Geriatric Therapists in Port Elizabeth
As a clinical psychologist with over 25 years of experience, I have had the privilege of working with individuals struggling with a range of challenges, including anxiety, depression, stress, grief and interpersonal difficulties. My approach is rooted in a relational framework, where I work collaboratively with clients to explore and understand the underlying issues that contribute to their distress.
Through a supportive and non-judgmental therapeutic relationship, I empower clients to gain insight into their thoughts, feelings and behaviors and to develop the skills and strategies needed to manage and resolve their difficulties.
As a clinical psychologist with over 25 years of experience, I have had the privilege of working with individuals struggling with a range of challenges, including anxiety, depression, stress, grief and interpersonal difficulties. My approach is rooted in a relational framework, where I work collaboratively with clients to explore and understand the underlying issues that contribute to their distress.
Through a supportive and non-judgmental therapeutic relationship, I empower clients to gain insight into their thoughts, feelings and behaviors and to develop the skills and strategies needed to manage and resolve their difficulties.
I offer individual counselling with one-on-one support for individuals, teens, or older adults navigating life challenges.
As a Registered Wellness Counsellor, I offer a safe, compassionate and confidential space where you are heard without judgement. I walk alongside you at your own pace with respect, empathy and honesty. Whether you are navigating stress, grief, trauma or life changes, my goal is to help you feel supported, understood and empowered to move forward.
I offer individual counselling with one-on-one support for individuals, teens, or older adults navigating life challenges.
As a Registered Wellness Counsellor, I offer a safe, compassionate and confidential space where you are heard without judgement. I walk alongside you at your own pace with respect, empathy and honesty. Whether you are navigating stress, grief, trauma or life changes, my goal is to help you feel supported, understood and empowered to move forward.
Karen Davidson - Well I Am Counselling
General Counsellor, ASCHP Specialist Wellness Counsellor
Online Only
You woke up one day and didn’t quite recognise yourself. Maybe it was a career that disappeared, children leaving home, a move to a new country, or a body changing through perimenopause.
Maybe you’ve spent so long being everything to everyone else that you’ve lost sight of who you actually are.
I work with women standing at life’s crossroads - navigating transitions that shake their sense of identity and purpose. Together we slow down the noise, untangle what you’re feeling, and begin the work of rediscovering who you are. Not who you were. Who you are - right now, going forward.
You woke up one day and didn’t quite recognise yourself. Maybe it was a career that disappeared, children leaving home, a move to a new country, or a body changing through perimenopause.
Maybe you’ve spent so long being everything to everyone else that you’ve lost sight of who you actually are.
I work with women standing at life’s crossroads - navigating transitions that shake their sense of identity and purpose. Together we slow down the noise, untangle what you’re feeling, and begin the work of rediscovering who you are. Not who you were. Who you are - right now, going forward.
I have experience in helping clients with challenges relating to depression, anxiety, trauma and grief - as symptoms of existing conditions, and/or as responses to circumstantial stress. I am also experienced in helping clients with the management of neurodivergent disorders (ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder). My approach pulls away from over analysis and rumination, towards figuring out how to sustainably feel and be better. This is accomplished by emphasising healthy thinking, health feeling and healthy behaving.
I have experience in helping clients with challenges relating to depression, anxiety, trauma and grief - as symptoms of existing conditions, and/or as responses to circumstantial stress. I am also experienced in helping clients with the management of neurodivergent disorders (ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder). My approach pulls away from over analysis and rumination, towards figuring out how to sustainably feel and be better. This is accomplished by emphasising healthy thinking, health feeling and healthy behaving.
Online Therapists
The people I work with most often come carrying something they've been carrying for a long time. Sometimes it's trauma - a single event, or the slower kind that builds over years of difficult relationships, chronic stress, or grief that never fully resolved. Sometimes it's anxiety that's become so familiar it just feels like personality. Sometimes it's depression that nobody around them has noticed, because they're still showing up and getting things done. I see clients in person in Jeffreys Bay and online across South Africa and internationally.
The people I work with most often come carrying something they've been carrying for a long time. Sometimes it's trauma - a single event, or the slower kind that builds over years of difficult relationships, chronic stress, or grief that never fully resolved. Sometimes it's anxiety that's become so familiar it just feels like personality. Sometimes it's depression that nobody around them has noticed, because they're still showing up and getting things done. I see clients in person in Jeffreys Bay and online across South Africa and internationally.
As a psychodynamic music therapist (HPCSA registered), I work with clients to access unconscious material through both verbal and non-verbal arts processes. This allows us to explore deep-rooted thinking patterns and behaviours, helping clients become aware of their origins and facilitate meaningful change. In today’s busy society, many experience a disconnection between mind, body, and spirit – our sessions focus on restoring that connection, fostering a sense of wholeness and integration. Authenticity and creating a safe, containing space are essential to my practice.
As a psychodynamic music therapist (HPCSA registered), I work with clients to access unconscious material through both verbal and non-verbal arts processes. This allows us to explore deep-rooted thinking patterns and behaviours, helping clients become aware of their origins and facilitate meaningful change. In today’s busy society, many experience a disconnection between mind, body, and spirit – our sessions focus on restoring that connection, fostering a sense of wholeness and integration. Authenticity and creating a safe, containing space are essential to my practice.
Nearby Searches for Port Elizabeth
See More Counsellors FAQ - About Geriatric Therapy
What can a geriatric psychologist help with?
Geriatric therapists specialise in the cognitive and neurological challenges that often accompany aging, including dementia, memory loss, and age-related cognitive decline. They also address the psychological conditions that frequently co-occur with these issues, such as depression, anxiety, and grief. Geriatric therapists and psychologists are trained to assess cognitive functioning, identify symptoms that may warrant further evaluation, and conduct or refer for formal neurological assessment when needed. In many cases, geriatric therapists also work closely with medical doctors to manage a client's overall health, and they may support caregivers and family members navigating the demands of caring for an aging loved one.
Why might someone seek a geriatric psychologist?
Someone might seek a geriatric therapist when they or a loved one begins experiencing cognitive or neurological changes and is unsure whether those changes are a normal part of aging or something that requires clinical attention. A geriatric therapist can help connect families with appropriate next steps. They are also commonly sought following a new diagnosis, when clients and families are working to understand what that diagnosis means practically and emotionally, and what to expect as a condition progresses. When seeking a therapist, it can be helpful to consider whether a clinician with a stronger psychotherapy focus or one with more of a social work orientation, who can help connect clients with assisted living or medical resources, would be the better fit.
What type of therapy might a geriatric therapists specialise in?
Geriatric therapist often combine psychotherapy with psychoeducation, helping clients and their families understand cognitive and neurological conditions and what to expect as they progress. For clients experiencing anxiety or depression alongside cognitive decline, therapists may draw on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) or mindfulness-based approaches. For clients with dementia specifically, therapists may be trained in specialised modalities such as Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST), which is designed to preserve cognitive functioning.
Can geriatric psychologists help people who suffer from dementia?
Yes, and this is a core area of geriatric psychology. Therapists specialising in dementia can work directly with clients on memory loss and cognitive functioning, while also addressing conditions that commonly co-occur, such as depression and anxiety. They can provide caregivers with objective assessments of a client's functioning and disease progression, and are typically well-versed in community resources available to dementia patients and their families.