alcohol and drug rehabilitation clinic in Pretoria. I have been working at Clearview Clinic since it’s opening day back in 2012 helping individuals and families dealing with the challenges of substance abuse and recovery. Areas of focus here in my practice are:
- Co-dependency for individuals in recovery and family members
- Sobriety counselling after the first phase of recovery
- Individual and family counselling related to substance abuse
- Group therapy for people in recovery
In addition to being a masters level professional counsellor in the USA (MA. MFTC; LPC), I also completed an Honours degree in Psychology (HONS BA) and qualified as a Registered Counsellor under the auspices of the Health Professionals Council of South Africa (HPCSA). In my private practice, I help people as individuals (individual counselling) or as members of a system (relationship, family and marriage counselling). My work includes individual counselling with clients from all over the world via the EAP (Employment Assistance Programme) provided by ICAS Southern Africa and ICAS International as well as consulting at a drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre in Kameeldrift-East, Pretoria.
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